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HBO’s Bill Maher may have hit a new low on Friday’s installment of “Real Time.” During this episode, which was really just one long Bush bash, the host actually suggested that President Bush and Vice President Cheney are traitors.

As Maher used a lot of vulgarity in his final “New Rule” segment entitled “Treasonable Doubt,” I will post the details after the break for those who are uncomfortable with profanity addressed specifically at the most powerful man in the world.

However, I must caution the reader ahead of time to move forward at your own risk. This was Maher at his most hateful self, and his vitriol was turned all the way up to eleven for those who understand the Spinal Tap reference (video available here):

As NewsBusters reported, the Washington Post published an editorial Friday that was highly critical of the bribery tactics employed by House Democrats to get their pork-laden Iraq withdrawal bill passed.

As surprising as this event was, even more shocking was a Democrat Congressman so angered by this paper disagreeing with his Party that he said “[the Post] helped drive the drumbeat that drove almost two-thirds of the people in this chamber to vote for [the Iraq war]."

Displaying such unbridled disgust was Rep. David Obey (D-Wisconsin) who had rather harsh words for the Post on the House floor Friday (video available here):

It must have been very chilly in hell on Friday, for the editorial division of a major newspaper actually came down on Democrats.

I kid you not.

For those that missed it, the Washington Post ran an editorial Friday entitled “Retreat and Butter,” with a sub-headline “Are Democrats in the House voting for farm subsidies or withdrawal from Iraq?”

Having asked a tremendously valid question that most in the antiwar media have ignored as the Iraq debate heated up on Capitol Hill this week, the Post surprisingly and accurately answered its own question (better strap yourself in your seat):

Brent Bozell's culture column this week explored the outer reaches of the movie ratings system, and how the movie industry is looking hard at creating a more "respectable" adults-only rating of NC-17, which is often considered for movies featuring topless Nazis, toothy private parts, and grossly obese men chewing on babies.

If a trial was held wherein the jury ruled humans are not responsible for global warming, would the media report it or ignore it?

Well, such a trial did indeed occur – albeit by sixth-graders at a middle school in Colorado – and the jury found in favor of the skeptics.

Sadly, as a result, no media outlets addressed this event, or the surprising verdict.

As marvelously reported by the Daily Times-Call (emphasis added throughout):

For NCAA b-ball discussion and anything else you want to talk about this weekend.

This week, the media greeted Al Gore’s global warming testimony as though Moses had delivered it on stone tablets (Or some secular equivalent). Katie Couric, on her web blog, touted Gore’s “triumphant” return. 

The “Today” show called the former Vice President a “warrior for climate change."

During the global warming testimony, a Democratic Senator verbally attacked her Republican colleague. CNN anchor Don Lemon, displaying his bias for all of America, blurted, “Good for her.”

Can you believe it? ABC displayed a painting depicting Mohammed as a dog, and then had the temerity/stupidity to ask if Muslims would find it offensive. Actually, you can't believe it. ABC did no such thing -- nor is it conceivable it would do so.

But displaying a painting depicting Christ as a dog, and wondering whether anyone would find it offensive? Sure. Happened today on Good Morning America. The show ran a segment on a painting by someone named Ron Burns who has recreated da Vinci's Last Supper with dogs substituted for Jesus and his disciples. Even more than the image itself, some will surely find the title that the "artist" gave to his work offensive: "Dinner and Drinks with Son of Dog."

Introducing Burns, weekend co-host Bill Weir said "it's a riff on the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. A whimsicial riff, perhaps? Others, blasphemy."

GMA CO-HOST KATE SNOW: People are calling it blasphemous, anti-Christian, anti-God. One person we talked to said it crossed the line. Did you expect any of that? Did you think when you were doing this piece that maybe you'd ruffle some feathers?"

Burns actually denied that the thought had occurred to him.

View video here

From a CNN e-mail I received shortly after the close of Friday's stock markets (this was the entire message):

Wall Street fights off mortgage-risk-induced woes to end the week higher, with small gains Friday.

Anyone reading this e-mail would have thought that this was a net ho-hum week on The Street. After all, the e-mail merely said that the week ended "higher."

"Higher"? More like "way, way higher" -- in fact, the best single-week point gain in four years:

MSNBC is picking up on the many inflammatory Rosie O’Donnell comments documented by Newsbusters. Upon informing the viewer that Rosie believes the September 11 attacks was perpetrated by the U.S. government, host Chris Jansing asked: "Has Rosie gone too far?"

On the March 23 edition of "MSNBC Live" guest Joe Scarborough, who covered the controversy on his show the previous night, felt O’Donnell’s conspiracy theories are too irresponsible for any respected show to allow on the air. Scarborough was more concerned that Barbara Walters, whom he implied is a journalism legend, ruined her reputation by allow Rosie to spew such extreme views. The transcript of the exchange is below.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is set to undergo an operation. The Associated Press reports the surgery is to "remove a growth" in Snow's lower abdomen. Snow, you may recall, is a surviver of colon cancer.

