And the inaugural ball gown selection process begins.

Michelle Obama, pictured above with the President-Elect, is the most glamorous first lady we've had since Jackie. You know there's a slap-fight going on among designers to see who gets to dress her for the inaugural ball(s). Women's Wear Daily published the following sketches from a host of prominent designers, all of whom are vying for the choice job of making Michelle look fabulous. Which would you choose?

Diane von Furstenberg. This looks just a little bit "second marriage" to me. We can do better.

Tuleh. Very "Bain de Soleil". Not sure Michelle's ample tuchus would look good in this.

Tracy Reese. Pretty color, if a bit boring.

Rachel Roy. All I see here is a bridesmaid's dress and some chandelier earrings. Next.

Zac Posen. Fun design, but what's up with the likeness? She looks like Brooke Astor's retarded neice.

Another sketch from Zac Posen. The ruffles? Not so much. Looks just a little bit like Stillwater High School Junior/Senior Prom, circa 1984.

Peter Som. Simple. Elegant. I'm not sure white is the best choice, but the design is nice. Michelle has always looked her best when she chooses clothing that isn't over-wrought.

Nicole Miller. This will make her ass look enormous. And what's up with the weird neck? She'll need some African neck-rings and a few years to be able to pull this look off. Meh.

Isaac Mizrahi. The design and color are fun. Even the kids look cute. I like it, although the top of Michelle's dress could be problematic if that cut doesn't work for her frame.

Badgley Mischka. Again, have these guys SEEN Mrs. Obama? Do they understand that with her tuchus, she'll look like a snake that swallowed a mouse?

Monique Lhuillier. Very pretty, love the color. It's a bit "southern belle" for my taste, but perhaps some tweaking of the fullness of the skirt would be sufficient.

Karl Lagerfeld, for Chanel. Classy. Perfect. One other site said that the suit for the inauguration was "a little too Jackie Kennedy". Um... how can one be too Jackie Kennedy? The pillbox hat might be a bit dated, so Lagerfeld skipped that... but the suit? Too perfectly cut? Too chic? Too elegant?

Christian Lacroix. To pull this off, Michelle would have to fly into the air and leap the Washington Monument with a single bound.

Michael Kors. I like it, but my co-workers (all women) said that this asymmetric top would be difficult unless Michelle had just the right build.

Koi Suwannagate. The ruffles are interesting, but I hate the top. She looks like she's wearing a cardigan over her dress, and we all know what happened when she did that during her husband's acceptance speech in Grant Park. No.

Kai Milla. It's hard for me to look at this without thinking of Mary J. Blige. No.

Marc Jacobs. Very pretty dress. I think Michelle looks better in richer colors, and the waist might not be quite the right look for her.

Carolina Herrera. Are you kidding me? The color is pretty, and it's a beautiful gown... for a 25 year old starlet with no hips.

Elie Tahari. Perhaps this would be better for when Mrs. Obama plays Clytemnestra.

Oscar de la Renta. Very pretty dress, if just a titch boring. The cut is nice, but we'd have to see the fabric first. And honestly, she should wear some nice deep jewel tones instead of something bland and neutral. Another site said the girls look like cake-toppers, a sentiment with which I agree wholeheartedly.

Chado Ralph Rucci. This looks like an Escher print. It would give the entire country epilepsy. No.

Reem Acra. I'm not sure that the top is right. Might make her boobs look funky.

Another sketch from Reem Acra. I like where this is going, but again... the tuchus. You can't put a woman with a big tuchus in a gown that's cut like this.

And last but certainly not least, the insane Betsey Johnson.

Hold the cream... I'd love to...

Okay, is it me, or are newly-minted White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (pictured above on the right) and his brother Ari (left) pretty much the embodiment of a certain type of yummy?

Ari, a talent agent in Los Angeles and the representative for Martin Scorsese, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, Larry David, Michael Moore, Jude Law, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and Mark Wahlberg, was apparently the inspiration for Jeremy Piven's character on Entourage. Rahm is active in triathlons, which is a welcome change from the odd Democratic image of tubby Bill Clinton jogging with his Secret Service detail. (One imagines that there might have been a donut at the end of tha jogging trail... Mr. Emanuel clearly doesn't need such motivation.)

