Difford, Tillbrook, Dubya

There's a new Infuriational Reading posted, for the first time since... um... well, it's been a long time. Okay? I know.

Anyway, the point is the story. David Sirota, the man behind the Daily Progress Report put out by the Center for American Progress and a frequent guest on Al Franken's show (Franken serenades him with "My Sirota," to the tune of "My Sharona"), has gathered the data on just how far the Bushistas have bent over (I choose the metaphor advisedly) to accommodate Bid'ness. "The Big Squeeze" details how in health insurance, prescription drugs, energy policy, wages and taxes, the moneyed few are getting well while the rest of us are getting screwed. Trust me, this will not fail to Infuriate.

And speaking of which, the Phillies today blew a 7-2 lead, hit into a 5-4-3 triple play, and lost 12-10. They were swept by the Houston Astros to finish the homestand at 1-9, which incredibly is a franchise-worst mark. It's hard to believe that the team with more losses and last-place finishes than any other in sports history has any depths left to plumb, but there it is.

My favorite stat about the homestand is that in the nine losses, the Phils led in seven of them. And Ed Wade's vaunted bullpen --Worrell, Horrendez, Homophobe Jones, Felix Rodriguez, Cormier--blew five of those leads. As in politics, so in baseball--in 2004, regime change is a complete imperative.