Yeah, that sounds about right

Dan Froomkin, in a typically sunny column about BP's response, drops this little nugget about one of the ways the British petroleum giant may have made things worse.

The "top kill" attempt that shot tons of mud down the well pipe in an attempt to plug it didn't work -- and may instead have scoured the pipe clean of blockage that was keeping some of the oil down. It could also have set the stage for a catastrophic structural failure.

I have no idea if that is true or not, but it sounds pretty much par for the course. Frankly the only way BP could have made things worse was if we found out the broken pipe was a hoax and they were just deliberately pumping oil into the ocean for shits and giggles. I expect we'll find that out next week.

Maybe now is not the time

With the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, now is the time to organize aid, donate to relief, and keep news flowing from and to the beleaguered country in an attempt to help. What it isn't the time for is using the crisis as a platform for grinding some ax, attacking efforts to help, acting like a complete asshole, or offering up your truly terrible ideas. We've discussed this at length with El Rushbo and Patty's comments over the past few days, hell the Daily Show even went after those two and added Rachael Maddow into the mix. Fine, fine, good, good.

Still, it seems that people aren't getting the message to either help or just clamp your mouth shut for a few weeks. No, some people even think it's a nice tool to help their candidate advance in the polls for a primary for a Senate race. Namely the communications director for California Republican Senate candidate Chuck DeVore, who has his solution to the crisis.

"Haiti: the best thing the int'l community can do is tend the wounded, bury the dead, and then LEAVE. That includes all UN and charity," wrote Josh Trevino.

Yes, wonderful plan. Dig a few mass graves, slap a few Dora the Explorer Band-Aids on a few gaping head wounds, take a few good pictures of an entirely flattened country with zero working infrastructure or government, and then dust your hands off and say "Well, it's about time we left now. Good luck rebuilding your shattered lives on your own with no money, food, police, leadership, or buildings. By the way: you're welcome." That sounds like the perfect solution, thanks for adding it to the debate we were having about whether we were going to help out or sit back, do nothing, and take bets on which person will emerge from the shattered nation as the de facto warlord of the rubble pile that is Haiti. It was a pitched debate, but I think your sensible argument pushed the consensus into "Fuck 'em" territory.

But it isn't just idiot political campaigns jumping into the fray. Sometimes scientists ought to learn to shut up as well.

Scientists who detected worrisome signs of growing stresses in the fault that unleashed this week's devastating earthquake in Haiti said they warned officials there two years ago that their country was ripe for a major earthquake.

Their sobering findings, presented during a geological conference in March 2008 and at meetings two months later, showed that the fault was capable of causing a 7.2-magnitude earthquake — slightly stronger than Tuesday's 7.0 quake that rocked the impoverished country.

Though Haitian officials listened intently to the research, the nearly two years between the presentation and the devastating quake was not enough time for Haiti to have done much to have prevented the massive destruction.

Yeah. Listen, I know you guys like to point out when you get things right, particularly when you have so much trouble getting people to believe other predictions about natural disasters, but could you not do this the same week that the earthquake happens? Especially when you all freely admit that there wasn't much Haiti could have done given it's resources and the timeframe? It's not like they were flicking the on/off switch on their earthquake machine carelessly and you told them to knock it off or the Haitian President was putting on a miner's hat, going underground, and using his super strength to push the tectonic plates together. Next time, maybe wait two weeks before you put up the "We told you so" banner and give speeches in front of it.

Seriously, next time anyone has a brilliant idea about Haiti, just pause and ask yourself "Is this going to help in any way?" It likely isn't, so just hold your shining nugget of blinding brilliance inside, the world will try to get on without it.

It begins

It seems a little late, but I guess even nefarious, money grubbing plans to kill any health care reform were delayed by the interminable bullshit that goes on in the Senate Finance Committee. Yes, the insurance industry is deciding to come out and poison the debate as best it can: by claiming your insurance rates are going to go up, up, up.

After working for months behind the scenes to help shape health care reform, the insurance industry is now sharply attacking the emerging plan with a report that maintains Senate legislation would increase the cost of a typical policy by hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars a year.
...
Late Sunday, the industry trade group America's Health Insurance Plans sent its member companies a new accounting firm study that projects the legislation would add $1,700 a year to the cost of family coverage in 2013, when most of the major provisions in the bill would be in effect.
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"Several major provisions in the current legislative proposal will cause health care costs to increase far faster and higher than they would under the current system," Karen Ignagni, the top industry lobbyist in Washington, wrote in a memo to insurance company CEOs.

The study projected that in 2019, family premiums could be $4,000 higher and individual premiums could be $1,500 higher.

My God, if a lobbyist said it then it must be true. Just one question though, since I seemed to have misplaced my slide rule and abacus: is this more or less than health care premiums have risen over the past decade and will continue to rise over the next decade? Because it seems about the same. So is that the argument? "Unless we scuttle this health care bill we will see a rise in health care costs almost indistinguishable from what is already going on." Isn't this essentially an argument for why the current bill shouldn't be so beneficial to the health insurance industry, should try to make actual reforms instead of timid incremental garbage, and should, I don't know, provide some sort of public option in order to compete with the insurance costs that the insurance companies are saying are going to keep going up for a bill without a public option? I'm sure our elected betters will get right on top of that.

Speaking of our elected betters: weren't all those concessions you made to the health insurance industry (along with the pharmaceutical industry and every other health care industry) supposed to garner their support? Or were those ads we saw once a few months ago all of it? Or is this just another example of Democrats making concessions in order to get the support of groups that never end up supporting them and actively work against them? I think we know the answer to that. Bang up job once again Democrats!

Palin's state and mother in law aren't helpful

"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"
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But Anchorage Democratic state Sen. Hollis French said it's a huge mistake by McCain and "reflects very, very badly on his judgment." French said Palin's experience running the state for less than two years hasn't prepared her for this.

Alaska Democratic Party chairwoman Patti Higgins, attending her party's national convention in Denver, said she was shocked to hear the news this morning.

In this very competitive election for them to go pick somebody who is ... under a cloud of suspicion, who is under investigation for abuse of power. It just sounds like a pretty slow start to me," Higgins said.

Of course the Democrat probably wasn't going to praise her, but the Republican from her own town? Ouch. Didn't she get the memo: proximity to Russia and Canada is foreign policy experience. Palin watched Apollo 13 twice, so she's also a qualified astronaut. Driving a town of 8,000 $20 million dollars into debt is also great experience for governing as a Republican.

Sarah Palin's hometown rallied around her as mayor - now Republicans wonder if the rest of America will warm up to the surprise pick from cold country.

Though her mother-in-law has doubts.

Faye Palin admitted she enjoys hearing Barack Obama speak, and still hasn't decided which way she'll vote.
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"I'm not sure what she brings to the ticket other than she's a woman and a conservative."

Yeah, sounds like Sarah send the grandkids over to the other grandparents house a little too often for Faye. But way to bury your daughter in law to the press. Maybe you could cut some "Mother In Laws For Truth" type ad campaign pointing out the fruitcake you received for Christmas and the birthday sweater you think was re-gifted. Thanksgiving is going to be awkward.

C'mon Alaska, don't you have any better advocates for your governor? Lindsay Graham has no idea who the hell she is, but he's making the case. Poorly, but he's making the case. Do you all not like her that much? She didn't accomplish much? Just make stuff up like she opposed the bridge to nowhere, is a reformer, and stood up to big oil and her own party. No one will ever fact check that bullshit. Don't mention the investigation into the improper firing of that Health and Safety head guy either, or the one as mayor of Wasilla where she fired the police chief for not supporting her campaign. If you aren't going to help, just do no new damage.