So the Obama folks aren't just bringing the funk. They're bringing the hawt. Yes we can, honey. Yes we can.

Loss for words.

After the election and the subsequent mayhem regarding the Prop 8 debacle, I've been pretty much at a loss for words. It's hard to blog about your feelings and opinions when you haven't really had a chance to digest them yourself.

I'm delighted about the Obama win. It's a step forward, to be sure. In addition to the obvious racial equality significance, it embodies a passing of the torch to my own generation. The capricious zeal of the boomers, which currently finds its home in the wasteland of religious hypocrisy, has finally been relegated to the kid's table at the White House. And now, I hope that Mr. Obama can stand up under the heavy weight of expectation that we have placed upon him, without shifting center-right in an effort to cajole the mealy religious neo-zealots into shouldering some of the weight.

The Prop 8 brouhaha has been harder to process. I think that my sharp opinions about this have been the reason for my relative silence as of late. Of course I'm devastated by the idea of a simple majority being the only obstacle to rescinding civil rights from our tribe. I also am terrified that this may set a precedent... not only for our own kind, but for all people. Watching how the Mormon church has systematically funneled tens of millions of dollars into this fight has been utterly nauseating... not to mention the less-impressive but still-shameful financial support of the Catholics via the Knights of Columbus.

But this terrible inequity brought out the best in us. Did you see the massive protests all over the country? GLBT people and fair-minded straight folk alike woke up from their collective torpor and finally said "enough is enough". Hypocritical donations across the country, mostly from Mormon sheeple who claim no ill intent, have created a backlash that clearly frightened the normally-stoic LDS church. And now, after the protests erupted, new polling shows that Prop 8 would NOT have passed. Makes you wonder what the No On Prop 8 organizing committee was doing all along, doesn't it?

I'm conflicted. A win for Obama, and a giant step forward. A loss for fairness in California and many other states, and a big wobbly step backward. But I see hope in our future as long as we can keep the good fight going.

Proud of us.

Dan Savage for President.

A blessing and a curse.

My thoughts today are simple:

America is a study in contrasts. An inspirational African-American man was just elected President, and our country appears poised for a reversal of policy and fortune. In this, my faith and hope in my nation is revived.

In contrast, my civil and human rights (and those of all others like me) were put to a popular vote in several states last night, including California. The continued assault on my equality by the right-wing religious has shown no sign of abating. The need for protection of a minority from the tyrrany of the majority has never been more starkly apparent.

In this moment of transformation, during which it would be natural to see our collective future as being shiny, new, and promising, I am taunted by a nagging sense of frustration and injustice. I wonder if anything short of the death of the older generations and the waning of the religious chokehold on conservative politics might offer my country the chance to pursue its original promise of equal treatment under the law.

Madeline Dunham, 86.

Mrs. Dunham (seen here with her husband and Obama) passed away peacefully, just hours before the election. How terrible that Sen. Obama's grandmother didn't live to see him elected as President of the United States. I'm sure it's a terribly difficult time for the Obama family right now. I'm happy for Obama that he at least had a chance to visit her one last time, despite the squalid criticisms from his right-wing opponents. May Mrs. Dunham rest in peace in the knowledge that she did a great job in raising her grandson.

In defense of Sarah Palin.

A Canadian radio duo from Montreal duped Sarah Palin into thinking that she was speaking to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, as the above recording shows. The blogosphere is going a bit nuts with it, but I found myself very concerned about it. I can't stand Palin or her politics, but this kind of thing makes me very concerned. Nobody wants to see Palin go down in flames more than I do, but I want her to lose because her ideas were rejected, not because she looked foolish during a telephone prank just before the election.

Nicolas Sarkozy fell for this same duo himself some months ago. You don't have to be stupid to fall for this kind of thing. You just have to have a staff that's more than a little sloppy. You can bet that Slim Jim's staff wouldn't be so quick to hand over the phone.

JMG commentrix Lynette (fellow Okie and creator of the wonderful blog BigAssBelle, listed on my Bloggerati links) made some important points about Palin's "golly gee" giggly approach to a conversation with what she thought was a foreign head of state. I agree with her concerns completely, but I believe she too agrees that the methods behind this stunt were immature and inappropriate.

