I don't normally read Andrew Sullivan, but a kind reader pointed out to me a recent, unhinged post where he calls Sarah Palin a "liar" among other things I won't print here because she, allegedly, lied about the origins of one of her daughter's name.

She didn't lie, but Sullivan didn't even bother reading the article he used as his source before skewering Palin under the Atlantic's name. (Is their anyone keeping tabs on him over there??) He read a summary of the article, according to his post.

"Her unstable grip on reality, taken for granted in Alaska, is the reason many of us simply do not believe a word she says unless we have actual evidence for it," says the man who embarked on a one-man campaign to find out of Palin really was the mother of baby Trig. (He still isn't convinced by the way).

The source of his latest ire was a magazine article by Esquire he didn't read.

Apparently, she told Esquire one of the reasons she named her daughter Bristol after the city ESPN calls home. She also liked the name because of Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Sullivan stopped at the first reason, screamed liar on his blog because he's heard her say in other interviews Bristol was named after the Bay. (Yes, I know this sounds ridiculous, but stick with me.) He didn't know that she told Esquire the Bay was part of it as well. He later corrected his post although it wasn't very heartfelt.

He issued an "update" to his "correction" stating it was "highly unlikely" Palin knew what ESPN was when she had Bristol. Based on zero evidence of course. So, you know, she could probably, still maybe, possibly be a liar in Sullivan's eyes.

(I can't help but mention that Palin is much more of a sportsman/sportswoman than Andrew Sullivan could ever hope to be.)

I feel somewhat foolish even having to rehash all this, but it seems necessary to show how absolutely irrational some people, like Sullivan, become when it comes to Palin.

It's sick.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says deal had been reached and the Senate will vote on a procedural measure to advance the $780 billion stimulus package Monday evening.

The vote is currently scheduled for 5:30 pm, hours before President Obama is slated to appear in a public, televised press conference at 8:30pm.

The final vote for passage is slated for Tuesday, February 10.

The GOP says the $780 billion figure Reid touts as the price tag for the bill is below the mark. According to their numbers, $46.5 billion was tacked on the bill this week in the form of amendments, bringing the Senate bill's true cost to at least $827 billion.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) said, “According to the figures I’ve been given, the House bill is about $820 billion. The Senate bill, under the compromise, we believe, would be about $827 billion. Bear in mind the interest costs on either of those proposals would be $348 billion. So we're really talking about a $1.1 trillion pending measure.A $1.1 trillion spending measure. We're looking at a $1 trillion deficit for this fiscal year."

McConnell said most Republicans would not support the bill because "all the historical evidence suggests that it's highly unlikely to work.  And so, you have to balance the likelihood of success versus the crushing debt that we're levying on the backs of our children, our grandchildren, and, yes, their children."

After the bill clears the Senate it will be up to a group of senators and house members to settled the differences between the Senate version of the bill and the $819 billion House version in a conference.

The bill's cost is likely to increase again in conference.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi sounds like she is getting rattled by the GOP's opposition to the president's $900 billlion and counting stimulus bill.

She spoke to reporters from the Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia, emphasizing the importance of delivering a bill to the president's desk quickly. Pelosi said precious time was being wasted by those wishing to make significant cuts to the legislation.

Her reasoning, however, was strange. According to the Politico, said if the new Senate cuts were passed it "will do violence to the future."

Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl" has been nominated for Nickelodeon's 2009 Kid's Choice Award along with other ditties by Rihanna, Chris Brown and Beyonce.

The song's lyrics discuss a young woman imbibing on alcohol and kissing another woman. "Ain't no big deal," Perry sings, "it's innocent."

The 30-year old network claims to be "the number-one entertainment brand for kids" and "has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does."

Robin Carnahan, Missouri's Secretary of State who has tipped her hat into a 2010 Senate race, likes to play up her farm roots (she manages a cattle farm!) on the campaign trail but sure has some New York City tastes.

Politico's gossip writer Anne Schroeder Mullins says she's definitely a "Miranda" when it comes to fashion.

And, she's already scored a swanky headline even though she only announced she was running for the Senate last week.

She'll be appearing alongside some heavy-hitters at an upcoming Women's Campaign Forum at Christie's in Rockfeller Plaza. Oo-lah-lah!

Here's the invite below:

From: Margaret Kavalaris [mailto:BoardChair@wcfonline.org]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 3:35 PM
To:
Subject: Look who's coming to dinner!

Take a look at some of the special guests joining us for our annual gala event. We hope to see you there!

Kathleen Turner, Tony Award- and Oscar-nominated Actress
Robin Carnahan, Candidate for U.S. Senate (D-MO)
Gail Collins, Author & Columnist, New York Time
Chester Higgins, Celebrated Photographer
Click here to view their bios.

Exclusive VIP Reception with
ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson
Thursday, February 19, 2009

Of course, I don't blame a women for wanting to look good. (Although the geometric cow print dress really isn't my taste at all...) It's just rather remarkable she's already hitting the New York City circuit.