Dean Barnett at TownHall.com noticed that outpouring of well wishes from Huffington Post commenters:

Naturally, the Huffington Post community weighs in with its own unique form of sympathy. A few samples:

Original caption:

Al Roker, weather and feature reporter of the NBC 'Today' television program, reacts during a segment of the show in the studio as audience members in New York's Rockefeller Center hold up photo likenesses of the show's cast.

Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly finally provided some perspective on the U.S. attorney firing story with some information the mainstream media will not report. On the March 22 edition of "The O’Reilly Factor," O’Reilly exposed much of the media spin on the situation from members of the White House press corps to several print media outlets. He then explained plausible reasons why three of the eight U.S. attorneys were fired.

The mainstream media hinted that the administration fired San Diego attorney Carol Lam for prosecuting former Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. What they failed to report is that Ms. Lam did not aggressively prosecute illegal alien criminals. Her lax approach concerned even Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein. Paul Charlton was not aggressive in pursuing marijuana cases, and even the liberal "Los Angeles Times" editorialized against fired attorney Kevin Ryan.

Want to have some real fun at your next dinner party? Well, invite an equal number of liberals and conservatives, and ask them the following question: “Why do conservatives dislike Al Gore so much?”

It’s guaranteed to be a huge success making you the toast of your neighborhood.

With that in mind, the host of MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country” marvelously did exactly that on Wednesday, pitting Republican strategist Terry Holt against Media Matters’ Paul Waldman.

What ensued was a wonderful point-counterpoint discussion about the former Vice President addressing both sides of this suddenly controversial figure (video available here):

Katie Couric was a guest on Thursday night's "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Her answers seemed rehearsed, just as if her Hillary-hand-me-down media consultant Matthew Hiltzik prepared her for the mock-hardballs. Two questions stood out as the most insulting: whether she had a "new hatchet" for anti-Bush hatchet jobs, and which job prepared her better for the anchor desk, being a cheerleader or a sorority sister. First, the hatchet exchange:

COLBERT:  You're in -- you're in the desk. This is the -- in my opinion -- this is the news desk of news desks, CBS Evening News. Are you literally in Dan Rather's old chair? Do you sit in that chair?

COURIC: I sit in it, and I usually smell it before the show.

There are a lot of conspiracy theories running through extreme left-wing circles about the attacks on 9/11. One such piece of drivel is an Internet movie called “Loose Change.”

On Thursday’s “O’Reilly Factor,” the host invited a New York City detective named Bo Dietl, and author Gerald Posner to discuss some recent developments surrounding the conspiracy theorists. O’Reilly began (video available here, h/t Hot Air):

The far-left fringe has embraced the conspiracy theory that elements of the U.S. government carried out the attacks on 9/11. It's unbelievable, but that's what they're saying. Now some mainstream individuals are buying into it. Rosie O'Donnell discussed it on her blog. And the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, billionaire Mark Cuban, may distribute a movie called "Loose Change." That piece of propaganda may be narrated by Charlie Sheen. And it says the U.S. government was criminally negligent on 9/11.

Posner chimed in:

New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich was featured on Wednesday night's Charlie Rose show on PBS to talk about Al Gore's return to Capitol Hill, and his description of the former vice president-turned-global warming-crusader was even gushier than his news story on Wednesday.

After host Rose read excerpts from Leibovich's front-page article, Rose asked the reporter to discuss Gore's "fascinating transformation."

On this morning's CNN Newsroom anchor Tony Harris interviewed Congressman (and presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter (R-CA) on the Iraq emergency spending bill which would, among other things, withdraw American combat troops from the country before the fall of 2008.

Mr. Hunter detailed his opposition to the legislation, pointing out that it ignores military needs while at the same time the bill's backers "did find money for shrimp and spinach." Here he was referring to the almost $4 billion targeted for farm interests that are included in the legislation.

HARRIS: Yes. You are referring to some of the sweeteners in the deal, millions, for example, to make spinach farmers whole again after last year's E. coli episode.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That was the focus of Bob Franken's report on CNN's "American Morning," which focused attention on the pork barrel spending proposals in the emergency funding bill for the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The key excerpt:

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: "With today's convening of the 110th Congress, we begin anew."

FRANKEN (voice over): "That was the rallying cry from the newly in-charge Democrats, the wheeling and dealing and hidden pork barrel spending would be no more. Fast forward just 10 weeks. Democratic leaders face their biggest challenge so far. The legislation providing $124 billion in war funding, combined with a troop pullout from Iraq next year. And they're using every tool at their command. The same tools they criticized the Republicans for using -- good, old fashioned pork."

Discuss the news of the day and anything else...

On his official Web site Fox News' Geraldo Rivera, yet again, went on a pro-illegal immigrant, anti-GOP tear. In an article entitled "GOP Immigration Extremists," Rivera declared: "The GOP was hijacked by extremists," claimed, "various hate groups have declared common cause with the Minutemen," and opined that anti-illegal immigrant Republicans, "fueled the rise of radicals like Venenzuela's Hugo Chavez."

The following is the full March 15th dated rant as it appeared on the Horizons section of Geraldo.com:

Until the last election cycle, Republicans had a reasonable chance of becoming the permanent majority party in this country. But in the lead up to the November 2006 elections, the GOP was hijacked by extremists on the immigration issue.

