liar liar

This morning, I've been reading a site called Politifact.org that breaks down the honesty in statements that candidates make. So if someone says "Barry Sanders has said that my plan will do more to grow the American avacado market than any other candidate's plan", they check and see if it's factually accurate or not. They have a scale that is: True; Mostly True; Half True; Barely True; and False. There's also a special category called "Pants on Fire" for the real doozies.

They're apparently not without a sense of humor, though, as they talk about a statement made by Joe Biden about our current mess of a President"

The quote: "The president is brain-dead."
-Joe Biden on Wednesday, July 4th, 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Verdict: Irresponsible claim (and wrong medical diagnosis)


During a campaign stop in Iowa on July 4, the six-term senator declared, “This guy is brain-dead.”

It’s an extreme charge, since brain death is defined as “irreversible unconciousness with complete loss of brain function” (Encyclopedia of Death and Dying).

Needless to say, we find the charge ridiculous. There’s no evidence Biden performed the necessary medical tests to make such a diagnosis. We would have accepted the results of a cerebral blood flow study or proof that Biden had examined Bush to see if he had an oculocephalic reflex.

Indeed, even people who disagree with the president about Iraq and assorted other issues will acknowledge that the president has spontaneous respiration and is responding to stimuli.

State of the Boof

Booford has been here since Saturday and is slowly adjusting. He's still waaaaaaay to eager to make friends with Spike, but they're starting to get used to each other (I hope). For now, one or the other is sequestered unless we're present and making sure Boof doesn't get too much into Spike's face. Booford is finally eating and pooping and is usually pretty good when we let him out back. On walks, though, he's a handful and a half. He pulls like crazy because, you know, he's a bloodhound and there're smells to follow. He's good around people now on walks, but other dogs still send him into hyper-excitement and we usually have to do our best to avoid them. I'm sure the other dog owners think he's mean, but he's not. He's just eager to see everyone.

And he's always handsome, as evidenced here: