Yes. We. Did.

Holy fucking shit. More later, but that's about all I can say right now.

Photo of Philadelphians celebrating Obama's victory last night from HuffPo

I Want To Marry Betty White

In this clip, she refers to Sarah Palin as a "crazy bitch" and says she'd love, really love to give Barack Obama more "experience."

LOL Of The Week

A much-needed election-related laugh.

Bush To Follow Obama's Plan For Iraq And Afghanistan

Well, how about this: CNN reports that President Bush just announced a withdrawal of 8,000 troops from Iraq by February and an increase of troops in Afghanistan. This is basically what Obama has been saying we should do all along.

Bush said in a speech on Tuesday morning that improving conditions in Iraq will allow a "quiet surge" of American troops to Afghanistan, where there has been a resurgence of the Taliban and a growth in violence.

. . .

[The President announced:] "Over the next several months, we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces -- including aviation personnel, explosive ordnance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police, and logistical support forces. By November, we will bring home a Marine battalion that is now serving in Anbar province. And in February of 2009, another Army combat brigade will come home.

"This amounts to about 8,000 additional American troops returning home without replacement. And if the progress in Iraq continues to hold, Gen. Petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009."

Meanwhile, you have McCain who has no plan for Iraq beyond the word "victory," which he has failed to define in any meaningful way, and his running mate, who believes we're doing God's work there:



The choice in this election is startingly clear.

New Yorker Cover Depicts Obamas As Terrorists

I get what The New Yorker is doing here, but I still think this is in rather poor taste.

Given the sorts of ridiculous, racist, non-reality-based e-mails about the Obamas that my step-dad forwards me on a regular basis, I can just imagine how this will be reused. It should only be a day or so before I get an e-mail with this image attached that screams, "Even the Liberal Magazine The New Yorker knows the Truth about Barack Hussein Obama and his wife Michelle!" Ugh.

Image from the July 21, 2008 issue of The New Yorker

These Jawns, Them Jawns - June 27, 2008

The Supreme Court upholds individual gun rights by a vote of 5-4.

Show of Unity: Obama's campaign announces that he, along with his wife Michelle and several top campaign staffers, have each contributed the maximum amount to Clinton's campaign in order to help retire her debt. The news comes just before Clinton and Obama make their first joint campaign appearance in Unity, NH, where they each received the same number of votes during the primary.

Looks like Madge and Guy Ritchie are divorcing.

VH1’s I Love the New Millennium premiered this week. I guess even their clever writers haven’t figured out what to call this decade.

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson installs huge waterfalls throughout New York City.

The conservative Orange County Register comes out in favor of gay marriage in an editorial.

Beating the system: Two guys in Virginia, one of them dressed as a woman, get married. I wonder what the OC Register would say about that.

Advantage Obama: MTV has changed its policy and will now accept political ads.

And in local news...

Philly tries optical illusions to slow down drivers. Somehow I don't think it's going to take people too long to figure these jawns out.

Penn President Amy Gutmann makes a lot of money. $1.1 million last year, to be precise.

Shameless plug for a good friend: WILBUR, my favorite vintage clothier in Philadelphia, is open during the afternoon and evening each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Antiquarian’s Delight, 615 S. 6th St. Parker Posey’s been there!

Image: on221.com

Al Gore Endorses Barack Obama for President

In an e-mail to Barack Obama supporters yesterday, former vice presidential candidate Al Gore (finally) endorsed Obama for president. The two then appeared together in Detroit for the official, public endorsement. All I can say is: it's about time! Full text of the e-mail follows:

Dear (Name),

A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama. From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.

Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America.

This moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action.

That's why I am asking you to join me in showing your support by making a contribution to this campaign today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/gore

Over the past 18 months, Barack Obama has united a movement. He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action.

With the help of millions of supporters like you, Barack Obama will bring the change we so desperately need in order to solve our country's most pressing problems.

If you've already contributed to this campaign, I ask that you consider making another contribution right now. If you haven't, please take the next step and own a piece of this campaign today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/gore

On the issues that matter most, Barack Obama is clearly the right choice to lead our nation.

We have a lot of work to do in the next few months to elect Barack Obama president, and it begins by making a contribution to this campaign today.

Thank you for joining me,

Al Gore

These Jawns, Them Jawns - June 13, 2008

A weekly round-up of the edifying, the odd, the laudatory, the scurrilous.

The Obama campaign launches a Fight the Smears sub-site.

Camille Paglia scoffs at the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket: "Hillary for veep? Are you mad? What party nominee worth his salt would chain himself to a traveling circus like the Bill and Hillary Show? If the sulky bearded lady wasn't biting the new president’s leg, the oafish carnival barker would be sending in the clowns to lure all the young ladies into back-of-the-tent sword-swallowing. It would be a seamy orgy of scheming and screwing." Wowzers. There's some imagery for you.

Insult to injury: annoying duck boats rescue Wisconsin flood victims. (via Philebrity)

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's daughter Katherine comes out as a lesbian.

Unicorn power! Single-horned deer found in Italy.

Hollywood in the 215: Transformers 2 is filming on the Penn campus as I type. Photos here.

DISCOVERED: Reel Geezers, two hilarious octogenarians who review movies. I recommend their Superbad review. (via Andrew Sullivan)

REDISCOVERED: Philly-based art and clothing collective Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction produce fun t-shirts and other stuff, and their website is cute, to boot!

Photo: AP/Center of Natural Sciences, Prato, Italy