In case you missed it, on his show last night David Letterman unexpectedly revealed the arrest yesterday of a blackmailer for attempting to extort $2 million from Dave with threats of exposing his history of affairs with female staffers on the show — affairs Letterman cops to. Watch.
President Obama had a brief meeting with Afghanistan commander Stanley McChrystal aboard Air Force One before leaving Copenhagen this morning. That and the day’s other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.
McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt: A Palin presidency would be “catastrophic.”
Late Update: Here’s the video of the Schmidt’s comment. Seeing the entirety of his comment, I think it’s incorrect to say that he called a Palin presidency “catastrophic” but that her nomination would lead to Republican defeat in 2012, which would be a “catastrophic” result.
It turns out that setting up a paramilitary porn website with all sorts of dubious claims and offers of outlandish services can get you in some trouble. Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock has opened an investigation into whether APF may be violating Montana’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act by making up all sorts of crap on its website.
Chicago out in first round in Olympic picking.
Good for Obama, for trying to get the Olympics for the USA and for his home town. But I have to say I’m not terribly surprised if the Olympic big-wigs were not crazy about being big-footed by the American president. Maybe it had nothing to do with it at all. Apparently South America has never hosted the Olympics, making Rio a logical choice.
(I think I may go insane if I hear one more cable news yakker say they’re “shocked” and “stunned.” I mean, 9/11 it ain’t, right? I think we’ll recover.)
Late Update: Chuck Todd is saying that as recently as a few weeks ago, the White House had been resisting pressure from Chicago friends and supporters who were pushing for Obama to make a big push for Chicago.
Later Update: We’re now living in the post-Chicago Olympics rejection era.
Even Later Update: TPM Reader JC doesn’t agree …
Despite your reaction it is pretty shocking given that Chicago and Rio were the frontrunners and the most recent guesses suggested Chicago had eeked out a bit of a lead.
Madrid has hardly been in the conversation.
And what’s up with your “big-footed” comment? Heads of state were there from all the finalists.
I wonder if right-wingers would be less stoked if Chicago were part of America.
Just before an arson expert was supposed to give important testimony to a Texas board investigating the state’s handling of a case that may have led to the execution of an innocent man, Gov. Rick Perry stepped in and removed three members of the board and appointed a new chairperson, who cancelled the scheduled testimony. Zack Roth reports.
The Hardin, MT, economic development official involved in bringing the American Police Force outfit to town is scrambling to reassure the local citizenry:
People who would believe that the State of Montana, or any town in Montana, would allow, much less invite, a private paramilitary security force to take over police duties, JUST DO NOT KNOW MONTANANS. Montana has more firearms, per capita, than virtually any other state in America. Gun control in Montana is best described as ‘Being Able To Hit Your Target.” Even many of our women practice gun control in Montana. Montana has more women who have concealed weapons permits, and know which is the business end, than most states have men who have them. Montanans don’t post this type of misinformation on the internet, we post pictures of things we kill.
The AP analyzes Chicago’s defeat in terms of top ten GOP talking points about Obama. Too overexposed, just a celebrity, etc.