Streams Of Consciousness

It took the Austin jury 19 hours of deliberation but they decided unanimously that there was one Texas turkey who does not get a reprieve: Tom DeLay was convicted on money laundering charges.

The trial also opened a window on the world of campaign financing in Washington, as jurors heard testimony about large contributions flowing to Mr. DeLay from corporations seeking to influence him and junkets to posh resorts where the congressman would rub shoulders with lobbyists in return for donations.

Mr. DeLay faces up to life in prison on the money laundering charge.

The Palin Family Freak Show

The Queen of America's White Trash Nation struck back at Barbara Bush today for the remark she made on Larry King's show about how Palin was pretty but should stay up in Alaska. Palin "denounced the Bush family as 'blue bloods' in an interview posted Wednesday and remarked that a mentality like theirs helped to cause the economic downturn." She also mentioned she loves the Bushes.

And then, presumably because she was upset about Bristol's DWTS loss and how crudely she handled it, Palin declared some kind of an alliance between Alaska and North Korea, on the Glenn Beck Show. To his credit and without a script, Beck actually knew the North were the bad guys and the South were the good guys. Palin can take out her frustrations clubbing halibut until her ratings failing reality show is eased off the air.

Bill Owens Just Kiddin' About Voting For Boehner

In case you were concerned that conservative New York Democrat Bill Owens, who the DCCC had just rescued with $946,672.85 worth of Independent Expenditures (following the $882,473 they spent helping him win the 2009 special election), was taking his narrow 48-46% win and jumping the fence into Republicanville... well, he was just "blowing off steam." Yesterday he was threatening to vote for Boehner as Speaker but today he explained that "I was agitated that neither one of them [Pelosi or Hoyer] had responded to me" in regard to the Bush tax cuts. He says he'll vote for Pelosi "as long as she plans to govern from the center and focus on jobs." Since being elected last year his ProgressivePunch score is pretty abysmal. On the contentious votes dividing the two parties his 48.65 score indicates he voted slightly more frequently with... yes, Boehner. Was he blowing off steam then too?

Any Threats To Stability On The Distant Horizon?

Tonight's video... getting you ready for an obnoxious brother-in-law teabagger tomorrow-- in case foreclosures come up: