IT'S VINTAGE, DUH

Important Action Alert!

2008-06-03T03:10:00.005-04:00

I am very pleased to announce that I have accepted a position as co-blogger over at doubleplusubdead's place. Seeing as how about 95% of the traffic I get* comes from him anyway, I figure it couldn't hurt. Some of the stuff I write will still be cross-posted here, and Lexington-centric posts will remain here exclusively. Becuase, let's face it, daddy need his Google Ads check.

So hop on over to DPUD's site and take a look around.

*Thanks to this post, the other 5% are comprised of people googling "vintage torture porn". Let's hear it for the Internet.

Look's like Obama's found himself a new preacher!

2008-06-02T15:28:00.001-04:00

Headline: Bishop says climate-change deniers are as bad as sex dungeon father Josef Fritzl.

Time to write off Virginia's lone GOP Senate seat

2008-06-02T02:46:00.003-04:00

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore narrowly (66 votes narrowly) won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate at the VAGOP convention this weekend, and he's got a special message for pro-life conservatives (emphasis mine):

By less than 70 votes, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate yesterday.

Gilmore squeaked past Del. Bob Marshall at the Republican convention held here, winning 50.3 percent of the vote, or 5,222 votes to Marshall's 5,156. He will face Democrat Mark Warner, also a former governor, in the November election.

[...]

Speaking to reporters afterward, Gilmore conceded that the narrowness of his victory "was a surprise."

"We did not put resources into the convention that maybe we should have to get a larger margin," Gilmore said.

He said he has focused his campaign on Warner, and believes the issues important to general voters are different from the social issues driving Marshall's supporters.

Republican activist and Marshall supporter Shaun Kenney, a former spokesman for the party, said Gilmore "needs to reassure values voters that he's with them."

But the nominee said he's not going to change his principles to win political support. While he's anti-abortion and opposes late-term abortions, Gilmore said, "I've never believed we should impose a strict law on women that don't agree with us."

He also said Marshall's supporters aren't likely to back Warner.

"We believe they're going to be supportive of us," Gilmore said. "The things they believe in are things Mark Warner never supported."

Ah. There's a time-tested GOP strategy: "Vote for Me! Because, seriously, who else ya gonna vote for?"

(h/t The Corner)

'twas Evil Capitalist Pigs that killed the beast...

2008-06-01T23:54:00.003-04:00

The Lieberman-Warner "Let's Kill Capitalism Once and for All Act of 2008" will be debated soon in the Senate. Some background can be found here. However, it looks like the bill may meet the fate of last year's immigration bill. But, thank goodness, this year the media can ignore the grassroots effort to kill the cap-in-trade bill. Why? This year we have a convenient scapegoat...the Fortune 500 company:

An influential coalition of Fortune 500 companies and environmental groups that was formed to support climate-change legislation has splintered over the Lieberman-Warner bill that is headed next week to the Senate floor.

[...]

Without widespread corporate support, passage of the bill - already a long shot at best - becomes even more unlikely this year. President Bush remains opposed. House Democrats have been slow to act.

Besides that, a backdrop of rising gasoline prices and the sluggish economy makes it difficult to win votes for a regulatory scheme that will raise the prices of electricity and gasoline. In fact, a key purpose of the bill is to put a price on the emissions of greenhouse gases, as a way to speed the transition to a clean-energy economy and slow down global warming.

See, the People want carbon taxes. It's those corporations that are impeding progress. Who is John Galt?

But don't worry, there is plenty of time to pass the legislation next year. In fact, the environmental lobby didn't even bring their A-game this time around (emphasis mine):

[E]ven supporters concede that the debate will set the scene for action in 2009.

"This will put us in a position to have action next year," says David Doniger, director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a supporter of the bill. "We expect in the Senate that the 60-vote rule will be applied. That's a hard one to get over."

As currently written, Lieberman-Warner might fall short of a 50-vote majority in the Senate, let alone the 60 votes required to close debate, insiders say. Presidential candidates (and Senators) Clinton, McCain and Obama all support climate-change legislation.

Thanks, New Hampshire!

UPDATE:Heh. Looks like one of the environmental groups pushing Lieberman-Warner is violating McCain-Feingold. I wonder if Sen. McCain will go after them the way he went after Wisconsin Right to Life.

Hate-monger Pfleger: If only they'd murdered another one of my foster children

2008-06-01T16:47:00.004-04:00

Okay, not really. But close. Take a look at Hate-monger Pfleger's latest non-apology apology for his ridiculous, hate-filled rhetoric. A snippet (emphasis mine):

Last Sunday, I was invited by Trinity United Church of Christ to come and preach on the topic of race.

I agreed to do so because of my love for Trinity, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Rev. Otis Moss, III and because all my life I have sought to deal with the reality of racism. As I said, Last Sunday, I have committed myself to tear down the walls that divide us wherever they stand.

In 1966, as a junior in high school, amidst all the hate and meanness that surrounded me in Marquette Park, I heard more than the voice of Dr. king calling for community over chaos. I heard that small voice from within, that said, I am showing you this now, because you must spend your life trying to eradicate this.

The last few days have been the most painful days of my life, even more so than the murder of Jarvis, my foster son.

The whole apology is at the link, in case you think that this "snippet" is taking Hate-monger Pfleger out of context. Not being a baptized believer in the Cult of the Obamessiah, I am speaking with a cynical tongue, but I actually believe Hate-monger Pfleger when he says that this is more painful than the murder of his foster son. Why? Because as with all attention-hungry showmen (secular or religious), it's all about him.

Of course this is more painful, because there is negative attention focused on him, rather than the positive attention of sympathy released by the community after the death of a loved one.

It is more painful, because it might hurt his standing in the community. His life may continue without a foster son. After all, they're replaceable. But what politician will ever let him head a Catholic coalition group again?

That quote only makes sense if your highest priority is yourself. And, if your highest priority is yourself, what kind of spiritual leader will you make? I think we see the answer to that in Hate-mongers Michael Pfleger and Jeremiah Wright.

Even more reason not to have Romney as VP...

2008-05-31T15:00:00.001-04:00

...President Bush and Karl Rove are all about it.

Burn After Reading

2008-05-30T15:08:00.003-04:00

The trailer for the Coen Brothers' follow-up to No Country for Old Men, called Burn After Reading, is now available.

Looks like a winner to me.

My favorite Harvey Korman sketch (that he wasn't in)

2008-05-30T01:16:00.004-04:00

Yesterday comic legend Harvey Korman died at the age of 81 from a brain aneurysm. Over at this thread on the news, I talked about my favorite sketch of his from "The Carol Burnett Show", which I had been unable to find on YouTube. Luckily, a saint reading the thread named PattyAnn found this link and emailed it.

In true moron form, I was describing a skit that Korman wasn't even in. It was Lyle Waggoner*. But, since it's my blog, I'm going to post it anyway.

For skits that actually feature Korman, head over to the above link or the Moron-in-Chief's.

He'll be missed, even if I am too much of a 'tard to remember which skits he was in.

*In my defense, I wasn't even born when the show was on, and the last time I saw it was a rerun on ABC Family about 12 years ago.

Liebs and Grahamnesty leave Vets group...because the group attacked Obama?

2008-05-29T14:16:00.004-04:00

It must be fun to be a Senator and put what's best for your fellow Senator before what is best for the country. Anyways. The other day, Vets for Freedom issued the following ad, asking Sen. Obama why he will meet with Iran, but not with Gen. Petraeus:

In response, Sens. Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham promptly stepped down from their positions on the group:

Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, prominent surrogates for Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, stepped down Wednesday from their positions with an independent group that released a pair of Internet advertisements attacking Senator Barack Obama on Iraq.

Mr. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and Mr. Graham, Republican of South Carolina, were both on the policy advisory board to the organization, Vets for Freedom, which on Wednesday released its second Web advertisement in less than a week attacking Mr. Obama.

[...]

After inquiries from reporters, the senators released a joint letter to Vets for Freedom on Wednesday saying they had requested a leave from their positions to come into compliance with the new policy.

“This is obviously something we’re working through,” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain campaign. “This is the kind of thing that happens when you have the strictest possible policy on these issues.”

The new policy was meant to head off embarrassing questions about connections of members of the McCain campaign to special interests that run counter to Mr. McCain’s reformist reputation. But adhering to that standard has proved complicated.

So anyways, we're screwed in 2008. Especially if McCain's campaign is going to be that insane.

Exit question: Why did Sen. Lieberman have to step down from his position at Vets for Freedom, but not have to cancel a speaking engagement at a conference held by Rev. John Hagee?

I have descended from on high to be briefed on policy!

2008-05-29T13:17:00.004-04:00

Captain Ed has an entry at HotAir.com about a Washington Post article describing the Obamessiah's lack of policy experience. While the article, and Ed's post, make good points, what stuck out to me was this:

So in 2005, he had his office arrange informal seminars so that experts on health care, the economy, energy and education could brief him. "I'm not running for president," he told a group of experts at his Capitol Hill office in the spring of 2006. But he said he had a "national voice" and wanted to use it.

