Just when you think you’ve heard all the weird stuff, something new comes along.

Billmon speculates that poor bottom lines for the health care industry may mean even greater health care woes for the uninsured.

The first time I saw a reference to this, I thought it was a joke. Apparently, it’s not; there really is a position in the White House entitled “Director for Lessons Learned.” Pays $106,641.
Talk about a rough job, I imagine Mr. Baker’s daily routine goes something like this.
(1) Arrive at work.
(2) Turn on computer.
(3) Check messages.
(4) Open file “What we learned today.”
(5) Review text: “What we did yesterday was exactly right.”
(6) Save file.
(7) Print and send or email file to Oval Office.
(8) Turn off computer.
(9) Go home.

Crooks and Liars has a clip from last night’s The Daily Show, comparing Bush 1.0 to Bush 2.0, WMD version.

Via TalkLeft, an interesting quote from one of the Court’s non-liberal activist card carrying members:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy yesterday criticized the federal Sentencing Guidelines and the lobbying efforts of correctional officers’ unions.
“The only thing worse than sentencing under the guidelines is sentencing without them,” he told judges and lawyers from across the Ninth Circuit yesterday. “I think the guidelines are far too severe,” he added, explaining that spending money on prisoners while failing to invest in efforts to inform at-risk groups about sentencing undermined the principle of deterrence.
“The fact that the prison guards’ association lobbies for higher penalties is sick,” he added emphatically.

In most of the get-tough-on-crime debates, I don’t hear much regarding the role of the prison guards’ association. I think it’s a point to disclose that interest in the discussion.