At the end of his 2004 campaign, Howard Dean started Democracy for America, billed as a grassroots Democratic political action committee "dedicated to supporting fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government."

Last week, DFA staged an online Dem presidential candidate preference poll. As a proud DFA member [meaning that I joined the email list], I just received the results of the poll. Hillary's advisers might want to dust off Hirohito's famous statement at the end of WWII to the effect that the situation "has not progressed entirely as we would have wished." Because Hillary finished in fifth place with 8.7%, behind Dennis Kucinich and barely one point ahead of Bill Richardson. Obama finished first with 28%, John Edwards a close second at 25%.

Now it's true that this is an unscientific poll, and that DFA surely attracts people from the liberal wing of the Dem party. But then again, isn't the conventional wisdom that Dem primary voters come from that same liberal wing?

Was DFA Executive Director Tom Hughes mortified by the results? He buried the mention of Hillary's embarrassingly bad performance in the eighth paragraph of his email!

UPDATE with video at bottom of post.

Conservatives aren't the only ones having trouble taking Gore seriously, even liberal Jon Stewart mocks him.

After Al Gore told Congress about the planet's fever and explained that when a baby has a fever you take the child to the doctor, Stewart asked if this metaphor could be carried too far:

"If the crib's on fire you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant," continued Gore.

"So ignoring Gore's powerful message is like leaving a baby on fire. It's kind of a tough image to counter Missouri's Kit Bond -- whaddya got?" Stewart asked.

Hoo boy.

When religious conservatives make claims that say, I dunno, AIDS is God's punishment for sexual sins, the Left go insane.

But when religious liberals say global warming is part of an unfolding apocalyptic prophecy as foreseen in the Book of Revelation, even the most secular of secular-progressives are tempted to shout "Amen!"

Here's how Rev. Randall Balmer yesterday blogged his decidedly unorthodox read of Scriptural texts:

Growing up fundamentalist, I spent a lot of my childhood thinking and worrying about the end of time as predicted in the New Testament book of Revelation. I was taught that history would come screeching to a halt and the world as we know it would dissolve in some kind of apocalyptic judgment.

It is safe to say after listening to Wednesday’s “Glenn Beck Program” that the host is not at all fond of ABC’s Rosie O’Donnell. In fact, one wouldn’t be out of line in stating that he loathes the co-host of “The View” who he disaffectionately referred to as a “fat witch.”

In an unbridled rant about a figure that is truly becoming one of the prime targets for conservatives due to her frequent ignorant and vitriolic diatribes about any Republican brought up during this idiotic program, Beck took on Rosie’s views with a vehemence that will surely put a smile on many faces.

After discussing the “double standard in the media” concerning opinions like his, and how he is called a hatemonger, Beck went after Rosie with both barrels blazing (audio available here, h/t Ian at Hot Air):

Matt Lauer said the right thing. Was it for the wrong reason?

Discussing on this morning's "Today" with Tim Russert the current wrangling between the Bush administration and the Dem congress over a bill to fund the Iraq war and the Dems' attempt to include a "date certain" for troop withdrawal, Matt Lauer said:

"Robert Gates, the Defense Secretary, has said that sometime next month that the funding for troops on the ground will run out. So now we've got a very high stakes game of political chicken. And can you imagine the Democrats getting to a point where they actually stop the funding for troops on the ground? That would be a disaster, wouldn't it?"

View video here.

President Bush won't address the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention next week in Washington, but the journalists will hear from liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Spike Lee, most recently infamous for spreading the theory that the government exploded the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to drown the poor black folk. Last year, ABC promoted his conspiratorial vision, as Lee declared "As an African-American in this country, I don't put anything past the government."

In fact, Spike Lee is not just a speaker, but the ASNE convention's closing attraction next Friday:

CLOSING LUNCHEON: "WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS"  -- Grand Ballroom

What does it take to be a liberal in Eric Alterman's book? In his current column at The Nation, The Many Man-Crushes of Chris Matthews, Altermann labels Chris Matthews a "centrist" that MSNBC sandwiches between the "right-wing" Tucker Carlson and "taken-for-a-liberal Keith Olbermann."

"Taken-for-a-liberal Keith Olbermann"? Sounds like Keith hasn't quite earned his lefty wings in Eric's estimation. I mean, after all, Olbermann has only called for President Bush's impeachment, accused the Bush administration of representing a new form of fascism, and generally chewed the leftist curtains in his overwrought "Special Comments."

If Keith's liberal street cred is suspect, I wonder how Eric might view the credentials of others on the left? Let's imagine:

If soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore’s testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday wasn’t funny enough for you, Conan O’Brien’s satirical cast of a new NBC, made for television movie about problems facing the White House is sure to give you a chuckle.

The video is here courtesy of YouTube (h/t Allah at Hot Air), and a list of the cast follows after the break for those of you who prefer your comedy in writing.

However, please be forewarned that some degree of liberal bias is in this casting, as O’Brien clearly took stronger swings at Republicans. Yet, all in all, it’s pretty funny: