OK, after that last post I think we desperately need to lighten the mood a bit. This oughta work. Kick back and relax for the McCain vs. Obama Dance-Off! It’s on!
Stick around for the surprise twist. Whoever made this video has waaaaaay too much spare time, but all the same I’d say it was worth every second. (H/T the Corner.)
Police say a college student and McCain volunteer in Pittsburgh was mugged and mutilated by a man who, upon seeing a McCain sticker on her car, took out a knife and carved a “B” in her face.
Police spokeswoman Diane Richard said the robber took $60 from Todd, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim’s car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using the knife to scratch the letter “B” into her face, Richard said.
Further details here, here, and here.
Says Instapundit:
This is so serious that I predict it will get almost one-tenth as much national coverage as something some guy may have yelled at a Palin rally once.
I dunno. There are some weird things about the “B” on her cheek (see the photo here, provided by the alleged victim). This looks more like an attack from a scratcher than a slasher. And why is it backwards? Isn’t that what a careless mirror job would look like? I’m detecting shades of Tawana Brawley. I will most certainly feel worse than horrible for writing this paragraph if this turns out to be a legit attack, but I can’t quite get past that photo.
UPDATE: Ace of Spades and Miz Michelle appear to share my discomfort, though Ace notes the unlikelihood of giving oneself a black eye.
UPDATE II: Police plan to administer a polygraph, says Captain Ed. Apparently there are some things about her story that don’t jibe with the ATM camera footage. For now, say police, they are treating it as a “credible report;” we’ll see if she consents to the polygraph, and if so, how she does.
UPDATE III: Fox News has just announced on the air that local police have decided the woman, Ashley Todd, made the whole thing up. My thanks to the Bloomfield Police Department for sparing me some major league guilt for my aforementioned skepticism.
UPDATE IV: We have a confession, and a perp walk for filing a false report. (H/T Hot Air.) Apparently this volunteer has a history of mental problems, and (natch) she’s upset with the media for hyping the whole thing.
Rep. John Murtha, whose claims to fame include Abscam conspiracy, slandering Marines, smearing half his own state as racist, and serving up enough pork in Congress to supply Oktoberfest, may be watching his custom-gerrymandered seat slip away.
One poll recently released has Murtha’s Republican opponent, Bill Russell, pulling within the margin of error in the upcoming election, while another poll leaked to Miz Michelle by her Pennsylvania source shows Russell with a comfortable lead.
No need to remind me that I just tossed up the world’s longest freakin’ post on how I think the polls this year are about as useful for toilet paper as they are for predicting elections. However, given that Murtha is a guy who has held this seat since 1974, who typically considers a 2-to-1 victory margin on Election Night a squeaker, who lives in a district with a 63% Democratic registration roll, and who is running in a “we all hate Republicans worse than liver worse than root canals” year, it is absolutely unheard of that Russell, a Republican Iraq hawk who won a spot on the ballot with a write-in campaign, could be giving Murtha the race of his life.
I don’t think it’s petty of me to note how anxiously I am looking forward to seeing Murtha assuming long overdue civilian status, bringing with him little but his shredded dignity, his Abscam souvenirs, his various coffee mugs from his favorite defense contractors, and his pending slander suits.
UPDATE: Commenter MommaMT (see below) is kind enough to alert me that the “worse than liver” expression is not quite apt in significant parts of Pennsylvania. I hope my substitution is satisfactory.