The  Young America's Foundation is hosting a series of Ronald Reagan clips on their website today in honor or the former president's birthday.

Clips  include President Reagan building his fence at his beloved Rancho del Cielo, grooming and riding his horse "El Alamein", and greeting the George H. Bushes at his ranch in Santa Barbara, California. These clips are courtesy of the Reagan Library.

 

Gibbs miraculously managed to insult a reporter and trivialize important questions in a single line of questioning during the White House briefing today.

The White House Press Corps sure aren't like the press buddies on the campaign bus are they, Gibbs?

There's a pretty big adjustment taking place from spitting out election talking points to explaining the Administration's position on policy matters. I'm not sure Gibbs is going to be able to get up to speed.

Gibbs also had a hard time answering questions about Solis's tax problelms.

Someone passed on this photoshop to me, which I love. I am a HUGE fan of the film 300 (the book is on my work shelf) and feisty senators. So, this really made my day.

Breaking--ANOTHER Cabinet appointee with tax problems, via USA Today:

WASHINGTON — The husband of President Obama's Labor secretary nominee paid about $6,400 Wednesday to settle tax liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years against his business, the Obama administration told USA TODAY this afternoon

15 different tax liens were filed against Solis's husband.

Solis has also been under fire for failing to disclose her role as Treasurer of a pro-labor lobby group, American Rights at Work. As a member of Congress, Solis sponsored a key piece of legislation the group supported, The Employee Free Choice Act, which would dramatically increase labor's influence in the workplace.

The New York Times is reporting Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D.) and Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R.) are pushing for a series of cuts from the stimulus bill.

Here is a sampling of the items they'd like to slice out:

-$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
-$14 million for cyber security research by the Homeland Security Department
-$1 billion for the National Science Foundation
-$400 million for research and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases
-$850 million for Amtrack
-$400 million for climate chance research

We chatted a bit about Al Franken's back taxes last night on The Factor.

I'll be back at Fox at 1:30 and 2:20 today for some hits to talk about the stimulus package and Leon Panetta's confirmation hearing.

Washington Post reporter Mary Ann Akers wrote on her Twitter feed she overhead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "wants to pee on the Washington Times."

It really isn't clear if Pelosi said it, or if someone said it after Pelosi walked by while talking about Pelosi.

Here is a link to Akers's Twitter feed where she wrote this moments ago.

Akers, who calls herself "The Slueth," pens the Post's "Behind the Scenes" insider blog She posted this bit of information on her Twitterfeed from the Annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Washington Press Club Foundation.

The Times is a DC-based newspaper with a conservative editorial bent.

Update: Screencapture below

President Obama approved his first tax hike today.

The bill he signed to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program contains a provision to increase taxes on tobacco by a whopping 155 percent. That means the federal taxes on cigarettes have gone up an additional 61 cents a pack. This brings federal taxes on a pack of cigarettes to $1 per pack total.

(It also means the nation will need to maintain a steady level of smokers to subsidize kids health care, an unlikely outcome in light of a fledgling economy and increased taxes on the tobacco.)

Despite his pledges not to tax low-income Americans, Obama's tax increase on tobacco will disproportionately punish the poor, who are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes.

55 percent of smokers are considered "working poor" and one in four live below the poverty line.

“Tom Daschle and Leona Helmsley believe that only the little people should pay taxes,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.  “Obama agrees; he just raised taxes on millions of lower-income Americans.  His central campaign promise was a lie.”  

Big Labor hosted a rally on Capitol Hill this afternoon to urge legislators to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill to give labor more power in the workplace.

Throughout the event labor members blasted employers who harassed them in the workplace for supporting the liberal policy. The funny thing is, several of those same labor members openly harassed a pair of men protesting the legislation.

The dressed up as "union bosses" looking for their payback for helping Democrats in the 2008 election: passage of EFCA

Anywhere Union Bob and Union Bill went, a crowd of union members followed them and pushed them to the perimeter of the rally. Union members pushed their way in front of them to hold up signs to hide the anti-EFCA signs from the cameras.

Essentially, they did everything the could to make sure no media could see an alternative message.

When I asked them why they were doing this most of them went mute.

One woman, however, had lots to say. She's in the third video and I'll warn you, her vulgar language isn't safe for work

So, whatever happened with the $70,000 Al Franken owed in 17 different states for his celebrity speaking engagements?

Did he ever even pay them?

I asked Norm Coleman if he's heard anything about it lately. He said, "The issue really goes back to the media, I don't think anyone has ever talked to his accountant or made his accountant available. Is his accountant really the reason he didn't file taxes? I do no think there's been a resolution for that."

"The media should be speaking to his accountant," Coleman said.

That would be rather difficult considering, according to the Star Tribune in 2008, that Franken forbade his accountant from speaking to reporters