Did any of the experts ask if he was running for president? I'd think it would be very common for someone new to the Hill to want to be briefed on important policy issues. I imagine there must have been a lot of eye rolling in that room.

Also, did Sen. Obama just decide he had a "national voice"? And, if so, why wasn't his national voice backed up by national action? Instead, the only piece of legislation he's passed (to my knowledge) is the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (otherwise known as the Coburn-Obama Bill).

I think that Obama's savior complex didn't start this election season, but rather during his 2004 Senate run.

McClellan book publisher donates exclusively to Dems. Update: Soros-owned?

2008-05-29T12:57:00.004-04:00

Not a huge surprise, really, but it does make some of the things former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in his book a little more suspect:

Peter Osnos, a former vice president of Random House's Adult Trade Books and former publisher of Times Books, will become publisher and chief executive of a new nonfiction publishing company, Public Affairs, it was announced yesterday. The new house will specialize in books by public figures, journalists, historians and social critics.

The announcement was made by Mr. Osnos and Frank H. Pearl, chairman of Perseus Capital, an investment company with interests in media companies, which is to finance the new venture.

His donation history shows contributions to both Sens. Clinton and Obama, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Mark Warner's Senatorial campaign, the DSCC, and Rep. Jim Moran. He also made donations to the DNC, Sen. John Kerry, and Gen. Wesley Clark in the 2004 presidential race.

(h/t Mark Levin)

UPDATE: It appears that the publishing company is also owned by George Soros. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!

Require US citizens to be bilingual? Si, Se Puede!

2008-05-28T20:23:00.003-04:00

The Obamessiah descended from on high today to issue another brilliant edict:

"When it comes to second-language learners, the most important thing is not to get bogged down in ideology, but figure out what works," Obama says. "Everybody should be bilingual, or everybody should be trilingual." The comments drew loud applause.

Everybody except immigrants (illegal and legal) I'm guessing.

(h/t the Campaign Spot)

I want to meet these old people...

2008-05-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

There's a movie playing in downtown Lexington this week at the Kentucky Theater called Young@Heart. It's a documentary about a group of elderly people who "perform contemporary and classic rock and pop songs". Here they are singing "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth.

You can watch the trailer here. If I didn't have a social life-sucking, horrible job, I would be watching it this week. But alas, it seems I will have to wait until its released on DVD.

Jonah Goldberg touts Palin for Veep

2008-05-27T17:25:00.002-04:00

Writing over at NRO's The Corner, Goldberg says (emphasis mine):

I'm more and more keen on Sarah Palin. [...] Palin is tackling the establishment in Alaska, including the oil and gas industry (much to the chagrin of some of my relatives!). She's attractive (former Ms. Alaska). She could get some real profile out of this polar bear lawsuit. She reinforces McCain's outsider-reformer-Western credentials. And, for the moderate soccer mom types who were all jazzed about Hillary being the first woman president, she might win a few suburbanite female swing-voters for the same reason. Obama is going to have to pick a boring white guy precisely because he's not one. McCain doesn't need to pick a boring white guy because he's got that locked up already.

Part of the reason I feel that it is so important that McCain chooses someone like Gov. Palin or Gov. Bobby Jindal are the multiple polls showing generic Republicans losing to generic Democrats. In the mind of the public, "generic Republican" means a white, probably Southern, older man. Like it or not, McCain needs to choose someone who's not a white man as the veep. And, preferably, it will be someone like Palin who is a true conservative.

Could McConnell lose his Senate seat?

2008-05-27T15:12:00.003-04:00

Polling shows that Sen. Mitch McConnell could be in trouble this fall:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Kentucky Senate race shows Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford with a five percentage point lead over long-time Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. The poll, conducted just two days after Lunsford won the Democratic nomination, shows the challenger with 49% of the vote while McConnell earns 44%.

The Kentucky Democratic Party is energized this election cycle, especially on the heels of winning back the Louisville House seat in 2006 and the governorship in 2007. This race has the real potential to mimic the Virginia Senate race between Jim Webb and Sen. George Allen, although this may be less likely with Sen. Obama at the top of the Dem ticket. (Kentucky is full of bitter people clinging to their guns and religion and race-hatred as a way of explaining their economic situation.)

Either way, McConnell needs to take this re-election campaign seriously, and I'm not really sure if he is or not. (It's hard to know how aggressive anyone's advertising is when you don't have TV.)

AK-House GOP primary polling: Rep. Young vulnerable

2008-05-27T14:33:00.004-04:00

Despite Rep. Don Young having 24 times his cash on hand, Alaska's Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell is tied or beating the incumbent in most polls:

Republican Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell stands a strong chance of defeating Young in the party’s Aug. 26 primary, according to recent polls and analysts, which would provide Democrats with a new opponent for the general election.

Young has drawn wide support over the years for his advocacy for his home state, but critics argue that his connections to a federal investigation into Alaska oil services company Veco Corp and its ties to political figures in the state have made him vulnerable for re-election this year. Opponents also note that the House has called for an investigation into an earmark for a Florida transportation project, which Young is accused of changing to possibly benefit a major supporter. Others believe Young’s well-known rough-hewn manner is diminishing his effectiveness in the House and reflecting badly on the state.

Parnell, a lawyer and former state lawmaker, entered the House race just two months ago, but is backed by popular Republican Gov. Sarah Palin . Recent polls show Parnell besting or nearly breaking even with Young.

“It’s time for a new messenger in Congress in Alaska,” Parnell told CQ Politics.

[...]

Parnell is campaigning on issues such as resource development, job creation, the nation’s economy, establishing a natural gas pipeline and fixing high gas prices, in addition to what he calls “restoring trust issues,” all things on which Parnell believes he can be more effective than the congressman.

“Voters appreciate the years he’s given, but we also think it’s time for new leadership,” Parnell said of Young.

Parnell's kind words stand in deep contrast to Rep. Young's response when he found out Parnell was challenging him. A refresher:

"Sean, congratulations," Young said. "I beat your dad, and I'm going to beat you."

Pat Parnell ran as a Democrat against Young in the 1980 general election. Young received 114,089 votes to the elder Parnell's 39,922, according to the Division of Elections.

Gesturing with his finger toward Parnell, Young said that if Parnell had wanted the U.S. House seat, he should have run two years ago.

"If you wanted to run for this job, you should have done it two years ago instead of running for lieutenant governor," Young said. "You wanted that job. Stay where you are, and that's where you're going to be."

A real class act.

I've never been to Alaska, but I think that if Parnell takes this seat away from Young, it would be the one bright spot in an otherwise disastrous election season. So, shill away I must.

Contribute to Parnell's campaign here.

(h/t RedState)

Weekend at Bernie's: Obamessiah edition

2008-05-27T02:29:00.002-04:00

On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong. - the Obamessiah (Change be Upon Him)

More distractions. Remember, though, that President Bush is the stupid one. Because, as we all know, one's ideology is the measure of how intelligent one is.

Eh. I can't muster the OUTRAGEOUS OUTRAGE!!11eleventy!!!

2008-05-25T18:00:00.003-04:00

Subway is having a story-writing contest for students...well, everyone except home-schooled students.

ABOVE: The personification (apparently) of current conservatism.
Eh. I get it that some people like to home school, but I was under the impression that conservatives liked the free market? Part of the reason I'm drawn to conservatism is that conservatives seem to be less negative and angry than your average leftist. We're not supposed to flip our shit whenever people do even the silliest of things.

And, for the record, with the exception of two people (who I didn't even meet until I got to grad school), every home-schooled person I've ever met has been completely socially inept. What's the use of reading at a higher grade level if you can't even interact with people?

As long as we're rejecting endorsements of people who say ridiculous things...

2008-05-25T17:54:00.002-04:00

When's the Obamessiah going to reject MoveOn.org's endorsement? Memorial Day would be a good time to reject at least some of their hate.

About McCain's VP selection committee head...

2008-05-23T23:04:00.002-04:00

Contrary to popular belief, Sen. McCain will not be heading up his veep selection process himself. While McCain may be "chairing" that committee, a former Reagan official (from 1987-1989) named Arthur B. Culvahouse will be heading with search. As with most things McCain, the "Reagan official" tag is a nice smokescreen for Culvahouse's moderate leanings (emphasis mine):

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has tapped a former Reagan administration official to head his campaign’s search for a vice presidential nominee.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) told The Hill that Arthur Culvahouse, who was Reagan’s White House counsel from March 1987 to January 1989, will be helping McCain vet candidates and develop a list.

[...]

Culvahouse has been active in GOP circles, consistently contributing thousands of dollars to Republican candidates. He donated to McCain in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Other Republicans that Culvahouse has contributed to include Sens. Alexander, Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Richard Lugar (Ind.).

I can tell you that most Reagan Conservatives are just so darn excited about Sens. Lugar and Specter that they can't help but donate to their campaigns. Even Sen. Alexander's American Conservative Union rating is only a 72 - and his is the highest of the three by 12 points and 32 points, respectively. If who Mr. Culvahouse is donating to is any indication of the type of people he might choose, we're in for a longgggggg 2008 election season.