This was unfair and cheap. And it was unnecessary. Palin is so obviously out of her league that to pull this kind of stunt is simply beyond the pale. (I can't believe I'm defending her. I can't stand her.) Let's let go for a second from the schadenfreude that we all feel when pranks on right-wingers are involved and let's instead think of our political process moving forward. If we want our elections to be about issues instead of about this kind of stupid shit, then it has to go both ways.

Let's stay on the high road and focus on ideas instead.

Yeah, okay. He was funny. So was Cindy.

Given the light-hearted, genuinely funny performance of John and Cindy McCain in this SNL clip from last night's show, doesn't it look as though McCain is trying to salvage a shred of decency and support from the American public after subjecting us to many months of bilious racism and bottom-of-the-barrel politics? Does this look like a man who would try to take the low road to the America's highest public office?

I've always thought that McCain was an honorable and reasonable person, and I've never thought that he really believed in the lies and slander that his campaign has thrown at Obama (and at centrist or left-leaning Americans as well). That's what disgusts me even more... that McCain would volitionally subject his country to such a poisonous campaign, dividing the public by stirring up fear and hatred toward minorities, simply to win an election for the party. Any honor he may have had in the past has been mightily overshadowed by the squalid self-interest that he has displayed in this campaign. There aren't enough sketch comedy scenes or one-liners in the world to wipe away from Americans' minds McCain's betrayal of the public's best interest or to restore his pre-election status as a respected and reasonable conservative.

Forget the Keating 5 scandal. McCain will regret the tone and content of this campaign for the rest of his life, and for good reason.

The silence of the lesbians.

California's "Proposition 8", which would seek to strip gay and lesbian Californians of their right to marry, will be on the ballot on November 4. It's already been one of the most hotly contested state initiatives in American history, and has been the focus of many high-dollar donations from prominent right-wingers. The "Yes on 8" camp, which would prefer to see the initiative pass and therefore prohibit gay and lesbian marriage equality, has been aided by donations from the likes of the mormon church, the catholic church, James Dobson's "Focus on the Family", and L.A. Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent. Copious donations against this discriminatory initiative have been received by the "No on 8" camp from all over the country... small amounts from those who can barely afford it, and other larger amounts from those who can. The national outpouring of support for the efforts to defeat this initiative has been one of the more exciting examples of national GLBT activism that I've seen in a while.

The fact that this is happening in California might make one assume that gay and lesbian celebrities, with their prominent medial profiles and deep pockets, would be clamoring to donate to the efforts to ensure that this squalid initiative does not pass. Some, like Ellen DeGeneres and T.R. Knight, have indeed done so.

But one prominent and well-paid celebrity has not been so magnanimous. Rosie O'Donnell, the former talk show host and comedienne, got married in San Francisco in a highly-publicized civil ceremony. She and her wife have beautiful children and are raising a family. They own a well-known business that caters to GLBT family vacationers. O'Donnell has supported GLBT causes for many years, and has always been outspoken in her support for GLBT equality. So why the silence on this issue?

O'Donnell's own blog posts reveal a disturbing selfishness and hostility that is difficult to understand. GoodAsYou has collected a bewildering sample of her own responses to fan inquiries on the subject, all of which are either cryptic, dismissive, or downright rude. Why would O'Donnell, who took advantage of the California laws when she got married herself, be so dismissive of calls for her support? From where does this self-centered attitude originate?

I don't quote the Bible often, but the gospel according to Luke tells us that "to whom much is given, much will be required". I can't imagine anyone who fits the description of one to whom much has been given more perfectly than Rosie O'Donnell. No, she may not live in California. Yes, she has done much charity work in the past and continues to do so. And yes, she may support any cause she likes. But in a watershed moment like the Proposition 8 struggle, I must admit that I expect GLBT celebrities to give their full-throated and full-pocketed support... publicly and copiously.

Anything else would be shameful. Wouldn't it?

Just in case.

Housecleaning time.

