Pun Salad

Arianna Huffington has had Dick Cheney's heart on her mind for over four years now. Note this article from March 2001:

OK, everybody, listen up: The time has come for the nation to stage an intervention. We need to come together and convince the vice president that he needs to step down. And not just to save his life, but potentially to save the lives of millions of Americans.

Well, that didn't happen, and today Arianna's article seems more than a little silly nagging. But it appears that she desperately wants to be Proved Right on this, clouding her judgment about what to put on her website. So on the evening of June 24, the headline at the Huffington Post screamed: "Cheney Checks Into Vail Hospital..."

Vice President Dick Cheney was taken to the cardiac unit of the Vail Valley Medical Center Friday. Contrary to Associated Press reports that he went to see orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Steadman, at the Steadman Hawkins clinic for a knee injury, Vice President Cheney passed through the Steadman Hawkins clinic and the Colorado Mountain Medical Center to get to the cardiac unit to see Dr. Jack Eck and his team. The Vice President checked into the hospital under the name of Dr. Hoffman.

And more in that vein followed on the 24th: see "Is Cheney Alright[sic]" (with an appended "UPDATE: Cheney's Health: What is the White House Hiding?")

Why is the White House still insisting that the only health issue Vice President Cheney dealt with today is an old football injury to his knee, visiting renowned orthopedist Dr. Richard Steadman? At the Vail Valley Institute dinner tonight, I kept asking what those in the know here knew. …

A couple days later, Arianna tried to give the story some more legs: "It's Not the EKG; It's the Cover-up, alleging that, well, … something … was being covered up.

[And if you feel like checking out some lefty moonbattery, the comments on these posts will provide as much as you could want. Note that Arianna had to delete some comments deemed too offensive, so we're only seeing the inoffensive ones. Sheesh.]

And that's it. Over a week later, nobody besides Arianna is claiming that anything happened at the Vail hospital other than what "official sources" said. And she's apparently realized that there's nothing more there than the innuendo, rumors, and party gossip she's already spread.

Is it too much to expect a retraction?

• Jane Galt does a lovely takedown on a NYT writer, Louis Uichetelle, who bullshits about a book he didn't read carefully, if at all. Comments Jane:

  I don't know where Mr Uichetelle got his Cliff's Notes, but he should ask for a refund.

  and, in an update:

  Actually, maybe I do know where he got his Cliff's Notes--he watched the movie instead of reading the book. Didn't Mr Uichetelle learn in high school that no good can come of this?

  As Prof Reynolds would say: indeed.

• Similarly, Professor Ann notes that NPR's Nina Totenberg is fantasizing history with respect to Sandra Day O'Connor's appointment. "Ridiculous," says Ann, and you'll agree.
• Radley Balko has a new blog dedicated to debunking Morgan Spurlock. Reading just a bit will convince you that Spurlock is an even bigger idjit than you previously thought.
• Via David Skinner at Galley Slaves: I can't decide whether this (QuickTime movie) is sacrilege or very, very, cool. I think what I would think would depend on what Gene Kelly would think. Could someone with the appropriate contacts get back to me on that, please?
• Via Dave Barry's blog: "Awww, look at that nice poodle. Here doggie, doggie, doggie, … aieeee!!"