Ron Reagan - yes, Ron Reagan - makes the exhaustive case against The Smug Asshole in this month's Esquire magazine. Read it. Memorize it. Shout it from the rooftops.

TSA strong-armed Pakistan into delaying the announcement of their capture of a mid-level Al-Qiada operative.

George Bush: Making America Safer.  Well, at least the part of America that includes his craven lust for power.

Kos cracks the case.

Today just keeps getting better!

Brendan Shanahan signed an undisclosed contract today to play for the Red Wings next season.  He's likely making significantly less than the $6.5 million dollars the Red Wings refused him when they chose not to exercise their option year.

Shanny hasn't been as feared a scorer in recent years, but he's still strong defensively and should be a great second or third line winger, provided the Wings convinced him to take a significant pay cut.

Sheed will sign a $57 million / five-year contract today with the Dee-troit Pistons. 

In related news, the Pistons are also expected to unveil a new promotion today that will award a free dozen donuts to every fan in attendence when the team holds its opponents under 70 points.  Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace was concise but to the point with his comments: "Yum."

Fear the Fro.

I'm going to kill Joe Torre's dog.

Yeah you thought this was going to be some Tigers love-fest about how proud we are of our boys for beating the Yankees 4-2 on Sunday beat last year's record in half as many games and to clinch the season series against the Yuckees for the first time since 1996.

Maybe you thought this would be some giddy pie-in-the-sky prediction piece about the Tigers winning every World Series for the next 100 years. After all, they're only six games behind the White Sox and play the first of 19 games against the division leaders Friday in Chicago.

Hell, maybe you thought we'd take the cynical route and question whether the team is ready for the big time after dropping two straight to the Twins this week, an ominous omen to begin a stretch of 12 games in 14 days against teams ahead of them in the standings.

Actually, let's clear that up. There's nothing to be ashamed about losing two straight playoff-type games to the best team in the division because a 40 year old pitcher turned back the clock one night and Ugueth Urbina made one bad pitch in extra innings. And clubbing three homers to beat the Royals today makes us forget about two tough losses in a hurry.

I'm even going to bypass Pudge winning Player of the Month honors for June after hitting an even .500 to address more important topics - like killing Joe Torre's dog.

Picture this. Houston. The 75th Major League Baseball All-Star game. A Pudge double off a shaky Roger Clemens scores the first run for the Junior Circuit. The Tigers faithful are going nuts. As the innings drag by, however, a bad feeling creeps over the festivities.

Why is Derek Jeter still in the game into the 6 inning? Doesn't Joe Torre know he picked four shortstops for the squad? When will we get to cheer on first-time All Starr Carlos Guillen? And what the fuck is up with all these damn Yankees?

By the time the ninth inning rolls around, the Yankees' backup ballboy has pitched to three batters, but our Carlos isn't even allowed to play catch with the third outfielder between innings.

Why do I care about this relatively minor slight? Even Guillen himself said it was no big deal. He was just happy to be there. I care because Carlos has been busting his ass for the Tigers the only team that wanted him when no one else did all season. He's displayed the loyalty, hard work, and results that make the Olde English D mean something. So this Michigander is going to have his back when he gets screwed.

Joe Torre says he was saving Guillen in the case the Mariano Rivera blew the five run lead in the ninth. You know Mariano Rivera, the Greatest Closer of All Time unless you count that Game 7 he blew in 2001. Funny how he didn't feel the need to keep Hideki Matsui on the bench.

But, hey, it's OK. Torre keeps Guillen on the bench. I kill his dog. Seems like a good deal to me.

Originally published on Joetown.

...But not nearly as eloquent. 

Mr. K endorses the Kerrry health care plan.

Remember, Democrats think you shouldn't die just because you can't afford insurance.  Republicans want tax cuts for the rich. 

Thanks to Atrios for pointing me to today's excellent Krugman piece on F911.

JK was on fire this week at the National Council of La Raza's Annual Conference in Pheonix.

In his remarks, he brilliantly played up his wife's immigrant background:

My wife, Teresa came from a dictatorship. She didn't get to cast a vote until she was 31 when she became a naturalized American. But I can tell you, as much as she loves her roots and loves her heritage, I have met few people who love America as much as she does. Teresa is not alone. From soldiers to students, there are thousands of immigrants who have come to our shores and made America a better place.

What I like about this is that he doesn't try to say more than he knows.  He doesn't try to compare his wife's journey to Mexican immigrants dodging bullets at the border.  But he is able to identify common ground - love for this land of opportunity - that all immigrants and, indeed, all native-born Americans can share.  I think that's a great way to bring new voters to our camp.  Well done.

Plus, he ends with two of my favorite political platitudes:

The poet Langston Hughes told the stories in this way: "Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be". for those "whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain must bring back our mighty dream again."

In 2004, we have to bring back our mighty dream again. We have to make America all that it can become.

Let America be America again. Que America sea America. Para Todos.

Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

Yes, we can, my friends.  Yes.  We can.