David Frum, the conservative commentator who recently and rightly got served on the Rachael Maddow Show on MSNBC, wrote the following in an article on HuffPost:

"[T]he political culture of the Democratic Party has changed over the past decade. There's a fierce new anger among many liberal Democrats, a more militant style and an angry intolerance of dissent and criticism. This is the culture of the left-wing blogosphere and MSNBC's evening line-up -- and soon, it will be the culture of important political institutions in Washington.

Unchecked, this angry new wing of the Democratic Party will seek to stifle opposition by changing the rules of the political game. Some will want to silence conservative talk radio by tightening regulation of the airwaves via the misleadingly named "fairness doctrine"; others may seek to police the activities of right-leaning think tanks by a stricter interpretation of what is tax-deductible and what is not."

He's right. The left is angry. The middle is angry too. In fact, 75% of America is angry, fed up, and pissed off. After decades of right-wing fear-based conservatism strangling the Republican party into submission and seeing to it that any conservative-but-still-respectable politician who didn't adhere to the theocratic worldview of the religious right had no chance in their next election, is it any wonder that progressives have become angry? After years of Republican lies about anti-Americanism, socialism (as if that's always a bad thing), pandering to the racist/homophobic/xenophobic lowest common denominator of the American population, and after enduring years of hollow neo-con accusations every time a Republican politician or operative opened his/her mouth in the media, is it really that surprising that the left is ticked off?

Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long. With the way the Republicans have treated those who disagree with them since the 1980s, it's beyond hysterical that Frum is now warning Americans of the dangers of one-party government and extolling the value of debate and rational discourse. I'm seriously having difficulty believing this shiny new face of the neo-reasonable right, thinking instead it's just a hollow, sophomoric claim that Republicans have always wanted to work together but the left is just mean and smug.

I do believe in checks and balances. I think there's a real place for conservative voices in government, just like I think there's place for progressives. However, in a two-party political system, when the conservative party is hijacked by far-right religious theocrats, it's very difficult to advocate for the value of the conservative voice. There is no conservative voice in that instance. There has long been only ex cathedra statements from on high, with the Almighty speaking directly through politicians who act as though their powers were derived from God himself. The squalid racism and hatred among the Republican party's "base" has rightfully outraged the center as well as the left. I can't help but hope that even some of the most conservative voters in the Republican party have been embarrassed as well... after all, one can be fiscally conservative without frothing at the mouth every time they hear the words "gay", "family planning", and "immigrants".

It's time to heal, it's time for the center-left to try to repair some of the damage that 20 years of right-wing socioeconomic dogma has wrought, and it's way past time for the Republican party to reorganize its base from the bottom up. Hopefully they'll have the courage to do it.

B is for batshit crazy. That's good enough for me.

My first clue that this was a hoax was the fact that the letter "B" was carved into her face backwards (as though it were done in a mirror), and that the cuts were not deep enough to cause permanent scarring. Of course, the "scary black man" aspect of the report was enough to make me throw up.

Go to Joe.My.God. and check out the horrible Freeper comments... they'll do or say anything to link this to some horrible Obama conspiracy rather than admit that this was just a plain old hoax from a very troubled young woman. Or maybe it was because she was in Pittsburgh. As Auntie Mame famously said, "When you're from Pittsburgh, you have to do something." (To be fair, Todd is originally from College Station, Texas.)

From the Pittsburgh paper:

Police: Campaign Volunteer Lied, Injured Self

Ashley Todd told investigators today she "just wanted to tell the truth" -- and was neither robbed, nor attacked. Todd, 20, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police.

Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker; now she's facing charges.

At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd's injuries were self-inflicted. Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police. Todd initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect began beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car. Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.

Investigators asked Todd to return to the police station today for more questioning and to help them release a composite sketch of the suspect. When she did, police say she admitted that she made the whole thing up and that it snowballed out of control. Todd told investigators today that she "just wanted to tell the truth" – adding that she was neither robbed, nor attacked. "She indicated that she has prior mental problems and that she does not remember how the backward letter B got on her face," Pittsburgh Police Spokeswoman Diane Richard told reporters today.

Todd told police that while she did not remember how the backward "B" got on her face, she may have done it herself since she was the only one in the car. According to police, Todd said she thought of Barack Obama when she saw the "B" in her rearview mirror.

