Karl Rove seems to collect nicknames. Bush called him both "turd blossom" and "the architect".

However, the underground favorite is 'Miss Piggy'. Clearly, a reference to his appearance, but rumor has it that 'Miss Piggy' refers to Rove's sexual preferences [as in piggyback].

In Washington's more 'discreet' gay bars Karl Rove is well-known as a frequent visitor.

Witty gays have given him the nickname 'Miss Piggy, after the character on 'The Muppets'.

Whether this refers to his appearance ['the doughboy'] or his sexual preferences is open to speculation.

Rove's relationship with Bush has strong homosexual overtones. If Bush is the Jock, Rove is his Geek, the brains (and enforcer) behind the Republican right's rise.

It's an amazing bond. This is Rove, describing his first meeting with Boy George: Bush was " ... exuding more charisma than any one individual should be allowed to have." It's just like a teenage boy's crush on the handsome school football captain.   more »

THUMBS DOWN to a report this week that, as an official arm of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, Operation Straight Up (OSU) will be encouraging even more religious fanaticism in the Middle East -- just what the region needs.

The evangelical entertainment troupe that includes celebrities such as Stephen Baldwin and Evander Holyfield actively proselytizes End Times theology among active-duty members of the U.S. military.

In addition to planning what they call a "crusade in Iraq" to speak with soldiers, the OSU is also sending "Freedom Packages" to active soldiers that contain, among other things, copies of the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game.

The game is inspired by the best-selling Left Behind series about Earth's Armageddon. In the game, players command an evangelical army whose goal it is to kill or convert all the non-believers left behind after the rapture.   more »

You Can't Be Anti-War AND "Support the Troops"

Fear, Terror, War & Propaganda: A Toxic Mix

American Machismo: A Hyper-Masculine Culture

Hillary Clinton: With Democrats Like Her,

Who Needs Republicans?

G.I. Jane Supports the Troops

   more »

Keywords: zeitgeist

No End in Sight is the documentary tale of how the United States government systematically dismantled (i.e., irretrievably fucked) the nation of Iraq.

It is not a story about why they did it (though all signs point to "on purpose"). It is also not about the Iraqi people, or the American people, or the troops on either side.

The bulk of the film rests on interviews with players both major (retired general Jay Garner, who led the immediate postwar reconstruction effort in Iraq; former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage) and minor (journalists, analysts, diplomats).

Interspersed is news footage and plenty of press-conference comedy from Secretary of Smirk Donald Rumsfeld ("I don't do quagmires").   more »

Then there is the full-throated fanaticism. Exhibiting the profound unwillingness to allow evidence to get in the way of unshakable belief that is the hallmark of a fanatic, Rove announces to the WSJ that "Iraq will be in a better place" come the fall.

And like all fanatics, Rove can't admit mistakes. Remember how Bush famously couldn't think of a single mistake he'd made?

Same with Rove. When asked about mistakes he has made while in the White House, Rove says, "I'll put my feet up in September and think about that."

So with invading Iraq, forgetting bin Laden, and advising Bush against immediately visiting New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina all bobbing on the surface, Rove has to wait until he can kick back in September and wrack his brain before he can come up with a mistake? Wow.   more »