DeLay the DeLuded

The big inside-DC story of the morning is how Tom DeLay upped the maniacal-ante last night at a supporters' dinner by saying that "the Opposition" (translation: America) has "no class." The NYTimes buried the lead with regard to how few Republicans actually showed to support their soon-to-be ex-leader. Call DeLay what you will, but he's surely not going down without a pissy, ugly, burn-baby-burn fight. But he's most assuredly going down. By the way, the "no class" reference was meant to attack Harry Reid for calling Dubya a "loser" last week. Hard to say that Reid's comment registered with anyone other than the most anal DC reporters.

Voinovich tried to have it both ways yesterday (no, that's not a Jeff Gannon reference) by rippin' John Bolton a new one while still giving the obligatory nod to dump his carcass on the Senate for a full body vote. Everyone's playing with this seldom-used connundrum, but I'm least amazed by the conservative hack-groups continuing to attack Voinivich for not towing the Bushies' line. Personally, the hack job done by Slate on Lincoln Chaffee struck me as a most over-the-top insta-analysis, but almost all of the ink spilled on this debacle was indelibly dull and forgettable. My one remaining question - how did Chuck Hagel get spun so utterly into the Bushies' camp (read deep into this story for his justification)? Let the vote roll - the results will rattle the Bushies and Bolton's damaged goods no matter what happens. While I hate conceding the UN to the neo-Cons, this one's a loser in the long-term when there are many larger battles looming on the horizon (e.g. when the NYPost is reporting that Sandra Day O'Connor is retiring from the Supreme Court, we should all acknowledge that the shitstorm's yet to begin in DC).

In case you missed it, the pilots that sent all of DC into a tizzy (with the exception of our fearless trail-riding leader) have been interviewed and they will not be charged. So we're winning the War on Terrorism, after all.

For those of you that can access the Wall Street Journal (subscription or newstand purchase required) there's a front-page story posted this morning that truly merits a looksie. It gives great detail on how little class mobility there actually is currently in these United States. My favorite depressing analytical stat is as follows:

Despite the widespread belief that the U.S. remains a more mobile society than Europe, economists and sociologists say that in recent decades the typical child starting out in poverty in continental Europe (or in Canada) has had a better chance at prosperity. Miles Corak, an economist for Canada's national statistical agency who edited a recent Cambridge University Press book on mobility in Europe and North America, tweaked dozens of studies of the U.S., Canada and European countries to make them comparable. "The U.S. and Britain appear to stand out as the least mobile societies among the rich countries studied," he finds. France and Germany are somewhat more mobile than the U.S.; Canada and the Nordic countries are much more so.

On an entirely different level, my earlier mention of George Voinovich makes me miss the days of Pete Vukovich from the once mighty Milwaukee Brewers. Loved him in "Major League" and his crotch-grabbing influenced a generation. Where is he now, I must wonder aloud? So much more fun than to wonder just what might go wrong in this crazy-mixed-up-world over the weekend. Regardless, hope all's well with you and yours. Rock on.