On the other hand, at least Culvahouse has some good instincts:

He also publicly supported the controversial nomination of John Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2005.

McCain/Bolton '08? If only...

Things I learned in state government training this week.

2008-05-23T16:02:00.002-04:00

This entire week I've been working the day shift, attending training courses for my state government job. It was as exciting as you would think. But I have learned a few things:

- Never trust a state employee to give you information before it's too late. I lost 5.5 hours vacation time that way this week.

- Yes, some people, in 2008, are still extremely confused by drop-down menus on computer forms. So cofused, in fact, that explaining how to use them takes up about 30% of the class time.

- Some people still aren't 100% sure if it was New Orleans that Hurricane Katrina hit.

Your tax dollars at work.

My take on McCain's immigration comments

2008-05-23T12:12:00.002-04:00

The blogosphere is abuzz with fury over some recent comments by Sen. McCain regarding immigration:

“Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States,” he said. “It is a federal responsibility and because of our failure as a federal obligation, we’re seeing all these various conflicts and problems throughout our nation as different towns, cities, counties, whatever they are, implement different policies and different programs which makes things even worse and even more confusing.”

He added: “I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it’s a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we don’t do it before, and we probably won’t, a little straight talk, as of January 2009.”

Ace, DrewM, and Ed Morrissey have all given their takes, and everyone's favorite Nickelback-listening, WWF-watching 'tard has even gone so far as to state that he will not be supporting McCain in the fall on this basis. I think worry about these comments is premature. I agree with Jim Geraghty:

Team McCain tells me the senator's comments were poorly worded. There's been no discussion within the campaign of altering their stance on illegal immigration, and as far as everyone on the campaign is concerned, the policy is still, 'secure the border first.'

I said, "so, this change away from border-security-first wouldn't happen, unless John McCain and his top advisers had gotten together, studied it in great detail, weighed all the advantages and disadvantages, and came to the carefully-considered conclusion that they're really not interested in winning the election?" The strategist laughed and agreed.

I think that if McCain meant these comments the way bloggers are taking them, he is profoundly stupid. He likes to agitate conservatives, but I doubt he thinks agitating conservatives is worth losing the election.

This would be like Sen. Obama saying "You know what we need on the table as of January 2009? We need to start a massive government program to cure AIDS. After all, the government started it, so they need to stop it." (Or, noting agreement iwth any number of crazy Hate-monger Wright sayings.) Sure, McCain may believe it and he may even try to resurrect amnesty, but he's not going to start beating that drum until he wins the general election.

Gov. Jindal's proper role

2008-05-22T23:46:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of buzz around Gov. Bobby Jindal of late, especially after the media found out he was spending Memorial Day at Sen. John McCain's place in Scottsdale, Arizona with several other potential vice presidents.

While I'm not ashamed to say that I'd be one of the first people to join a Jindal '12 campaign, I don't think he's ready for the national stage...yet. But there is something that could both introduce him to the nation and prepare him for national scrutiny and campaigning:

Which is why I think Jindal's a long-shot here. He's too young, and whatever "ageism" the Louisiana governor might offset being on the ticket undercuts McCain's central theme of Obama's inexperience. Jindal's presence at McCain's home could very well be just an acknowledgment that Jindal is now a central figure in Republican politics. It could be something more.

[...]

But let's remember what launched Obama on the national scene: It was his 2004 convention speech in Boston. Almost immediately Obama's name entered the list of potential candidates. Without that, Obama, who would have won his Senate seat anyway, would almost certainly not be running today.

I think this analysis is largely correct. Sen. McCain needs to have a vice president that is younger than him, but not one that is so young that it highlights his old age even more. Giving Gov. Jindal a prominent speaking slot at the convention would give him exposure, and provide the country with a reminder that hope^tm and change^tm have the be actions, not words. I think a case can be made that Gov. Jindal has brought hope and change to the citizens of Louisiana, while Sen. Obama has just provided flowery, generic speeches.

To be honest, I can't see Gov. Jindal running for president in 2012, either. I think that McCain will probably choose Mitt Romney and limit himself to one term (if he wins). And, since Republicans tend to nominate the person "whose turn it is", you can expect a Romney nomination in 2012 whether McCain wins or loses, with Gov. Jindal (who would by then be in his second term as governor) chosen as Mitt's VP.

Song of the Day

2008-05-22T21:26:00.001-04:00

"Mississippi G*ddam" by Nina Simone

And you can do audience participation while you watch! Yippie!

The Long (Veepstakes) Weekend

2008-05-22T02:42:00.003-04:00

Sen. McCain is is taking a, ahem, "purely social" break from campaigning to host a Memorial Day getaway in Arizona for some Republican (and Independent) officeholders:

The Memorial Day guest list at Sen. John McCain's Arizona home runs to at least three Republicans mentioned as vice presidential running mates, but a top aide said Wednesday that vetting possible veeps is not on the agenda.

"It's purely social," said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to McCain.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney were all invited to a Memorial Day gathering at the senator's home in Sedona, Ariz. Romney ran for the Republican presidential nomination in last winter's primaries, but dropped out months ago and has endorsed McCain.

[...]

Among other guests expected were Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., close confidantes of McCain.

Hmmm. The good news: Mike Huckabee isn't there, while Gov. Bobby Jindal and (sigh) Gov. Mitt Romney are.

The bad news: McCain, apparently, sees moderate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as an acceptable choice for vice president. Also, Lieberman and Graham will be there, although there is a real possibility that those two are just there for social reasons.

Out of those choices, my favorite is, of course, Jindal. He's the best conservative for the job, although there is a risk of him ruining his future by signing on to a losing campaign. (Even though I would support him right out of the gate in 2012 should he run for VP and lose to Obama.)

Gov. Palin goes after Pres. Bush

2008-05-22T02:33:00.002-04:00

She is suing the U.S. government to keep it from listing the polar bear as a threatened species, a move which was designed primarily to destroy capitalism rather than help polar bears:

“We appreciate the Secretary’s recognition that oil and gas activities are already regulated under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to prevent impacts to the polar bear and do not pose a threat to the polar bear,” Governor Palin said.

[...]

“While climate change is a significant issue, the Endangered Species Act is not the right tool to address impacts to a species from climate change,” Attorney General Talis Colberg said.

“Inappropriate implementation of this listing decision could result in widespread social and economic impacts, including increased power costs and further increases in fuel prices, without providing any more protection for the species,” Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin said.

“While the state is challenging the listing, we remain committed to assuring Alaska’s polar bears are conserved,” Governor Palin said. “The state will continue to monitor Alaska’s polar bear populations and their behaviors in relation to changing sea ice conditions.”

This is what a real maverick looks like, Sen. McCain.

Turns out the Obamessiah thinks Michelle's stump comments are in-bounds...

2008-05-21T21:21:00.003-04:00

..of course, as is often the case in Obamaland, this was before the things she said became inconvenient. Rob at Say Anything had a good catch over at his blog. The following sign was up in Obama's campaign headquarters when CBS News did a (probably fawning) piece there:

But, we probably shouldn't bring that sign up. It doesn't help Michelle Obama's kids. And it's a distraction. And it's his staff's fault for putting it up in a cubicle and not down the memory hole.

And, as we know, using a Democrat's own words against them just isn't fair.

Shocka! Portland Hipsters Love the Obamessiah (oh yeah, and free music)!

2008-05-20T20:52:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week, he had a crowd of 75,000, and I was not shocked that so many hipsters came out to see the Obamessiah. Turns out I was right to not be shocked, as right before Obama came to the stage, hipster-doofus band The Decemberists played a free 45-minute concert for the crowd. I'm shocked, shocked, that the media failed to report that.

The Decemberists, if you don't know, are a popular, well received Portland-based band. I (somewhat) liked their album Picaresque, but haven't really listened to them since one of my friends made me listen to them almost non-stop on a road trip. That kinda thing usually puts me off a band for a long time.

I, like Jim Geraghty, wonder if they played their song "Sixteen Military Wives":

The video depicts a bully named "Henry Stowecroft" (Kissinger and Brent?) representing the United States in a grade school model United Nations who declares war on Luxembourg. I kid you not when I tell you the video begins with the bully putting on a flag pin.

The lyrics:

Sixteen military wives
Thirty-two softly focused brightly colored eyes
Staring at the natural tan
of thirty-two gently clenching wrinkled little hands
Seventeen company men
Out of which only twelve will make it back again
Sergeant sends a letter to five
Military wives, whose tears drip down through ten little eyes

Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can't say no
And America does, if America says it's so
It's so!

And the anchorperson on TV goes...
La de da de da

Fifteen celebrity minds
Leading their fifteen sordid wretched checkered lives
Will they find the solution in time
Using their fifteen pristine moderate liberal minds?

Here is the video in question. I was able to watch it 30 seconds before finding it too obnoxious to finish. You could have a drinking game to go along with all the half-brained dKos talking points presented therein.

