AP managed to post an article analyzing the Presidential debate before said debate had a chance to happen. It’s like a Daily Show routine, only 15% less funny.

Annatopia has pics of the hastily withdrawn AP article.

Update: Democratic Underground has the text of the article here.

In comments, Tracy says this seems pretty inocuous and was probably just a webmonkey’s error. Well, yes…except the article is written in the past tense. “President Bush and challenger John Kerry got their chance to face each other directly Thursday night.” (The DU posting on the article points out several more sentences in the past tense.) The article was posted five hours before the debate began.

Why is this important? Because there are a lot of us who’d like to stop hearing about the So-Called Liberal Media (oft abbreviated SCLM), thank you very much.

Tonight, on iChat:

Otto: where’s your post debate analysis? it’s been like an hour

Diane: Heh. Like I could watch it. Darin came home and taped it. I couldn’t be in the same room for a few seconds. I thought Kerry sounded much better, but why he didn’t hammer Bush on obvious stuff I have no idea.

Otto: i would listen to kerry, then i’d play w the baby loudly while bush was talking. cspan did a permanent split screen, so it was all reaction all the time. loved it. bush looked tired and lost, and kerry looked confident and also, a tiny bit, that if he was allowed by the debate rules to politely removed bush’s head with a machete, he would

Diane: and, as we all know, kerry actually knows how to do that.

Otto: yup. woulda made for GREAT tv

Diane: we should do a live blogging next debate on my blog. Not so much instant analysis as “instant snarkiness.” there’s enough analysis. there’s insufficient snarkiness. i mean, there’s only so much Jon Stewart to go around. And Mrs. Stewart and Baby Stewart really have first dibs. Well, them and Comedy Central.

Otto: never once seen his show, actually

Diane: !!! whoa.

Otto: also never tried coffee. i have a great list of these, but too many and i’d blow your mind

Diane: Well, on behalf of my people, Welcome to this planet.

So, what’d you think: instead of live debate blogging, live debate snarkiness blogging? And when is the next debate, anyhow?

Update: Aha! Found it:

• Oct. 5: Vice-Presidential debate (Not limited by topic)
• Oct. 8 (Not limited by topic)
• Oct. 13 (Economic and domestic policy)

Update 2:

Diane: I don’t even know how to find out when the next debates are.

Otto: i think it’s in the paper, on cnn, on cnn.com, and probably about 1,900 other news stories. they also said on the air, for those who watched, when the next episode is

Diane: well, there’s the whole “Diane DIDN’T WATCH IT” thing, but you just keep on. I have a copy of the Debate Agreement memo, and there it is.

Otto: you have the debate agreement memo, but didn’t watch the debate? what sort of freak are you?

I always appreciate a good spot of humor. From The Shrill Blog:

MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS: MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY: SEPTEMBER 16, 2004

Professor THIDWICK will not meet his class in “Modern American Politics” this morning, or indeed any morning. In partial explanation we offer this note, written by him in the pre-dawn hours:

I begged the Dean not to make me teach “Modern American Politics” this semester. I knew that in order to teach it properly I would have to delve into the secrets of the Bush administration. I knew that I would learn THINGS THAT HUMANS (as we say in these post-sexist times) ARE NOT MEANT TO KNOW. I feared that this would drive me insane–into shrill unholy madness. And so it has.

But up until now I have still able to teach my course. I am proud of that. Far gone in shrill unholy madness as a result of the incompetence, mendacity, malevolence, and disconnection from reality that I am, I could still communicate with my students in English and. Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Krugman R’lyeh wagn’nagl fhtagn! Aiiiiiii!!!

Read the whole thing. Feel the madness of shrillness descend upon you.