Officials say they do not believe any other people were involved; and Todd's friends believed the story about the attack – encouraging her to call police.

Helter Skelter, Amen.

I hear Vancouver is a stunningly beautiful city, and Montreal is freaking awesome. I'm glad my passport is valid, just in case.

Republicans remove their masks yet again.

You'd think I would need to scour the internet for clips showing this kind of bigoted, know-nothing ignorance. I wish I could say that I had to dig around for a few isolated video clips showing the true core of the Republican party. In actuality, I've had to pick and choose from many video clips, all of which make me sick to my stomach.

With the rotten elements of America's conservative party so often laid bare, I say again... to which group do you want to belong?

My fellow Americans, I give you... Mrs. Gayle Quinnell of Shakopee, Minnesota. It's sweet that they let her take the short bus to the rally.

Gayle Quinnell: I went to the library in Shakopee and I got lots of ... three pages of information about Obama
Adam Aigner of NBC News: And what kind of information did you get?
Quinnell :I got to tell you , you call me. It's a long story. I'm afraid of what's going to happen to this country.
Aigner: What would you think would happen? Do you think it would become Muslim country and what would that mean?
Quinnell :It would be bad
Aigner: So even though Senator McCain told you that he didn't feel that was true and you ought to be more respectful, you still fear that?
Quinnell I still do. Yeah. I'm not alone. I go to Burnsville, the main Republican headquarters and I do a lot of work over there. A lot of sending out mail and talking to people. And all the people agree with what I'm saying to you about Obama.
Aigner :Then do you feel there are a lot of volunteers for McCain who feel that way?
Quinnell Yes. A lot of them. In fact I got a letter from another woman that goes over there to Burnsville and she sent me more things about Obama.
Aigner:What was on the letter?
Quinnell Oh all kinds of bad things about him and how, I mean I have to tell you to call me. It's all bad.
Reporter: Are a lot of people getting this letter and are a lot of people believeing it and is that turning a lot of votes or support for McCain?
Quinnell Yeah I sent out 400 letters. I went to Kinkos and I got them all printed out. And I sent about 400 letters. I went in the telephone book and sent them out to people. So they can decide if they would want Obama.
Aigner :Can you give me your name again?
Quinnell Gayle Quinnell and I honestly think that these people hear about this Obama, they wouldn't want him.
Aigner: Because they would know what you know in the letter?
Quinnell Yeah, he read that letter. In fact when I was standing in line , there were about eight girls, young girls standing in line. And they said "what have you got". I had one of the letters and they said "Give it to me. I want to read it. I want to read it" And they read it. And they just went (shakes head) . They hadn't read it before and they didn't (unintelligible) all that information. To me it's bad news.
Aigner : So maybe if I call you you'll give me one of the letters maybe?
Quinnell I sure can!
Aigner: You don't have another one on you now?
Quinnell No I don't. But I can give you what I got and I can give you what she sent me in the mail.
Aigner: I'd be interested to read it.
Quinnell OK
Aigner:: and can you spell your name for me?
Quinnell Q-U-I-N-N-E-L-L
Aigner: E-L-L? And Gayle is just
Quinnell G-A-Y-L-E
Aigner: And where you from?
Quinnell I'm from Shakopee.
Aigner: Shakopee?
Quinnell Shakopee, Minnesota
Aigner: And and I'm sorry how old are you ma'am?
Quinnell I'm 75
Aigner : 75?
Quinnell (Nods yes) And I got a lot of grandkids and a lot of kids, I've got five kids. I got seven grandkids and they all think the same way.
(PHONE NUMBER EDITED OUT OF CONVERSATION)
Noah Kunin( The UpTake): Do you volunteer at the Republican Party Headquarters or the McCain Campaign office over in Burnsville?
Quinnell McCain. McCain Headquarters in Burnsville.
Noah: The McCain headquarters.
Quinnell It's out over by , over by that post station there.
Noah: Yeah, I know which one you're talking about. And just to be sure to make sure we got your quote OK, you called Obama and Arab terrorist
Quinnell pardon?
Noah: You called him an Arab terrorist? Is that correct? Why do you think he is an Arab?
Quinnell Because his dad is. If you... I'll send you the paper.
Female reporter: His dad is Muslim His dad was Muslim. Barack Obama has never been a Muslim.
Quinnell No but he's....
Dana Bash of CNN :he's a Christian.
Quinnell He's not an Arab either, he's a
Bush: His father was Muslim, and he's a Christian.
Quinnell Yeah , but he's still got Muslim in him. So that's still part of him. I got all the stuff from the library and I could send you all kinds of stuff on him. In fact....
Bush: What did you think about McCain said. He said he's a decent person.
Quinnell Well he did have didn't have (unintelligible) I think McCain wanted to (unintelligible) I don't think he wanted to say anything against him. You know he didn't want to cut him down. That was my way of thinking. I don't think he wanted to cut him down. So he just kind of brushed me off.
Reporter: Plus he criticizes Barack Obama plenty himself, so why wouldn't he do it now?
Quinnell Well I probably brought up something that he didn't want to talk about.
Reporter: Do you think John McCain thinks that he's Arab? Do you think he knows this stuff that you're saying you know is fact?
Quinnell I don't know. I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want to bring it up then. I don't know why. Is there some way I can get to you more information.
Bush: Can you wait for me for like five more minutes?
Quinnell Yeah.
Bush:: I want to an interview on camera. Our camera team is occupied right now. What's your name?
Quinnell Gayle Quinnell (Spells name again)
Bush: In case I lose you, you don't have a cell phone do you?
Quinnell No I wish I had it on me but I don't.
Bush: See the pretty lady over there with red hair? That's our camera. As soon as she's done, we'll be over there Ok
Reporter: What was your reaction when Senator McCain backed away
Quinnell What was my reaction? Well when he didn't want to talk about it