Huckabee vs. Palin: VP Madness Final Round!

2008-05-20T11:58:00.002-04:00

CQ's VP Madness is (you guessed it) in the final round, and it is between Gov. Mike Huckabee and Gov. Sarah Palin.

Right now, Huckabee is ahead of Palin 54% to 45%.

If Huckabee wins this thing, I will lose all faith in humanity, so go there ASAP and vote for Sarah Palin.

With 0% of precincts reporting, it's already clear that Kentucky's Democrats are racist

2008-05-20T06:46:00.002-04:00

That post title started out as a tongue-in-cheek, but hey, it works. The Politico says there are five things to watch in Kentucky today, including the role of race:

And though Kentucky voters may also factor race into their votes, they also might be more reluctant to admit it to exit pollsters, said Laurie Rhodebeck, an associate political science professor at the University of Louisville.

“Voters get a little prickly here if you say race” drove their choice, she said. “They’ll say, ‘It’s more that we’re concerned about his church ties or his lack of military experience or that he seems so young and untested.’ Those may be socially acceptable ways of saying they’re uncomfortable with a black candidate.”

Meaning, if you don't vote for the Obamessiah you're either a racist or just using other excuses to cover up the fact that you're racist. Good to know.

$10 says his home thermostat is set to 72 at this very moment

2008-05-20T06:17:00.002-04:00

The Obamessiah addressing the masses yesterday in Portland, Oregon:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

And by "we", he, of course, means plebians like you and me. Malaise '08! Catch the fevuh!

If we can't freely get girls to commit suicide, then the terrorists have won...

2008-05-20T06:03:00.003-04:00

Remember Lori Drew? Sure you do. She's the sub-human mother who created a fake MySpace account to send hateful messages to one of her daughter's former friends, a 13 year old girl with a history of depression. Messages that caused the child to hang herself in her closet. Since there is no way to charge a person with being generally evil, prosecutors had to charge her with violating MySpace's user agreement terms.

It would be hard to find someone to defend the first person who shows up when you google the phrase "people you'll meet in hell". At least until you head over to Reason magazine:

[L]ast week Thomas P. O'Brien, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, brought four federal charges against her: one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing a computer without authorization via interstate commerce to obtain information to inflict emotional distress. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. "To my knowledge it is the first case of its kind in the nation," O'Brien said. "But when an adult violates terms on a MySpace account to gain information that creates this type of reaction, it caused this office to take a really hard look."

A little too hard, I'd say. O'Brien is by no means alone in wanting to hold Drew at least partly responsible for Meier's death, but the law does not allow him to do so. So instead he has resorted to legal contortions aimed at converting Drew's violation of MySpace rules into a federal crime. (The rationale for indicting Drew in California, by the way, is that MySpace is based in Beverly Hills.) There are plenty of reprehensible things people do that are not and should not be crimes. One of them is being mean to emotionally vulnerable people. Since individual reactions to insults are unpredictable and highly variable, a rule that criminalized speech when it leads to suicide or other forms of self-harm would chill any expression more negative than "Nice day, isn't it?" Because there is no such rule, O'Brien has twisted a law aimed at fraud, spying, vandalism, and child pornography into an excuse to punish a woman everyone hates.

Don't you see? The Man is trying to keep Lori Drew down! We need to elect RONPAUL!!!1!11!!!eleventy!!! to keep injustice like this from spreading.

/Libertarian

Light blogging notice.

2008-05-19T06:53:00.002-04:00

I'll be working 8am - 4:30pm this week, without access to a computer all day.

It's pretty much a nightmare, but I'll try to make up for it when I get home each night.

I love Kentucky: The "Look what they made Hillary do" edition

2008-05-18T13:20:00.003-04:00

The best part of this story is that I'm about 95% certain the minister is the father of one of my good friends in high school:

When things couldn't be looking worse for Sen. Hillary Clinton's bid for the presidency in 2008, as her rival Barack Obama closes in on gaining enough delegates to secure the nomination, the former first lady attended a church service in Bowling Green, Ky., Sunday featuring a sermon about lust and adultery.

The hour-long sermon focused on the sin of committing adultery -– as outlined in Mathew 5:27-32.

[...]

Paul Fryman of the State Street United Methodist Church asked the congregation, "How is your commitment level in your marriage this morning?’

He spoke about lust and the sin of cheating on your partner. Clinton looked straight ahead as the man spoke about the theme of the sermon, which was: "Come Up Higher When the Devil Whispers Over Your Shoulder."

Ha.

Meet the new standard-bearer of the Republican Party...

2008-05-17T15:43:00.007-04:00

According to the media, it's Rep. Tom Davis. Why? Because he's a maverick, of course, which means that we all need to listen to him:

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) thinks that President Bush is "absolutely radioactive" and that any Republicans close to the him will suffer electoral consequences.

[...]

"Republicans, I think, have time to turn it around to some extent," Davis tells the network.

"But, if they don't, we're cruising for a bruising."

Davis has been mentioned as a possible replacement for current NRCC chair Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) following three straight special election defeats for the GOP. The Virginia Republican is not seeking reelection.

Yes, replacing Rep. Cole with someone who had an ACU rating of 60 last year is exactly the move that would energize the base. What? Was Rep. Chris Shays unavailable?

I'm just going to write off 2008 right now. As Sean Hannity would say, "conservatism in exile".

UPDATE: I spoke too soon, the GOP now has two standard-bearers:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created shock and awe in the Republican Party when he warned years ago that the GOP was in danger of "dying at the box office" by failing to make the sale to a wide swath of voters.

And with the presidential election looming, the Republican governor of the nation's most populous state - a decidedly blue state - has now found a chorus of agreement. The Republican "brand" - thanks to an unpopular president, a war, gas prices, foreclosures and deficit - has become such damaged goods that GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia groused last week that "if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."

The answer for GOP presidential candidate John McCain: take a page out of the Schwarzenegger playbook and sell a product that is "counter" to the current GOP brand on issues like global warming, spending and even immigration reform.

[...]

"The Republican idea is a great idea, but we can't go and get stuck with just the right wing," Schwarzenegger said. "Let's let the party come all the way to the center. Let those people be heard as much as the right. Let it be the big tent we've talked about."

Yes, let's abandon the party to the center. You know, the voters who don't donate, don't volunteer, don't canvas. The ones who just show up and vote. Ya know. If they feel like it.

Mary Jo Kopechne's murderer has stroke (or seizure)

2008-05-17T15:30:00.001-04:00

Sympathy goes out to his family, but none to him.

It's election season, time for another military deserter "profile in courage" from the media...

2008-05-17T01:40:00.003-04:00

On July 15, the United States needs to toss this cowardly traitor in jail and lock up the key (emphasis mine):

Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.

"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP.

"I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added.

Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant.

He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines and was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.

On Thursday, he refused to go, saying he considers Iraq an illegal war.

"I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq," Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.

I won't waste any more space on this blog to discuss this man's crime, other than to say that I hope he realizes that as soon as the anti-war left s done using his sorry ass he'll be just another poor, Southern, white man.

I like the spin here from the Agence France-Presse. Before this, I assumed that military recruiters sought out people who felt the call to serve their country, whether they be rich, poor, or middle class. And, even if they did seek him out, where is the problem with that? The military could have given this man opportunities that he might have never gotten without them. Experience. An education. Self-respect. Also, if the man didn't want to join, why did he sign?

They must be going for the Ted Rall Award of Comic Excellence in the Field of 9/11 Humor....

2008-05-17T01:00:00.003-04:00

Normally I like the web comic Married to the Sea, but this cartoon posted last month is ridiculously offensive. But I guess all that means is that I'm a conservative without a sense of humor, right?

Ethical House GOP reform for the price of a latte

2008-05-16T20:43:00.002-04:00

I know many in the conservative movement are dismayed. We have a Gerald Ford of a presidential nominee, an bluer than blue Congress, and the head of the NRCC is a complete boob.

In light of this, I think the best thing for conservatives to do is to fight. Don't like McCain? Find someone down the ballot to vote for. Don't like your Representative or Senator? Support real conservatives in the Republican primary. Don't dig in and turn off in anger. That doesn't benefit you or the country.

In keeping with that spirit, the fellas over at RedState are calling on people to support one of my favorite candidates, Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, in his primary fight against Kleptocrat Rep. Don Young:

Give up that trip to Starbuck [sic]. Give the cost of your double carmel [sic] latte to Scott Parnell. Give up that trip to McDonalds [sic]. Give the cost of your quarter pounder value meal to Scott Parnell.

You people bitch about the party losing its way all the freaking time. I do too.

It's time to put up or shut up. If we're not willing to give to people like Scott Parnell, well then we get what we deserve -- the party of Don Young instead of the party of Ronald Reagan.

I'm gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back and say that I gave the price of a tank of gas. Parnell's site is here, and you can donate to his campaign here, in case you're too lazy to go to the site and find the donation link yourself. I know you morons.

