The Morning Blog

Foreign Policy offers a refresher on the many, many, many crimes of Baby-Doc Duvalier. I really don't understand why he decided to return to Haiti at this time. Perhaps he smelled aid money? Perhaps he just felt that things weren't interesting enough without him throwing his voodoo into the ring? It's pretty baffling. At this point, he's been arrested and formally charged with corruption. Something that's slightly better than being charged with mass murder and crimes against humanity I suppose.

The Vatican has responded to the release of a letter (circa 1991), that evidently expressed concern over Irish bishops reporting rapist priests to the police. According to them, the letter was simply misunderstood! That sort of thing would never happen on the watch of baby saint John Paul II!

Looks like the votes are coming in and the world will get to welcome a brand new country. Anyone know what they'll be calling it? Sticking with "South Sudan" doesn't seem very original. In honor of his endless advocacy, might I suggest Clooneystania? The formal connection to George Clooney will if nothing else, help them get the chicks.

Joe Lieberman will not seek a fifth Senate term. I'm trying to decide how I feel about his career over all. Does his extraordinary work to repeal DADT balance out his extraordinary work to support the Iraq War? Tough to say. One's a civil rights milestone and the other....well, an awful lot of people died...hard to overlook that.

Unfortunately though, his retirement opens the door once more for Linda McMahon to wrassle with politics.

All joking aside, Berlusconi simply has to go. No country can afford a prime minister that is susceptible to blackmail. So long and thanks for all the laughs, Silvio.

By the way Silvio, there are probably cheaper ways to be an embarrassing old man.

Huh...Interesting news from the census: The largest community of gay parents is where? Down South. Makes sense if you think about it. Just because they're gay doesn't remove the fact that they're Southern. Southerners are a pretty traditional bunch, family is important. It's really just more evidence of how extraordinarily normal gay people are.

The New York Times talks up the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Important note: Unlike the previous match up, the Steelers will be fielding Polamalu and quite possibly, Aaron Smith.

The governor of Alabama is not my brother. Is he my cousin? I sincerely hope not. I suspect his family tree may be a straight line.

So what are our plans if our currency spat with China turns economically thermonuclear?

This game is down the crapper.

A court has ruled that work emails to attorneys, do not enjoy the benefit of attorney-client privilege. I find that very troubling to be honest. I don't understand why courts consider email to somehow be different from any other form of communication. Would they rule that an employer should have access to attorney-client communication if it was written on their stationary?