Mugger still kicks it out:

The mainstream liberal media is attacking Bush with shopworn rhetoric, such as class warfare, the myth that neoconservatives dictate foreign policy, the failure to suck up to Germany and France and, naturally, the environment. Newsweek’s June 2 "Conventional Wisdom" was typical of Beltway presidential coverage. Bush receives a sarcastic "up" arrow, reading "Gets his big tax cut with ‘sunset’ gimmick that hides the true cost. Now we’ll see if it creates any jobs." The "media" gets a "down" mark: "Aim for ‘balance’ on tax cuts but miss the truth: They’re unlikely to create jobs and will burden our grandkids." Yes, summon crocodile tears for future generations, when no one in the world knows what shape the economy will be in 20 years from now.

I agree with that. Jimmy Carter did everything possible to destroy the economy and twenty years later we were riding high. Russ also has a take on Sullivan:

Enter Andrew Sullivan, the omnipresent, self-aggrandizing blogger and contributor to numerous publications, who has his own problems with the president. Sullivan, who contradicts himself almost daily in his online commentary, appears on the verge of flipping from the GOP because of one issue: Rick Santorum. The Pennsylvania senator’s muddled remarks about homosexuality last month, and Bush’s tepid support of him, so incensed Sullivan that he’s concluded reelection might not be in the cards. Granted, it’s a sensitive issue to Sullivan, the British gay conservative former editor of the New Republic, but if Bush loses, it won’t be because of Santorum.

I agree that the Santorum issue is dead. Sullivan felt compelled to drag it out for a little too long.

Mugger being Mugger couldn'y resist this shot at Salon.com:

One of Salon’s more berserk columnists is Anne Lamott, who wrote on May 23, after returning from some r&r in Kauai, that fear not, Bush really is as dumb as the Never-Forget-Florida contingent believes. This passage is a pip: "The important thing to remember is that we survived Ronald Reagan, and we will survive Bush. It gives me hope to remember this, because that was really scary–under Reagan’s happy-go-lucky demeanor was true malevolence." I’m sure the millions of people under communist rule during the 80s will agree with this nutty chick.

Lamott continues: "On the other hand, I don’t think Bush can pull it [reelection] off. He just doesn’t have it. He’s Alfred E. Newman [sic] in ‘Top Gun.’ He’s still just a bad boy trying to redeem himself and his father."

I half-expected Lamott to then recommend that Bush respond to one of those email spam "penile enlargement" scams, but no doubt a yoga class or PETA emergency meeting forced her to cut the column short.

And what Mugger column would be complete without baseball:

One delicate split is how a Sox fan should react to the rash of Yanks injuries. Two of us feel no guilt whatsoever in cheering the woes of walks-machine Nick Johnson and Bernie Williams. The third is uncomfortable in taking pleasure at an athlete’s pain. Bosh. It’s not as if these superstars are fighting snipers in Baghdad or rushing into burning buildings; they’re wealthy ballplayers, and the occasional hamstring pull or shoulder dislocation is just part of the game. It wouldn’t have bothered me one bit last week if Clemens suffered a broken finger upon trying to field a Mueller smash. I doubt many Yankee fans were sympathetic when Garciaparra missed most of the 2001 season or Manny Ramirez stupidly slid headfirst into home last year, causing him to miss six weeks. And when Martinez was scratched from the lineup at Fenway last week, several Yankee players immediately perked up.

But one has to persevere. Maybe Clemens, so pent-up about reaching this milestone, will fall apart by the fifth inning. Maybe Jason Giambi ends the season batting .240. And maybe Richard Goldstein, so enthralled by Bush’s dick, endorses the president for reelection.

Nice smack Russ.