(Also, Erick Erickson should probably spell and grammar check his posts.)

C'mon you bitter rubes, Hitler wasn't that bad...

2008-05-16T20:36:00.002-04:00

Sayeth the editor of the Seattle Times:

What Hitler was demanding was not unreasonable. He wanted the German-speaking areas of Europe under German authority. He had just annexed Austria, which was German-speaking, without bloodshed. There were two more small pieces of Germanic territory: the free city of Danzig and the Sudetenland, a border area of what is now the Czech Republic.

We live in an era when you do not change national borders for these sorts of reasons. But in 1938 it was different. Germany’s eastern and western borders had been redrawn 19 years before—and not to its benefit. In the democracies there was some sense of guilt with how Germany had been treated after World War I. Certainly there was a memory of the “Great War.” In 2008, we have entirely forgotten World War I, and how utterly unlike any conception of “The Good War” it was. When the British let Hitler have a slice of Czechoslovakia, they were following their historical wisdom: avoid war. War produces results far more horrible than you expected. War is a bad investment. It is not glorious. Don’t give anyone an excuse to start one.

I dunno. I know about 6 million people who might disagree.

Thanks to the Moron-in-Chief who notes that "it's only mid-May. Wait 'till they've built up a head of steam."

Question...

2008-05-16T20:29:00.001-04:00

I don't mean to be snotty with this or anything, but has Michelle Malkin ever been happy or satisfied with anything ever?

Just wondering.

Is this the truth or just Bill O'Reilly being Bill O'Reilly?

2008-05-16T17:03:00.003-04:00

McCain might cut off Newsweek from the Straight Talk Express?

I agree with the panel that this wouldn't be productive. He should keep Newsweek reporters on the bus, but mock them at every turn.

Sen. David Vitter and the agricultural amnesty

2008-05-16T16:29:00.003-04:00

Sen. David Vitter has released a statement on the attempt to insert amnesty provisions into the war supplemental bill:

Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter today released the following statement about an amnesty provision inserted by Senate Democrats into the Iraq War supplemental funding bill that would provide a five-year “amnesty visa” to millions of illegal aliens employed in agriculture industries, allowing them to legally live and work in the United States.

“The Democratic leadership has amassed a significant track record of using the Iraq War as a means to advance their partisan politics. With the recess quickly approaching, this is not the time for such maneuvers, and this is certainly not the appropriate vehicle on which to attach such a blatantly political statement.

“This effort is particularly egregious as it uses the war funding bill to extend amnesty to illegal aliens, threatening the very national security that our brave service men and women fight to protect every day. Instead of ensuring that American troops are provided with the tools and resources that they need to protect our homeland, some in the Senate have instead chosen to jeopardize this funding by inserting provisions that are – at best – counterproductive to the efforts of our military members. I will be working to remove this amendment from this important bill,” said Vitter.

Nice sentiment, but Vitter shouldn't have been the one to make it.

Why? Because the amendment that inserted the amnesty provision is the Feinstein/Craig amendment. Thanks to his own ~~retardedness~~ problems, Vitter was unable to say add that necessary statement that Sen. Larry Craig should be at home getting his ~~shit~~ life together, instead of trying to undermine the rule of law in the Senate.

Quote of the Day

2008-05-16T15:09:00.001-04:00

Can somebody explain to me how Obama sat in Wright's church for 20 years and managed never to hear anything, but hears 20 seconds of a Bush speech that doesn't mention him and perceives a shameful personal attack?

The Obamessiah and Gay Marriage

2008-05-16T14:46:00.003-04:00

In light of yesterday's gay marriage decision by the California Supreme Court, let's revisit a post I made in mid-March about the Obamessiah's nuanced position on gay marriage....

-----------------------------------------------

When His Holiness was running for his Illinois Senate seat in 2004, same-sex marriage was a hot topic in Democrat circles. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had recently decided to defy the rule of law and authorize the city to issue same-sex marriage licenses. St. Obama was naturally asked his position on the issue:

"I'm a Christian, and so although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman," Obama said.

But here is the kicker: his denomination of Christianity supports gay marriage!:

The UCC has been one of the most supportive religious organizations in the fight for marriage equality for same-sex couples. Many UCC clergy members across the country regularly perform same-sex union ceremonies.

How, then, does one arrive at St. Obama's conclusion? Does he find gay marriage incompatible with Christianity based upon his own personal study? Is the position based on political expediency?

It seems as though St. Obama's church (according to him) takes many positions with which he is in disagreement. I understand not believing in every position church leadership has, but I think at some point in the previous two decades as a member I would have begun the search for a new congregation, if not an entirely new denomination.

----------------------------------------------

Hopefully someone will call him on this if he gets asked. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Easily one of the most disturbing things ever...

2008-05-16T14:19:00.002-04:00

Via the Moron-in-Chief, comes Man Babies.

Bughhhhhh.

Embarrassment to humankind can't muster human sympathy

2008-05-16T14:03:00.003-04:00

Ron Paul, naturally. What the hell is up with the people of Texas' 14th congressional district that they keep voting this jackass into office?

Some good exit snark from Allah:

Incidentally, today’s the one-year anniversary of America’s Greatest Patriot telling Giuliani at the debate that “They attack us because we’ve been over there. We’ve been bombing Iraq for 10 years.” The new tape from Osama, whom we’re told we should always listen carefully to, would suggest otherwise, although I have a hunch that Dr. Paul won’t have much difficulty assimilating this particular grievance into his unified theory of Why They Really Hate Us.

The biggest problem with John McCain's 2013 speech...

2008-05-15T23:17:00.003-04:00

The biggest problem with McCain's 2013 speech is that I can already see, in my head, the Democrat's 2012 campaign election ads when McCain inevitably doesn't come through on his promises (especially since so many of those promises are dependent upon Democrats being bipartisan).

(Nevermind the fact that every Democratic electoral success requires them to either run as conservatives or promise things they can't deliver.)

Who knew?

2008-05-15T23:08:00.001-04:00

Apparently, "ER" is still on the air.

Has any African-American church ever talked about, ya know, the Bible?

2008-05-15T13:48:00.003-04:00

Hyperbole, of course. But seriously, I think the black church would be much better off if their ministers were more involved with preaching the gospel and less involved with libeling anyone who doesn't agree with their politics.

This particular rant, I think, says more about the rampant homophobia within the black community that it does about what drew Sen. Obama to Hate-monger Wright.

Drink in the irony...

2008-05-14T20:38:00.003-04:00

...of Reason magazine, the biggest convergence of Paulbots on the planet, decrying cult-like behavior around politicians.

Ten bucks says the NRCC takes his advice before ours

2008-05-14T20:33:00.002-04:00

At last, we have the real reason Republicans are losing elections:

Rep. Tom Davis stomped on the concrete floor of the Capitol basement when asked by reporters about Republican fortunes at the moment.

"This is the floor," he said, by way of explanation. "We're below the floor."

Inside the meeting, Davis had just presented his colleagues with what he said was a 20-page memo outlining his prescription for a way out of this mess. He did not offer details to the press, yet did not spare the party and the president scathing criticism in his public comments.

"The president swallows the microphone every time he opens his mouth," Davis said.

He believes Bush's staunch opposition to the Democratic housing bill and the SCHIP bill, for example, is hurting rank and file. Look at yesterday's vote on the SPRO, where Republicans defied the president in droves. Lo and behold, the White House says today that it will not veto the bill.

Pass the Xanax, please.

Apparently I'd fit right in if I moved to New York City

2008-05-14T20:16:00.003-04:00

Outside New York City, people from my area of Kentucky are the most neurotic people in the United States. I saw this link, no lie, no less than one minute after someone called me neurotic.

(h/t Karol)

I thought Republicans were the ones who trampled on the Constitution, Sean...

2008-05-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

As goes Sean Penn, so goes the nation...

Asked if he would be joining other Hollywood A-listers in pledging support for Obama, Penn gave him a less than ringing endorsement and warned that he has an awful lot to live up to.

"I don't have a candidate I'm supporting and I'm certainly interested and excited by the hope that Barack Obama is inspiring,” he said, but went on to accuse him of a “phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional” voting record.

Wow. Sen. Barack Obama has taken the liberal position on every issue that has come before the Senate. If the liberal position is "inhuman and unconstitutional", does that mean that Sean Penn thinks the GOP position is "humane and constitutional"? (It's my guess that he considers the Green Party's positions the constitutional ones, but in reality their platforms aren't that much different.)

About looking in the mirror...

2008-05-14T14:02:00.002-04:00

NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) on last night's catastrophic loss of a deep red Mississippi House seat to the Dems:

He added: "A large segment of the American public doesn't have confidence in the Republican Party to deal with the issues in front of us. What we have to do is look in the mirror bit and ask how we lost our way."

Cole defended the use of NRCC ads trying to tie Democratic candidates to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), saying this approach will produce results for Republicans in the long run.

