The Ana Log

THE LAMEST DUCK Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, winner of the special election to replace Rep. Tom DeLay
For the very brief time left on his term (that would be three weeks), inspires a mass walkout of her/his staff. Among other wacky behaviors, she insisted that Bush and Cheney should be present for her swearing-in. Well, there are a lot of swearing-in slots that are open for them this cycle...

THIS ARABIAN LIFE News channel Al-Jazeera English debuts in the U.S., prompting howls from some conservatives over its "anti-American propaganda." We agree — it's bad enough to be critical of the American government, but to do so without even offering a tote bag? We're totally ignoring the pledge drive.

EENIE, MEANIE, STENY, HO! Nancy Pelosi's hand-picked second-in-command, outspoken war critic John Murtha, gets trounced in the House leadership elections. Democrats are already cutting and running—from their own.

ON THE PLUS SIDE, HE WAS GREETED AS A LIBERATOR As Bush's visit to Vietnam invites unfortunate parallels to the Iraq war, the White House's web site illustrates its coverage of the trip with a picture of a "South" Vietnamese flag, not in use since the South surrendered to the North in 1975. We imagine Dick Cheney defended the choice, saying the war is, after all, in its "final throes."