PINKO DAILY BRIEFS - STIMULUS SPECIAL! Yesterday the House of Representatives passed the $819 billion dollar stimulus  package, with zero Republicans voting for it which is fine because Obama is so unpopular and 11 Democrats voting against. Talking Points Memo has a good rundown of what it all means. There are a lot of upset people on the left, because Obama spent so much time courting conservative Democrats and Republicans, then jettisoned some parts of his plan to placate them, only to NOT get their votes but still see the plan pass. Republicans got pretty desperate in their opposition too, freaking out and spouting off some bullshit about Hoover that doesn't even make sense. At the same time, OpenLeft.com is raising some good questions about the Democrats media strategy here, which seems to have been "stay off TV and let Republicans say we're spending $819 billion on condoms and roller coasters."  It's important, though, to keep some perspective. I was at a forum last night on "Obama and the Left" and one of the speakers made the point that the stimulus package included almost $150 billion for education, making it the single largest investment in education in the history of the country, dwarfing numbers like that pesky $87 billion in Iraq funding from a few years back. A last minute amendment added $3 billion more for transit, and the program restores medicare coverage in dozens of states facing shortfalls. There is a lot of good here. Anyway who the fuck cares! The big story: Unbuttoned hotties in The White House. Woof. The stimulus bill now goes to the Senate.  A few other stories today: 

• Al Gore testified before the Senate about climate change and the stimulus. He called the environmental provisions in the stimulus bill "unprecedented," hailing funding in the bill for solar, wind, renewable energy, and Spike Jonze films. (cha-ching. Anyone get the reference? Anyone? I need hobbies.) Still I wonder how seriously the administration is taking his warnings on warming. Will we do enough, or just reach the outer limits of what's politically feasible? 
• Ahead of the curve yet again! I'm glad someone else saw this ad and though, wow, Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is a total douchebag. 
• OMFG is Michelle Obama pregnant?  
• Ha ha pro-life activists are protesting donuts. Don't these people have jobs? There was a guy in Philadelphia who stood on a street corner by Planned Parenthood ringing a cowbell and yelling, town crier style, "this is where they kill the bay-bees. This is where they kill the bay-bees." I found it festive but I always wondered how he made a living. Anyway, now he has to protest Krispy Kreme. Why? 

“Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American’s sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies — just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet ‘free’ can be.”

• Pinko probably won't agree often with the conservative blog Sweetness & Light, but they got this one right: with Obama in office Google has cracked down on "google bombs," a practice that became increasingly embarrassing for President Bush. If right-wingers or Ron Paul fans want to make it so the first thing that comes up when you google "Chairman Mao" or "Abortionist" is "Barack Hussein Obama," I think they should be allowed to. 
• Inauguration outrage! A shitload of people got trapped in this room trying to get into the "Youth Ball," where dozens of people got tickets and were totally screwed out of seeing Obama, drinking drinks, or having fun. This documentary by Baratunde Thurston tells the whole fucked up story. The video features some extremely attractive youth. 
• Flush hour in Oslo. 

Finally? THANK YOU. Guantanamo Baywatch. Please show this to any conservative friend or relative who actually things closing Guantanamo equals releasing terrorists onto American streets.