This is beyond frustrating. Cole looked in the mirror and somehow saw Barack Obama there? Generally, when one looks in a mirror they see themselves, not scapegoats. When the only campaign strategy you have is to tie candidates to Obama (or Hate-monger Wright, or Clinton, or any other boogeyman) you lose.

If the House GOP leadership were serious about winning elections, they'd cut pork (whether or not the House Dems agreed), have Rep. Jeff Flake as the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, and use principled leadership to win seats.

Oh, and once again, not propping up kleptocrats like Don Young would help.

Ratboat '08!

2008-05-14T01:39:00.000-04:00

When redneck analogies attack!

I love it.

We are so effed in November

2008-05-13T23:03:00.004-04:00

The news just keeps getting worse. The GOP lost a conservative House seat 51-49 in a special election to replace now-Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi. About new Democrat Congressman Travis Childers:

But, the confluence of a treacherous national politicial environment for Republicans, a divisive GOP primary and the emergence of Childers, a social conservative from the more rural reaches of the districts, as the Democratic candidate combined to make the race an unlikely pickup opportunity.

This reminds me of my favorite quotes from Ann Coulter, "Democrats and Republicans both pretend to be conservatives. The only difference is that Republicans sometimes go back on thier word, Democrats always do." Paraphrased, but the point remains. When will people learn that when you elect a Travis Childers (or a Rep. Ken Lucas, who served in the district I grew up in), all that you do is give the Nancy Pelosis of the Democratic party more power. Sure, Childers may be conservative on social issues, but the Democrat leadership won't let him on any committee that would speak to those issues.

This is part of the reason that if I get the job I just interviewed for I will be moving inside DC, rather than in Northern Virginia. Virginia is turning purple, and about to turn all the way blue. I'd rather live in a place where I go in knowing that I won't have conservative governance, rather than have a situation where I vote and keep losing and losing and losing.

Zombie Reagan, where are you?

In case you didn't notice...

2008-05-13T15:18:00.002-04:00

I didn't really do any blogging today. Yeah, I know, I'm lazy. I had a choice between waking up at 7:30 am, going to a job interview, coming back and sleeping, or doing the interview and then blogging. Sleep won out.

What else would you expect from a moron?

I might blog form work tonight if something catches my eye, but otherwise you're on your own until tomorrow.

In the meantime, head over to CQ for round 3 of VP Madness. It's narrowed down to 8 (my choice is emphasized): Mike Huckabee vs. Mark Sanford, Tim Pawlenty vs. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Sarah Palin vs. Bobby Jindal, and Rob Portman vs. Charlie Crist.

Some nice self-delusion from Sen. Murkowski...

2008-05-12T20:17:00.002-04:00

The Hill asked the 97 remaining members of the U.S. Senate whether they would consider the vice presidency if their nominee offered. Sen. Murkowski provided this response (which literally made me laugh out loud in the middle of work):

“My name has been discussed partly because I’m a female and it’s always nice to balance things in gender … I’ve discussed it with my kids. My 16-year-old thinks it’s a fabulous idea because he thinks we probably couldn’t find any better residence in Washington, D.C., than the Naval Observatory. That’s the fun part of the question, but I think anybody, if you were seriously asked, I think you have to give it very real and genuine consideration. I don’t expect to be asked, but if I were I would give it real and genuine consideration.”

Seriously? Her "name has been discussed"? I'm addicted to veepstakes speculation and I have never heard her name discussed. Does anyone think that a politician who was only thrust upon the national stage due to nepotism is the way to win in 2008?

My governor's only been in office 4 months...

2008-05-12T17:21:00.002-04:00

...and he's already an embarrassment:

Gov. Steve Beshear, who has remained neutral during the presidential primary and who will serve as a Kentucky superdelegate at the national convention in August, avoided talking about the Democratic candidates by criticizing President Bush.

"When I mention that Democrats are problem solvers, I can think of only one Republican who can be a problem solver -- that is Vice President Dick Cheney if he would just take George on a hunting trip," Beshear said. Cheney accidentally shot fellow quail hunter Harry Whittington in Texas in 2006.

Sheesh. November 2011 can't come soon enough for Kentucky.

More links over at Gateway Pundit.

The most depressing story I've read all election season.

2008-05-12T14:26:00.002-04:00

Granted, stories and rumors like this abound before the VP is chosen, but this name shouldn't be on any list:

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain's short list for a running mate. At least that's the word from a top McCain fundraiser and longtime Republican moneyman who has spoken to McCain's inner circle. The fundraiser is less than thrilled with the idea of Huckabee as the vice presidential nominee, and many economic conservatives—turned off by the populist tone of Huckabee's campaign and his tax record as governor—are likely to share that marked lack of enthusiasm.

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.

The problem with this line of thought is that it wasn't just economic conservatives who thought it was a bad idea to have Huckabee on the ticket. National security conservatives opposed him because of his lack of foreign policy experience and on the basis of how easily swayed he was on abandoning Guantanamo Bay. Some social conservatives liked that he was a Christian, but disliked his use of identity politics. Conservatives of all stripes can question his previous, liberal stances on issues ranging from crime to immigration.

If McCain's team is so inept that they don't realize that conservatives of all stripes have reason to oppose Huckabee, they deserve to lose.

You better not screw this up, Spielberg.

2008-05-12T12:46:00.003-04:00

It looks like Steven Spielberg's long-delayed biopic of Pres. Abraham Lincoln is finally on the front burner:

The director [has said] that he will return his attention to an epic project about the 16th president, for a DreamWorks film that could begin filming possibly by early next year.

[...]

The Lincoln project could be ready for an early 2009 shoot because of several variables: Spielberg has proved adept at shooting back-to-back films, which he did most memorably when he made "Jurassic Park" and the Oscar-winning "Schindler's List" in 1993. Also, his Lincoln project -- informed by the biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's "The Uniter: The Genius of Abraham Lincoln" -- has a strong script by "Angels in America" playwright Tony Kushner (who rewrote "Munich" for Spielberg).

Liam Neeson has already agreed to star in the film. Good choice, I think.

Of course, since Lincoln was a Republican, and Tony Kushner is, well, what he is, I halfway expect the film to focus on Lincoln's suspension of some civil liberties and the shock revelation that he loved himself some abortion.

In a move reminiscent of Courtney Love being cast as Althea Leasure, Sean Young has signed on to play Mary Todd Lincoln. I keed, I keed.

I'm going to try to concentrate on this, and not the McCain Global Alarmism Tour

2008-05-12T12:17:00.002-04:00

McCain advisor Mark Slater ripped into Newsweek for their current, extremely biased cover story on those always-positive paragons of virtue, those Messianic masters of post-partisanship, those harbingers of hope^tm and change^tm the Obama campaign. It's slightly long, but worth reading. Here he is responding to the article's claim that McCain's campaign would rely on distortions, negative advertising, and 527 groups:

By accepting the Obama campaign construct as if it were objective, Evan and Richard framed this race exactly as Senator Obama wants it to be framed—every issue that raises doubts about his policy views and judgment is part of a smear campaign intended to distract voters from the real issues at stake in the election, and, thus, illegitimate. And even if Senator McCain might not be inclined to support such advertising, if he can't stop them from occurring then he will have succumbed to the temptation to put ambition before principle. How this notion could appear credible after MoveOn, the AFL-CIO and the DNC launched negative ad campaigns weeks ago, and after leaks from the Obama campaign that they would soon start running negative ads against McCain, is mystifying.

Bravo.

Between this and Salter's previous smack-downs against Obama and the media (but I repeat myself), I'm just about ready to write in Mark Salter's name in November.

Thank you, BBC, for this wonderful gift.

2008-05-12T12:11:00.001-04:00

Actual BBC News headline: "Great tits cope well with warming"

Global warming finally pays off.

When Troofers Attack...

2008-05-12T01:30:00.001-04:00

...Secret Service agents. Ha.

RON PAUL RON PAUL RON PAUL!!!

Nintendo on your coffee table.

2008-05-11T12:06:00.001-04:00

It comes with a game genie the size of your garage, so I hear...

Next up, The McCain-Feingold Tour!

2008-05-09T15:58:00.002-04:00

Sen. McCain, who has done theme tours on his military service, "forgotten" laces, and health care access, plans to do more tours in the future:

"John McCain is going to be doing more of these themed tours of America, and one of them is going to be on energy and global climate change. It could get him into trouble with Republicans, of course, and with the base, who don't think there is much climate change going on, but it is something that he's very passionate about and he's going to be talking about it."

Thanks John. I would have absolutely no problem with this tour if McCain was offering free market, conservative solutions to environmental problems. But based on his co-sponsorship of bills like McCain-Lieberman, there's no reason to believe this will be the case.

Never underestimate the ability of a Republican to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Leave Akon Alone!

2008-05-09T15:44:00.001-04:00

Oh, Dorian...I will leave him alone. I promise. Put the Visine away...

One of the most disturbing things about Bashar al-Assad....

2008-05-08T14:11:00.003-04:00

...is his complete lack of a chin.

Seriously. Did he have chin cancer? Did an old cricket (or whatever the hell they play in Syria) injury require a chinectomy? Maybe Nancy has some insight...

