Rough Sketch: September 19, 2010 - September 25, 2010

Stephen Colbert testimony: a mockery, but of whom?

This brings us to today's word. The word describes everyone who says that Stephen Colbert crossed a line by testifying before Congress, everyone who refused to snicker during his testimony, and everyone who is now running around insisting that he's destroying our democracy. True, "Stephen Colbert," is a ridiculous...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 24, 2010; 2:59 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (17)
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Stephen Colbert comes face to face with angry conservatives

By Dana Milbank Stephen Colbert plays an angry conservative man on television. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) plays one every moment of his life. On Friday morning, they met in the hearing room of the House Judiciary Committee. The result was kind of funny. Colbert had been called to testify about...

By Dana Milbank  | September 24, 2010; 1:43 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (102)
 
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Happy, National Punctuation Day?.!!,()&

Happy National Punctuation Day! Now this is a day I can get, behind! In honor of the day, here are the greatest punctuation marks: The semi-colon. Semi-colons are great; without them, you'd have no way of convincing the people who read the A.P. U.S. History exam that you are...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 24, 2010; 11:17 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Chambliss office admits gay slur; Chris Christie squashes heckler; Palin wants to shoot Democrats

An aide to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) has contributed a thoughtful new argument to the debate over the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. The staffer's view: "All faggots must die." This nuanced view was posted on a blog on gay and lesbian issues on Tuesday,...

By Dana Milbank  | September 23, 2010; 9:34 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
 
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Ten Celebrities who managed to appear on Sesame Street without excessive cleavage

The statement from Sesame Street reads: "Sesame Street has a long history of working with celebrities across all genres, including athletes, actors, musicians and artists. Sesame Street has always been written on two levels, for the child and adult. We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 23, 2010; 12:57 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Katy Perry's Elmo duet on Sesame Street -- a revealing moment

Online commenters, I've just about had it! Not on my behalf. On behalf of all the kids across America who no longer get to see Katy Perry performing "Hot n' Cold" with Elmo on Sesame Street. Why? She wears a tinker-bell dress with some sheer material on the top...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 23, 2010; 12:25 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (43)
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Laughing in America: a Millennial's answer to Mourning in America

When I watched the "Mourning in America" ad skillfully crafted by Fred Davis's "Strategic Perception" firm, I didn't feel sad. Unlike the people who distinctly recollect the 1980s, the new commercial doesn't fill me with bleak sadness and despair. To the contrary, it makes me, well, laugh. I'm speaking...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 22, 2010; 3:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (11)
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F-bomb for Tea Party; Afghan election turnout tops 600%; Obama's aunt lists her demands

Ohio's Democratic Party chairman has come up with an innovative response to the Tea Party: the F-Bomb. Speaking to a televised gathering at a United Steelworkers union hall, Chris Redfern was defending health-care reform when he earned the event an R-rating: "If your kid is going to graduate from college,...

By Dana Milbank  | September 22, 2010; 12:40 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
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The hottie and the nottie? Gillibrand and Reid, considered

Q: When is a compliment not a compliment? A: When it consists of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introducing you by saying that "We in the Senate refer to Sen. Gillibrand as the hottest member." Everyone enjoys being called hot from time to time. I enjoy being called "hot,...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 21, 2010; 5:31 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
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Caffeine killer? Never! The Starbucks defense

Caffeine makes you psychotic? That's troubling! In the words of my friend and eminent Canadian Adam Goldenberg, "If it weren't for caffeine, I'd have no personality whatsoever." But Woody Will Smith in Kentucky, is now trying to argue that caffeine pushed him over the brink. He claims that he...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 21, 2010; 1:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (14)
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Christine O'Donnell's witch trials; Bill Clinton, the opera; Palin's Hitler mustache

Double, double toil and trouble; Witches burst O'Donnell's bubble. Christine O'Donnell, the Delaware Republican Senate nominee who 11 years ago claimed she "dabbled into witchcraft," now attributes this to hanging out with "questionable folks in high school" and assures her supporters that "there's been no witchcraft since." This flip-flopping, however,...

By Dana Milbank  | September 20, 2010; 8:52 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (9)
 
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Carter is 'probably superior' to other former presidents, says Carter

No matter what he says, Jimmy Carter is not the best ex-president. And he says plenty! His remarks, from an interview with Brian Williams, are, well, a little startling: BRIAN WILLIAMS: The last photo of you with your -- fellow former presidents, you were well off to the side...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 20, 2010; 6:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
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Top 10 reasons Christine O'Donnell might be a real witch

Christine O'Donnell says "I dabbled into witchcraft." Now she's trying to jokingly play it off -- "How many of you did not hang out with questionable folks in high school?" she asks. A: Most of us, actually. I hung out with a pro-chastity vampire for a while, but then...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 20, 2010; 12:45 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (61)
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Glenn Beck mocks Michelle Obama's carrot sticks

Glenn Beck had some strong words for Michelle Obama and her health-food campaign on Sunday at Right Nation. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "[Beck] ridiculed first lady Michelle Obama's campaign to get people to eat healthier snacks like apples or carrots. "Get away from my french fries, Mrs. Obama,"...

By Alexandra Petri  | September 20, 2010; 8:30 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (5)
Categories:  Barack Obama  | Tags:  Alexandra Petri  
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