WHAT'S NEXT? CoffeeCare? This strikes too close to home....

POWERLINE'S Week in Pictures: Selfie Edition. My favorite:

I had a very hard time picking a favorite, as there are so many good ones this week. Close runners-up include Leadership, Thomas Sowell, Santa, Hummer, and Math Lab.

NOT A GOOD IDEA: Chinese naval vessel tries to force U.S. warship to stop in international waters. Pissing off the U.S. Navy is never a good idea.

Unless, of course, the ship is the USS Obama....

BUDGET DEAL: If the progressives' belwether The Nation hates it so much (A cruel, irresponsible and dysfunctional budget deal), then it must have some redeeming value.

Rand PauL doesn't think so. Neither does Sarah Palin.

I agree with Paul and Palin that the budget deal leaves much to be desired, but within the art of the possible, it's a baby step in the right direction. Sarah Palin, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and the rest of the Tea Party must keep the pressure on the Republican establishment stalwarts to keep moving the goalposts in the Right (pun intended) direction.

COCKROACHES TO THE RESCUE: Swarms of cyborg insects could one day map disaster sites.

"I'm a cockroach and I'm here to rescue you" is certainly a more appealing message than "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."

HEALTHCARE.GOV: taking stupid to a new low. (Or is increasing stupidity taking it to a new high?)

ONLY 50 000 YEARS TO ALDEBARAN! Plotting the Destinations of 4 Interstellar Probes.

VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN and California journalist embarrassed in defending Obamacare. Gerry Connolly, I'm grateful to say, is not my congressman.

YES. NEXT QUESTION: "Has our society reached a point where it is too stupid to survive?"