Things that make you go "Hmmmm"

FDA head Lester Crawford has resigned. Crawford declined to elaborate about the conditions surrounding his departure, calling it a "personnel issue." Crawford has been in the position since July and his tenure has been marked by controversy, including delays on the approval of the morning-after pill; whether the agency had acted quickly enough to warn the public of the dangers of Vioxx and Zoloft; and most recently, the resignation of the director of the FDA's Office of Women's Health over the approval delays of the morning-after pill.

In keeping with the Bush Administration's preference for appointing highly-qualified people to top posts, Crawford was a veterinarian who specialized in food safety.

H.R. 3763, the bill to overturn the Gulf Coast Wage Cut, is sponsored by Rep. George Miller. To date, all but 13 House Democrats have co-sponsored the bill. Do any of the following Democrats represent you? If so, you may want to call their office and ask why they haven't gotten behind this bill.

1. Mr. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. of Georgia
2. Mr. Dan Boren of Oklahoma
3. Mr. Rick Boucher of Virginia
4. Mr. Allen Boyd of Florida
5. Mr. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer Jr. of Alabama
6. Mr. Henry Cuellar of Texas
7. Mr. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee
8. Mr. Bob Etheridge of North Carolina
9. Mr. Mike McIntyre of North Carolina
10. Ms. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia
11. Mr. John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina
12. Mr. John S. Tanner of Tennessee
13. Mr. Melvin L. Watt of North Carolina

The number of Republicans who have signed on? Zero.
(Thanks to Josh Marshall)

More Josh Marshall:

For all of us who criticize from the sidelines, sometimes it's hard to appreciate the sort of tireless, behind-the-scenes efforts that the White House puts into into screwing the middle class and abandoning those displaced and uprooted by Katrina.

[According to the LA Times,] Two days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to issue emergency vouchers aimed at helping poor storm victims find new housing quickly by covering as much as $10,000 of their rent.

But the department suddenly backed away from the idea after White House aides met with senior HUD officials. Although emergency vouchers had been successfully used after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the administration focused instead on a plan for government-built trailer parks, an approach that even many Republicans say would concentrate poverty in the very fashion the government has long sought to avoid.

Asks Josh, "...isn't the idea of giving rent vouchers to refugees rather than stacking them up in mobile housing projects something that folks on both sides of the aisle should be able to agree on?"

I think that's a no-brainer.

After making such a big deal about "having learned his lesson," Bush was headed to Texas to oversee things (is that like clearing brush on his "ranch"?) but canceled those plans, saying he did not want to get in the way of preparations and Rita's changing path. So instead he's off to Colorado to "monitor the situation." I'm sure there are sighs of relief being heaved deep in the heart of Texas.

The NY Times reports that "federal prosecutors contacted Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's office about his sale of stock in HCA Inc., the hospital operating company founded by his family. The Securities and Exchange Commission began an investigation, too, and prosecutors asked HCA to turn over documents about the transaction."

According to Kos, we've got ourselves a trifecta: "The Republican leadership in the Senate, House and White House are ALL officially under investigation."

Also from Kos, some of life's perplexing questions:

If Karl Rove is in charge of reconstruction in the Gulf coast, why is he fundraising in North Dakota--on the same day Rita is due to make landfall?

If the non-partisan GAO and the partisan OMB have a staring contest, who do you think will win?

Who's the bigger spendthrift--LBJ or GWB?

Now for your after-dinner enjoyment, the comedy stylings of Bill "Billy" O'Reilly:

Independents swung the 2004 election for Bush.
Republicans don't control the judicial branch.
Uses sleight of hand to defend Bush's economic records.
Claims Iraqi oil success story.

(Courtesy of MediaMatters.org)

Could Annette Bening become the next first lady of Colly-for-nee-ah? Maybe so. The London Times reports that "Warren Beatty is considering a challenge to Arnold Schwarzenegger for the governorship of California next year."

If this actually happens, I'd like to get Warren to autograph a copy of "Bulworth" for Howard and I think it would be very cool if Howard made a campaign appearance for him.

Can the Dean-inspired network pull this off? Stay tuned.