Rock n Roll Hoochie Coo

Which one of these fine looking blokes is now a remember of the U.S. House of Representatives?

...John Hall [center], the band’s guitarist, wasn’t content to stick to the bouncy tunes and lyrics about sweet romance. He also used the stage to lecture audiences about the dangers of plutonium production.

“He would take the liberty of getting on the soapbox at a lot of concerts and go on a bit about nuclear power,” said Larry Hoppen, the bass guitarist for Orleans. “But you have to understand it in the context of the ’70s, with the Nixon thing and the nuke thing.

[...]

Mr. Hall was one of many political activists from that era. But when he was sworn in as a congressman on Thursday, he became the first bona fide rock ’n’ roll musician in the House of Representatives. (Sonny Bono did not play an instrument.) [oh, he played Cher, didn't he?]

The ratty T-shirts and the long hair are gone, and the bare-chested album covers have given way to dark suits, conservative ties and wingtip shoes.

Honestly, I can't decide which is worse, but I'm tempted to say the dark suits and conservative ties are more unappealing... even in his case.

Mr. Hall, a Democrat, defeated Sue W. Kelly, the Republican who had held the seat for six terms, to represent the 19th Congressional District of New York, which stretches from the Connecticut line, through the Hudson Valley, across the Catskills and to the Pennsylvania border.

I sincerely hope he'll have something to say about the upcoming Bush surge. And no, it's not going to be a surge in poll numbers for the Shrublet. We're talking about the new and improved strategy in Iraq. And the surge could also be a reference to additional spending as well.

As he prepares for a nationally televised address next week, officials said, Bush is considering three main options to bolster U.S. forces in Iraq: a relatively modest deployment of fewer than 4,000 additional troops, a middle-ground alternative involving about 9,000 and, the most aggressive idea, flowing 20,000 more troops into the country.

My goodness, even Trent Lott is sounding sane:

Even many Republicans appear unenthusiastic about troop increases. Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said Thursday night on MSNBC's "Hardball" that he might say no to the surge. "I want to know what it all is," Lott said of Bush's overall plan. "But here's my main point: We've got to change the status quo. At some point we've got to say to the Iraqis, 'Congratulations. Saddam is dead. We've given you an opportunity for peace and freedom. It's yours.'"

I hope Representative Hall read this disturbing news in the NY Times today.

I guess we aren't throwing enough billions away already. But hey, at least this would be spent here in the U.S. It's about time some billions were spent on New Orleans health care poverty homelessness -- let me keep going, I'm bound to get it right eventually -- let's see, what's of the utmost urgency and importance... NUCLEAR WARHEADS?

The Bush administration is expected to announce next week a major step forward in the building of the country’s first new nuclear warhead in nearly two decades. It will propose combining elements of competing designs from two weapons laboratories in an approach that some experts argue is untested and risky.

[...]

The effort, if approved by President Bush and financed by Congress, would require a huge refurbishment of the nation’s complex for nuclear design and manufacturing, with the overall bill estimated at more than $100 billion.

Someone please slap me out of this horrifying nightmare.