Mule Notes 2

Joel Achenbach, blogging at the Washington Post, said yesterday that Joe Biden is the "UnCheney."

"There are not two more different characters -- stylistically -- in American politics," insists Achenbach. "Biden is voluble, passionate, self-aggrandizing, funny. Cheney is calculating, secretive, cold. Biden likes the spotlight; Cheney likes his cave."

I'm with Achenbach on this one. When it comes to war criminals, I prefer mine to be loud, garrulous, in your face, juggling severed heads while walking a tightrope. A bloodletter you can arm wrestle for laughs, then share a few rounds of domestic brew. That's certainly not Cheney. Who knows -- maybe Biden will help bring about change after all.

It's official: Kos has accepted Joe Biden as Obama's VP. It took him a few days, presumably because Biden's politics make Kos "chafe," but from what I understand, Kos was having his tongue bleached in preparation for this embrace. Keep it simple, Kos. The line stretches around the Pepsi Center.

Among the many libloggers in Demver to groove to the Party's selection of bad pop music ("Still the One" by Orleans?), the beloved Digby wrote of her time on a media panel -- Corporate Hosebags Meet Online Parasites, or something along those lines. When the topic of torture arose, Digby apparently felt there was no time for her to quiz Newsweek's Jonathan Alter about his earlier defense of "court-sanctioned psychological interrogation."

"I would hope that he has thought some about that since then," sez Digs, "considering that torture has now been thoroughly mainstreamed. If I see him around this week, I'll ask him."

Now, I've been on countless panels covering a variety of subjects and concerns, and there's always been time to ask a fellow panelist a question, or several questions. You're on the fucking panel. You're part of the show. All you need do is lean into your mike and say, "Excuse me. While we're on this topic, I'd like to ask Mr. Alter a question about journalism and torture." That's it. Game on. If the crowd is lucky, there's verbal fireworks. So I don't buy this "had there been time" line from Digby. My guess is that she simply didn't want to confront Alter, who can be a sniveling prick (I know from experience). But if Digby does see Alter around and decides to finally face him, I hope someone tapes it. There's been precious little entertainment from the convention.