This could only help him in New York City...

2008-05-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

Rep. Vito Fossellla (R-Staten Island, NY) has just admitted to fathering a child in an extramarital affair. This comes a week after getting arrested for drunk driving.

Well, there's another seat to worry about in November.

Just when you thought the Dems couldn't get more corrupt...

2008-05-08T03:32:00.003-04:00

A superdelegate from California, DNC member Steven Ybarra, is having trouble deciding between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He is waiting to hear back their positions on a very important matter. Read and be amazed, my friends:

The Democratic National Committee member doesn't parse his words when it comes to what he wants from Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton - an ironclad promise to spend that heady amount to register Mexican-American voters and get them to the polls in November.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, he said he plans to remain undecided in the tight contest until "someone shows me the money."

When will he settle on a candidate?

"Nobody showed me any money yet," he said.

Tough. Strong. Retarded.

Ybarra is, of course, just trying to figure out if he hates black men or white women more.

If only our the Democrats had a way to chose a nominee that didn't involve this superdelegates. Perhaps they could use some system of private ballots. This would let average Democrats (and independents, depending on the state) could vote for the nominee and elect the delegates themselves.

Nah...that'd never work.

James S. Robbins: Keeping the Hillary dream alive!

2008-05-07T13:53:00.002-04:00

While most bloggers are offering up their post-mortems of the Clinton campaign, James S. Robbins over at The Corner still holds out hope of the primary fight continuing into the summer:

Why would anyone believe the the Democratic nomination race is over or soon to be? The analysts who are fascinated with mathematical models allocating delegates this way or that are missing the point. This is a political process. The Clinton campaign has netted about 48% of the delegates so far. That keeps her in the game. All she has to do is post a reasonable number of victories in the remaining primaries and caucuses to show she is viable, and that Obama is beatable. And even if the superdelegates start moving his way, that will not be decisive. The superdelegates are only stating their intent; nothing is official until the actual votes are cast, and, as we have seen, superdelegates can change their minds.

Eh. I can't see her actually sticking in until the convention. My prediction: She stays in until the DNC Rules committee meets on May 31. This will allow her to get a couple landslide wins in the West Virginia and Kentucky primaries. She pushes the Rules committee to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates, which the committee does not do (at least in any way that will bring her closer to the nomination). She'll say something about fighting for the people of Michigan and Florida, and that she is leaving the race because of DNC disenfranchisement of Florida and Michigan voters. She'll return to the Senate and become a Teddy Kennedy-like kingmaker.

What could hurt Eric Cantor's chances to lead the House GOP? Turns out it's fiscal responsibility.

2008-05-07T12:19:00.003-04:00

Via the HotAir headlines comes this Politico piece detailing how the GOP House leadership could be affected by losses in the fall. One of the main beneficiaries of the inevitable calls for change in leadership will be Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.):

The chief deputy whip passed on a chance in 2006 to challenge Blunt. Ever since, Republicans have seen him as the next lawmaker to lead their party. The question: Would he challenge Blunt or go all the way by taking on Boehner?

The answer probably depends on the outcome in November. Boehner’s support has wavered at times, but he remains the most powerful voice among Republicans in the House. On the other hand, Cantor might feel loyalty to Blunt because he elevated Cantor to the leadership, and their staffs remain closely aligned.

However, some of Cantor’s leadership colleagues saw in Cantor’s decision to sign a recent letter calling for a unilateral GOP earmark moratorium a symbolic betrayal and a sign that he was cozying up with conservatives to ensure their support in an internal fight.

Emphasis mine.

There's a lot to like about Cantor, and I think that it is pretty telling that the GOP leadership feels that dedication to fiscal responsibility (at least where earmarks are concerned) is a bad thing. My prediction: With the exception of regaining the seats that were lost to some of the Blue Dog Dems in 2006, the GOP takes more devastating losses this fall. The ever-smaller echo chamber in the House GOP decides that it needs to be more moderate and less doctrinally strident to ensure a bigger tent*, and the only changes in leadership are toward that direction. No leadership position for Rep. John Shadegg, Rep. Jeff Flake, etc.

Strap in, people. Election 2008 is gonna be a rough ride.

*(And I say this as someone who volunteered for the Giuliani campaign this fall.)

It's Old: The "Obama Lied About Denouncing Wright Last Week" Edition

2008-05-07T03:22:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been blogging as much lately. That's because the hours at my job changed to a 4-day work week, which leaves me little time for blogging. (It's part of the state government's plan to crush the will of all their employees, I think.)

Despite the downsides, these new hours do allow me to listen to listen to old airings of Rush Limbaugh's show. Something he highlighted on the show I was listening to (originally broadcast the day after The Press Conference that Saved America) was this exchange between MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and Joe Scarborough:

So Sen. Obama, who was "angry" about the comments Jeremiah Wright made at the National Press Club (that were just reiterations of the comments Obama had already defended, natch), spent the rest of his day overturning his "denouncement" of Wright that morning. And the media, sans Andrea Mitchell, were so wrapped up in the afterglow of the ~~Sermon~~ Ass-saving Pander on the Mount that they totally missed this.

These distractions just really aren't helping Michelle Obama's children though, so hush it.

A non-original thought on the Democratic primary...

2008-05-06T23:05:00.002-04:00

I can't help but think that it would have been settled months ago if Democrats chose their candidates based on issues rather than identity politics.

[Of course, it would be easier for Democrats to chose their candidate based on the issues if the Democrats allowed any ideological diversity in their party. (see: Lieberman, Joe)]

In England, Big Brother watches you, but he won't stop you from getting robbed.

2008-05-06T15:35:00.002-04:00

That's the word from the Guardian, anyway:

Massive investment in CCTV cameras to prevent crime in the UK has failed to have a significant impact, despite billions of pounds spent on the new technology, a senior police officer piloting a new database has warned. Only 3% of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images, despite the fact that Britain has more security cameras than any other country in Europe.

[...]

Use of CCTV images for court evidence has so far been very poor, according to Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville, the officer in charge of the Metropolitan police unit. "CCTV was originally seen as a preventative measure," Neville told the Security Document World Conference in London. "Billions of pounds has been spent on kit, but no thought has gone into how the police are going to use the images and how they will be used in court. It's been an utter fiasco: only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. There's no fear of CCTV. Why don't people fear it? [They think] the cameras are not working."

More training was needed for officers, he said. Often they do not want to find CCTV images "because it's hard work". Sometimes the police did not bother inquiring beyond local councils to find out whether CCTV cameras monitored a particular street incident.

Raise your hand if you're surprised...

Why I'm against a Jindal vice presidency in two words.

2008-05-06T13:35:00.003-04:00

Mitch Landrieu. He is the current Democratic lieutenant governor of Louisiana and brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu.

If Gov. Bobby Jindal joins McCain's ticket, all the progress he has made in the last few months won't be worth anything. The state will just be run by another Democrat hack from a legacy political family.

I think its best that we let Jindal incubate in Baton Rouge for a while, and have him run in 2012 or 2016. If McCain wants a reform-minded, non-boring, non-white guy governor on his ticket, he should go with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. She has all of Jindal's positives, more experience governing, and is heading a state not at risk of falling into Democratic hands.

Heartache: Celebrities aren't as eco-friendly as they want the plebians to be.

2008-05-06T13:04:00.002-04:00

The Daily Mail gives us a tour of eco-hypocritical celebrities. For example:

The most shocking thing about this, to me at least, is that people still listen to Coldplay at all. Come one people, 2003 was a nice year, but it was a long time ago.

Fund drive for "Rev." Parrish

2008-05-05T14:38:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Gateway Pundit reported that "Rev." Marty Parrish's church has disowned him, stating that not only is he not a minister there, hes not even an active member. Not only that, but Parrish was using his web site to try to make money off of the stunt.

Well, after all hell broke lose in his unmoderated (hint, hint) comments section, Parrish has deleted all the text of the original post, and responded in the comments:

You guys are all CORRECT!

Now I am going to visit each one of you at your home while you are in bed at night asleep under the blankets just after Mother kisses you good night and...

I AM GOING TO WEAR THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ALL OF YOU.

Bastards.

I am.

Marty Tarrel Parrish

PS. Kiss your ass goodbye cause God just gave it to me.

Hmmm...he must have gone to a very interesting seminary. Maybe he's angling for that associate pastor position at Trinity United. If only he weren't the White Devil...

We want to run against this man, part 2,389,473

2008-05-04T18:39:00.003-04:00

I think the best part about running against Obama in the general election is having his gaffe-prone, arrogant wife on the trail as well. Sayeth Michelle Madelene:

Michelle Obama lifted the lid on the irritation felt by the leading Democrat candidate for the White House at the way anti-American outbursts by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have dogged his campaign.

He is said to be itching to turn all his fire on John McCain, the Republican candidate, who is benefiting most from Mr Obama's protracted tussle with Hillary Clinton.

