If you're outside the United States — or living in a news vacuum — you might have missed that today is Iowa caucus day. That means that Iowa Republicans will be casting ballots, Iowa Democrats will be standing in different parts of a room and, by the end of the day, we'll be that much closer to knowing who the next woman in the White House will be. This year is exciting because we usually don't get to vote for the woman in the White House.

The closest we've gotten so far is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who's two heartbeats away from the Presidency. Of course, as Sarah pointed out last summer, we do have celluloid depictions of women who rule. And we all know that fictional leaders are often more appealing than the real deal. (President Bartlett, anyone?) So, let's see how the real prospects stand up against the fictional. In true Iowa-caucus fashion, pick a candidate, stand in her corner and see if you can convince others to join you.

Madame President

1. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Why you should stand in her corner: She's the first female Presidential candidate to have an actual chance of winning. At the Visible Vote forum, she told us, “I'm your girl.” She supports the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and is in favor of civil unions. She is a real-life person.

Why you should stand elsewhere: She doesn't support same-sex marriage “yet.” Lots of people hate her, and some believe that makes her unelectable. … continue reading

I have a disclosure to make: “Ace” is not my full name. It's actually “Ace Randy Gal.” I have, however, been known to answer to “Carnage Lady.” And occasionally to “Calendar Gay.”

These monikers are the result of a boring afternoon at work coupled with the The Internet Anagram Server. Put a bunch of word nerds in the same room as an anagram server, and you've got yourself a party! That was eight years or so ago. “Ace” stuck, and the anagram server (plus the less labor-intensive Anagram Genius Server) get revisited from time to time. Recently, I spent some time procrastinating with the servers and had a blast. Because I'm that big a geek. And because I really didn't want to do my work.

I learned that one of my friends is an “Arch Lesbian.” And that an AfterEllen.com staffer could be an “Old Animal.” And that there are no good anagrams for my girlfriend's name. (However, one version of our dog's name comes out to “Destroyer and Might,” which I think he likes.)

But on the celebrity front, the possibilities abound. (For the record, all of the following anagrams come from the Internet Anagram Server, the Anagram Genius Server or the Anagram Genius Archive.)

I began with The L Word, just because.

Kate Moennig, appropriately, is “Token Enigma.” And Erin Daniels is “Ideal Sinner.” (I'm sure my girlfriend thinks so, anyway.) And Jenny Schecter is “Insufferable, dog-killing wack job.” (But that's just commentary, not an anagram.) Mia Kirshner is “Shinier Mark” (but if you misspell “Kirshner” as “Kirschner,” you get “Manic Shirker”!) Jenny Schecter + Sounder = “Jesus! Northern Decency.” Daniela Sea is “A sane ideal.” And, for the record, Bette Porter + Tina Kennard = “Broke, penitent retardant.” … continue reading

This week we count down the worst effects of the writers' strike — from Cashmere Mafia's delayed debut, to no female president until '08, to having to get our news from actual news sources (instead of The Colbert Report).

And then there's the spate of new reality TV shows in the works, like American Gladiators and A Shot at Love 2 ... yes, it's getting downright ugly, people! … continue reading

I’ve never watched 24. Not ever. Not even one clock tick. It’s just not my thing. And after six years of hearing our president mispronounce “terrorists,” I’ve pretty much lost all interest in the topic — real or pretend. So I had no intentions of watching the upcoming seventh season. Then, they started to announce the cast. And, well, things got interesting. The latest new installment, as mentioned in last week’s Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever., is Carly Pope.

You know Carly most recently as the lesbian drug dealer to the stars in Dirt; a CIA agent (the good kind, not the ones in black coats) in The Itty Bitty Titty Committee; and, of course, Sam from Popular. Well, now she will play Samantha Roth, the girlfriend of the president’s son who might be connected to his disappearance. I only watched Dirt on and off — it was a little too bleak and joyless for my taste — but I did catch Carly in a few choice scenes. Very choice. … continue reading

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Don't worry; Cherry Jones hasn't lost her mind and left Sarah Paulson for a man. I'm talking about Jones' character on 24. We learned a few weeks ago that Jones will play President Allison Taylor on the seventh season of the show. Now, meet First Man Henry Taylor:

They say politics makes strange bedfellows. But the better question is, does it make good TV? Famously left-leaning comic Janeane Garofalo will join the cast of the unabashedly right-leaning counterterrorism drama 24 next season. Janeane will play Janis Gold, an FBI systems analyst assigned to the team investigating the crisis befalling Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and company in the upcoming season.

As a regular cast member the outspoken liberal (heck, she's even had it tattooed on her arm) will work for a man (series co-creator/executive producer Joel Surnow) who is a big Rush Limbaugh fan and happily calls himself a “right-wing nut job.” Wow, that should make for some interesting water cooler conversations. Even Janeane was surprised by her casting, which she told the Ottawa Sun happened "much to my chagrin. That's why I feel like I'm being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten."

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It has just been announced that Meryl Streep has been cast in the role of Sister Aloysius in the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning Broadway play Doubt. The play, which is currently on tour, stars out actor Cherry Jones in the role that Streep is about to take on; Jones won a Tony for the role.

In Doubt, Sister Aloysius, a nun and the principal of a New York Catholic school, accuses a priest (who will now be played by Dustin Hoffman) of sexually abusing a student. It doesn't sound like the happiest of tales, but I'm sure that Ms. Streep will make it entirely worth watching. How much do I love practically every role I've seen her in? Here are a few memorable ones: … continue reading

Ben & Jerry's have announced the arrival of a new celebrity-inspired flavor of ice cream: Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler. The recipe consists of peach ice cream with cinnamon sugar shortbread pieces (sadly, cannabis sprinkles are not included).

Before you head to the grocery store to get your fix (which is what I was just about to do), you should know that B & J announced that they are conducting a voluntary recall of 250,000 pints of the new flavor because it contains undeclared wheat, and people who have wheat allergies run the risking of getting sick from eating this particular batch of the stuff.

Willie joins the ranks of other progressive celebs who've been honored with their own flavors, which include: Cherry Garcia (Cherry Ice Cream with Cherries & Fudge Flakes), Americone Dream (a tribute to of Stephen Colbert consisting of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel) Phish Food Ice Cream (inspired by the band Phish and made of Chocolate Ice Cream with Marshmallow, Caramel Swirl and Fudge Fish) and Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies (Vanilla Ice Cream with Swirls of Raspberry and Brownies).

I'm a Willie Nelson devotee and Cherry Garcia is my favorite flavor of ice cream, but I don't get why a couple of nice hippies like Ben and Jerry only seem to name their sweet concoctions after dudes. Who wouldn't want to try flavors like 30 Rock-y Road (for Tina Fey) or Divine Berry Delight (for Halle Berry), or even Chocolate Covered Cherry Jones?

I'm just sayin'…