Noting that it is not perfect, but would take some of the politics out of drawing legislative districts, the LA Times today endorsed Proposition 11, the November ballot initiative that would allow the redrawing of state district boundaries overseen by an independent commission after the 2010 census. As the Times put it, "Voters are supposed to choose their representatives, but in California, political parties select their voters. That kind of power is destructive and inherently......

Daily Kos writer, tenayaca, dug deep into the contributions and expenditures of Prop 11, a November proposition that will allow the redrawing of state district boundaries overseen by an independent commission after the 2010 census. Simply put, if passed, it will turn the state into a very Republican place, according to her. And while that may or may not be true (it's kinda hard to tell), she does point out who is contributing and receiving......

In a stunning accusation of a crime that in most circles is tantamount to treason, former White House mouthpiece Scott McClellan claims that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Karl Rove and others were all in on outting 20-year CIA agent Valerie Plame. Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan blames President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity......

Texas congressman Ron Paul pointed his pen at his fellow conservatives at the New Hampshire presidential debates yesterday and won the Fox News text message poll, a day after winning the Maryland Republican Straw Vote, to the outrage of Fox mouthpiece, Sean Hannity. Hannity, who clearly hates freedom and obviously believes that all elections and polls that aren't rigged by Karl Rove must be rigged, flat out accused the American people of cheating when......

Not letting the bedbugs bite is getting harder than ever these days. Deeming it "troubling" and "unacceptable," Mayor Tony is urging federal officials to take steps to prevent a repeat of this weekend's Customs and Border Protection computer glitch that stranded some 20,000 travelers. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning - signifying a higher risk of wildfires - for the L.A. County mountains that will remain in effect until Wednesday......

The President's right-hand man, Karl Rove, the mastermind behind most of the Republican dirty tricks that got Bush in office twice, as well as the puppetmaster behind so many of the scandals that the GOP is still smarting from, is tapping out early. By the hair of his chinny chin chins he escaped having to testify under oath when his boys got caught outting a CIA agent in the middle of a war because......

We don't know about where you are, but it seems like spring can't decide whether or not to happen. Some days are warm, some days are cold, and sometimes you aren't sure which. Baseball may have started up (and soccer/football winding down) but it still seems cold out there. Unless it's not. Anyways, onto the -ists. Austinist happily anticipated fall's Austin City Limits, even though they're not fully recovered from South By Southwest. In......

He likes to tear the heads off small animals and he's a practicing philatelist (it sounds dirtier than it is), but there's plenty we don't know about Karl Rove. Or should I say MC Rove? Bush's phone tapping, attorney firing, pro-torturing Chief of Staff had a chance to rock it on the mic at the 2007 Radio-Television Correspondents Dinner,* and rock it he did! Bear with the clip. The rapping doesn't stat until 5:42, but......

It's been fascinating to watch people react to the guilty verdicts of the Scooter Libby trail. It's clearly very hard on the GOP fanboys who have a hard time believing that The White House would out a covert CIA operative because they didn't like an opinion column that her husband wrote. Trust us, it's hard for us to believe too. But Scooter had a fair trial and he was found guilty on three counts......

Not a TOTAL lie, as Irve Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr. actually was found not guilty of one of the 5 charges leveled against him. FoxNews.com has regressed from the "fair and balanced" schtick to an even more ridiculous "We report. You Decide." Now that's pretty commanding when spoken by apes. Anyway, for those of you keeping score at home, the Libby trial has gone the Martha Stewart route, as in, he lost, although he......

- Local politicians react to President Bush's State of the Union - LA Daily News - Palms Springs residents react to the State of the Union - The Desert Sun - Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are accused of using Libby as a sacraficial lamb - AP - Tom Cruise is the Jesus of Scientology - The Sun - Shortest railway in the world, Angels Flight, will re-open this summer and actually be useful......

Everyone’s favorite game of public humiliation is back! American Idol kicked off a new season from Minnesota last night, with thousands cheering, millions watching, and an odd use of Teenage Wasteland in the opening montage. As expected, Season 6 began with a self-congratulatory flashback/recap/where-are-they-now session for the previous winners and also-rans, as well as a self-masturbatory highlight reel of the A-List talent that has giddily participated in this bizarre hazing ritual of fame seekers.......

One of LA's most popular bloggers, Kevin Roderick, mastermind behind LA Observed, will be reading tonight from his fabulous book Wilshire Boulevard, Grand Concourse of Los Angeles at Village Books in Pacific Palisades. Although he bears a striking resemblance to Bush's Brain, as lovingly pointed out by GOP flag-waver Moxie, Roderick's concerns are far more local, specifically the going-ons at the LA Times and other media outlets here in the City of Angels. The......

Blake Gottesman, not Karl Rove, is the most influential man in the United States, as he truly has the President's ear. The 26-year-old college dropout (he attended Claremont McKenna College for one year in 1999) has been President Bush's special assistant and personal aide for the last four years. How powerful is Mr. Gottesman? This May he became one of the very few (if not only) applicants who was admitted into Harvard's Business School......

Well, not quite, but she does plan on breaking bread with the Commander -in-Chief in June. The Porn Star turned recall candidate for Governor will join her boss, Michael Kulkis (of Kick Ass Pictures), at National Republican Congressional Committee events (NSFW) in Washington DC next month. Carey also announced her intention to run for Lt. Governor next year and hopes that hobnobbing with the Republican faithful will get her in good with Schwarzenegger. The......

Day 4 Recap: - President George W. Bush took center stage last night, accepting the GOP nomination and trumpeting his administration's record over the last four years. In the Bizarro world of W's mind, phony Medicare "reform" is not really a sop to huge drug companies; tax cuts that have fueled a record breaking budget deficit are growing the economy, not tanking it; millions of lost jobs were the fault of Bill Clinton and......