9:30 p.m.

• Humor, huh?

Democrat Bill Richardson showed off a television ad Monday in an offbeat series designed to make voters chuckle, while taking him seriously as a presidential candidate.

 

Humor is a regular feature in television commercials, but politicians are more likely to stick to the cut-and-dried biography and issue spots.

 

Richardson has used some of those, too. But he is using some lighter spots to catch attention, befitting his playful personality.

 

So far, the strategy seems to be working. Richardson's poll numbers have risen a few points since he began advertising, although he's yet to break into the top tier.

 

The new spot, scheduled to begin airing Tuesday, is the third in a series that puts Richardson in a nondescript office, interviewing for president with a bored and skeptical manager. The third ad, titled "Asked You," has Richardson listing his efforts to reduce global warming as New Mexico governor.

 

"We passed tax credits for wind, solar and bio fuels," Richardson says. "Utility companies have to use renewable sources. And I set tough standards to reduce greenhouse emissions. President Bush doesn't follow the Kyoto Treaty, but my state does. I can do all that as president."

 

The interviewer interjects, "But what I asked you was if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" Richardson makes an exasperated face.

Well let’s look and see how funny this ad is.

*Views ad*

Well, I’m sure EricMM has already wanked to it, but I found the ad to be fucking retarded. Let’s see what other "job interview" ads he’s done.

*Views ad*

OK, this one got a laugh out of me – I liked the “overqualified” line at the end.

How about we go to the other job interview ad.

*Views ad*

Uh, Bill, pimping that you were Secretary of Energy during the time of the Los Alamos scandal isn’t something I’d be pimping. Then again, I’m sure nobody remembers that.

Let’s try this one.

*Viewing ad*

“As president I’ll work with both parties to finally start healing this country.”

OK, W. said similar crap when he was campaigning in 2000.

“And we can help heal Iraq by bringing all of our troops home within a year.”

Wait, wha-? Say you want to get U.S. troops out of there. I understand. But heal?

“Only then can the hard diplomatic work begin.”

Hard diplomatic work? Oh Jesus Christ. I should have quit while I was ahead.

6:30 p.m.

• OK, so I have never watched an episode of the Sopranos, but it was one of those shows that I have planned on getting the DVDs. The question is with all the bitching I’m hearing about the ending, is it worth it to get involved in this show now?

• Dennis Miller pissed me off today on his radio show. No, he didn’t say how great Hitlery is. Instead he was talking to Dana Carvey (I was listening to Friday’s show via the archives) and he said that he thought Carvey’s “grumpy old man” schtick was going to bomb when he first did the routine on weekend update. Oh bullshit. I loved the grumpy old man skits – that’s the way it was back then and WE LIKED IT!

• You can’t make this up.

As already noted on NewsBusters, former CBS anchor Dan Rather appeared on Monday’s edition of "Morning Joe" and lobbied for a "a strategic withdrawal from Iraq." He also found time to twice bash his "Evening News" successor Katie Couric for dumbing down and "tarting up" the news.

Do I even need to do the obvious “making up the news” joke that you will normally find at this point in one of these entries?

• Whatever.

Officer in TB Case Quits

 

The U.S. border inspector who ignored a warning to stop a globe- trotting tuberculosis patient from entering the United States has retired, officials said Monday.

 

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the officer no longer works at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

 

The 18-year veteran inspector, whose name has not been disclosed, was under investigation and on administrative leave. The inspector was pilloried last week at a congressional hearing on the case of Andrew Speaker.

 

Speaker, a 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer, sparked an international scare when health officials tried to find—and isolate—him because he was infected with an exceptionally dangerous form of TB that is highly resistance to drugs.

 

Speaker was on his honeymoon in Italy last month when federal health officials reached him by phone, warned him not to fly commercial aircraft, and urged him to turn himself in to local health officials.

 

Instead, Speaker and his bride flew to Montreal, rented a car and drove across the U.S. border.

 

The inspector who greeted them at a crossing station in Champlain, N.Y., received a computer alert to stop Speaker, don a protective mask, and alert health officials, but the Customs and Border Protection employee let the couple pass.

 

Speaker is now being treated at a Denver hospital.

The headline is, in my opinion, a bit misleading. “Quit” isn’t quite the same as “retired.” Being a government employee, I'm sure he'll have a decent goodbye package. Regarding this guy who had TB – I hope that everyone he came into contact with sues him. After all, with this guy being a trial lawyer, I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate for a second to take a few of these cases if some sap committed the same actions he did.