Some folks are saying things like, "Oh, I feel sorry for this older woman who's being lied to about a man that looks different and has a very different name". Bullshit. I work with people all the time who are a damned sight older than this woman. People don't automatically lose their minds or their responsibilities when they turn 70. Gayle Quinnell is a willfully ignorant racist who had her mind made up about the scary black guy with the weird name, and went to the "li-berry" to find a bunch of bullshit lies to try to justify her prejudice. She mailed a bunch of these three-page screeds to everyone in her address book, but she couldn't even remember a single thing that was on those pages... or at least she pretended not to recall anything they contained for fear of having to own it on television. She's a bigot, plain and simple, and should be deeply ashamed of herself.

McCain, on the other hand, just earned back a quarter teaspoon of the cup and a half of respect I once had for him. Of course, if his campaign (including that corrupt fuck-wad in a pencil skirt who shares the ticket with him) hadn't started this whole not-so-thinly-veiled race-baiting in the first place, perhaps squalid incidents like these wouldn't be such a commonplace occurrence lately. Racism, even in the "liberal" upper midwest, is impossible to control once you've let the cat out of the bag.

Of course, it would have been nice of McCain to remind America that one can be arab, or even muslim, and still be a "decent family man" and a "citizen". But that would have been too much to ask of a Republican.

Grotesque.

This election is showcasing the lowest common denominator among Americans, more so than previous presidential contests. The fact that so many Americans recognize the need for a change of course in governmental policies and priorities has resulted in McCain/Palin rallies populated almost exclusively by the most dogmatic Republican base. The people who make up this base are shown in the clip above. It couldn't be a more stark contrast this year, and the contrast is becoming more and more vivid as we careen toward November.

All Americans should be compelled to watch this video. It's disgusting to be sure, but this kind of squalid racism and hatred has for too long been brushed under the rug by the Republican party. It's time to bring it out into the sunlight and let those "undecided voters" choose which team they'd most like to join.

The bloom is off the rose.

So I have this thing for Brady Quinn. Or, I should say, had. David and I even coined a particularly lurid yoga pose the "happy Brady pose", in his honor. The sunshine of his shirtless smile during his college football career has been clouded over by recent suggestions of homophobic activities, but given that those were not adequately substantiated, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But this... this... no one is hot enough to excuse this kind of thing.

Eew. Just... eew.

I'd laugh if I weren't already crying.