Today's edition of quick hits:
* The major Wall Street indexes finished down about 1% each.
* The shoe-throwing incident seems to sparked all kinds of political turmoil in Baghdad, including the resignation of Parliament's Speaker.
* Speaking of Iraq, Blackwater may be finished in the country.
* OPEC is really cutting back on production, but prices keep dropping anyway.
* Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) was considered the likely pick for U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama administration, but he's passed up the chance and will stay in the House.
* At some point, I sincerely hope Bush White House officials learn not to say, "No one could have anticipated." It's just embarrassing -- for all of us.
* Republicans want to go after Holder for supporting the Brady Bill? These guys do not wear desperation well.
* Sarah Palin's friends on the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission want to help give her a generous raise.
* When it comes to corruption convictions per 100,000 residents, the four worst states in the union are in the Bible Belt: Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama.
* As the recession gets worse, welfare rolls are surging for the first time since the '96 reform effort.
* Great line from my friend Melissa: "If you want to be a parent, you're better off being a gay male penguin in China than a gay male human in Arkansas."
* Didn't Giuliani already have a radio show?
* Congratulations to Sean Hannity for winning Media Matters' "2008 Misinformer of the Year" award. On second thought, maybe "award" is the wrong word.
#board-2412
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
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