Mrs Obama told a rally in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday that only her husband's desire to change US politics had helped him to control his feelings: "Barack is always thinking three steps ahead – what do we need to do to make change."

More distractions.

(h/t dpud)

Rev., Hate-monger, and now Wife-stealer Jeremiah Wright.

2008-05-04T16:53:00.003-04:00

Why am I not surprised? It turns out that Hate-monger Jeremiah Wright stole the wife of one of his parishioners:

Delmer Reed, 59, confided to pals that he believed the minister moved in on his wife while Wright was counseling the couple at his Chicago church in the early 1980s, The Post has learned.

"That's exactly how he said it," Reed's divorce lawyer, Roosevelt Thomas, told The Post.

"It looks like Delmer might have been right," he said, because after Delmer and Ramah Reed were divorced, she got remarried - to Wright. "Either that or this was the biggest coincidence in the world."

Asked about the relationship between Wright and his ex-wife, Reed told The Post, "Oh, the things I could tell you."

Initially, he didn't believe the rumors.

"People were telling me that my extremely attractive wife was seen with the pastor," Reed said. "But I didn't believe it. I thought, 'So what?' "

Was he wrong in the end?

"Well, yeah," he said.

Maybe Reed's chickens...were just coming home...to roost.

Nuance.

2008-05-03T19:37:00.002-04:00

The New York Times continues to have trouble finding life-long Democrats who will be voting for John McCain in the fall. They sure seem to have no trouble finding "Republicans" itchin' to vote for Obama, though.

Seriously guys, it's not "news" if you run the same story at least two times a week.

"We shouldn't be asking 'Why us?' We should be saying 'Well, why not us?'"

2008-05-03T19:16:00.002-04:00

Last month Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave birth to her fifth son, whom she has revealed has Down syndrome. There's a good article in the Associated Press today about the situation:

The results of Gov. Sarah Palin's prenatal testing were in, but the doctor's tone was ominous: "You need to come to the office so we can talk about it."

Palin, known for a resolve that quickly launched her from suburban hockey mom to a player on the national political stage, said "No, go ahead and tell me over the phone."

The physician replied "Down syndrome," stunning the Republican governor who had just completed what many political analysts called a startling first year in office.

[...]

The 44-year-old governor waited a few days before telling her husband Todd, who was out of town, so she could understand what was ahead for them.

Once her husband got the news, he told her: "We shouldn't be asking 'Why us?' We should be saying 'Well, why not us?'"

There was never any doubt the Palins would have the child, and on April 18 she gave birth to Trig Paxon Van Palin.

"We've both been very vocal about being pro life," Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

Glenn Beck, who is also the parent of a child with special needs, talked about Sarah and Trig Palin on his show the other day:

Great story.

(Unrelated, but the following line from the article gives me pause about a VP bid for Palin: "She stood up to the powerful oil industry, and with bipartisan support in the statehouse she won a tax increase on oil companies' profits." Hmmmm....)

Quote of the Day

2008-05-03T13:52:00.001-04:00

"Two score and seven or eight days ago, Barack Obama gave the greatest speech since the Gettysburg Address, or FDR’s First Inaugural, or JFK’s religion speech, or (if like Garry Wills in The New York Review of Books, you find those comparisons drearily obvious) Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech of 1860. And, of course, the Senator’s speech does share one quality with Cooper Union, Gettysburg, the FDR Inaugural, Henry V at Agincourt, Socrates’s Apology, etc: It’s history. He said, apropos the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, that “I could no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother.” But last week he did disown him. So, great-speech-wise, it’s a bit like Churchill promising to fight them on the beaches and never surrender, and then surrendering a month and a half later, and on a beach he decided not to fight on."

VP Madness Brackets

2008-05-03T01:43:00.003-04:00

CQ has an incredibly nerdy NCAA-like bracket game up to help pick John McCain's vice presidential nominee. Here is the link.

Make no mistake, there are tough choices. For example, who would you pick between Sen. Lindsay Graham and Gov. Mike Huckabee? (I chose Sen. Graham. Yes, my dislike of Huckabee goes that deep.)

Obamessiah lifts us up where we belong

2008-05-03T00:55:00.002-04:00

In endorsing Sen. Obama today, Rep. Lois Capps said this:

“Barack Obama is the better choice because of something larger and perhaps more important. Simply put, he has made a call to the better angels of our nature. He is challenging us to lift ourselves out of the ugliness that increasingly consumes Washington, where the heat of your argument counts for more than the light it should bring,” Capps said in a statement. “He is asking us to stand together as Americans and transcend the traditional lines that have so often divided us by party affiliation, economic status, gender, or race.”

Pay no attention to the fact that he hasn't been able to get one man who he's been close with for 20 years to transcend those traditional lines.

/Jedi

John Gibson smacks around "Rev." Marty Parrish

2008-05-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

...and a dumb caller on his radio show.

Ha!

UPDATE:It turns out my instincts to put quotes around Rev. were right! Marty Parrish isn't even an active member of his church, let alone a minister!

reason magazine interviews Grover Norquist.

2008-05-02T17:11:00.003-04:00

It's about 45 minutes long, but worth a listen. Topics include "talks about splits among libertarians and conservatives, the many failures of the Bush administration and the GOP Congress, his trouble with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the urgent need for reform in Social Security, health care, and education, and much, much more."

If the player is acting screwy, the link to the video's page at reason.tv is here.

Under the weather...

2008-05-02T14:16:00.002-04:00

I don't really feel all that well, so I doubt I'll be blogging too much this weekend. Meanwhile, the fellas at Red State Update have a debate proposal for Obama and Clinton.

You might just be a Nazi if...

2008-05-01T17:18:00.001-04:00

...you use plastic bags, according to Baltimore City Councilman James Craft.

Heh. I guess the Baltimore City Council has finally solved all big problems.

19 rules for McCain's running mate...

2008-05-01T13:49:00.004-04:00

Over at RedState, Dan McLaughlin has a list of veepstakes do's and don't's. It's a handy little list, albeit one that completely takes any dark horses or otherwise interesting picks off the table.

The "Don't's" list eliminates consideration of the following people:

- Sen. Joe Lieberman
- Sen. John Thune
- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchenson
- Sen. Lindsay Graham
- possibly Rep. Marsha Blackburn
- Rep. Eric Cantor
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
- former Representative and SEC Chairman Chris Cox
- former Representative and OMB Chairman Rob Portman
- former Sen. Fred Thompson
- former Sen. Phil Graham
- Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri
- Gov. Bobby Jindal
- Gov. Sarah Palin
- Gov. Matt Blunt
- former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele
- former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina
- NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
- Gov. Charlie Crist
- former governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge
- Rep. Ron Paul
- possibly Sen. Tom Coburn
- Sen. Chuck Hagel
- Gov. Haley Barbour
- former Rep. JC Watts
- former Rep. John Kasich
- former Gov. Jeb Bush
- Sen. Elizabeth Dole
- Gov. Linda Lingle

The "Do's" list leaves the following three people:

- former Gov. Mitt Romney
- Gov. Mark Sanford
- Gov. Tim Pawlenty
- Gov. Jon Huntsman

Naturally, since this is RedState, they seem to be focused on the most boring choice possible: Mitt Romney. What is interesting about this is that Mitt Romney breaks several of the "don't's" they have listed. Despite his looks, the man is 61 years old, he would have lost the governorship in 2006 had he chose to run for re-election, and he is a one-term governor. And let's face it: the only reason conservatives even flocked to him at all was because he was seen as the anti-McCain. Choosing Mitt would be a bad idea.

UPDATE: David Freddoso points out another possible VP for McCain : Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. I added him to the list.

The Official Baby-snatchers of Arlington County

2008-05-01T03:32:00.002-04:00

In a case of big government gone insane, Nancy Hey and Christopher Slitor had their 3-week-old daughter Sabrina taken from him by Arlington County (VA) Child Protective Services. Why? Because an anonymous and unsubstantiated claim that he and his wife were starving the child:

After more than two years of legal wrangling with the county’s Child Protective Services (CPS), Arlington Circuit Court Judge James Almand terminated the couple’s parental rights in June 2007.

But nine months earlier, Sabrina’s parents were completely exonerated by Virginia CPS hearing officer George Walton, who noted in his official report that, despite the baby’s worrisome 10-ounce weight loss soon after her birth by Caesarian section, nothing in the her medical record indicated she had ever been in danger. There was also no evidence, Walton added, that Sabrina’s “failure to thrive” resulted from parental neglect.

In fact, the record showed the opposite: Nancy Hey – who suffers from a developmental disorder that makes it difficult for her to recognize non-verbal signals from others – and her husband fully cooperated with medical professionals and CPS workers throughout their ordeal. In any case, Sabrina was at her proper weight when she was taken away by county officials, two days after her parents told social worker Dana Zemke that they were retaining a lawyer. Arlington Judge Esther Wiggins Lyles signed the removal order with neither Hey nor Slitor even aware of the proceedings, much less being present to contest the decision. Sabrina went to a politically influential local professional couple with no training as foster parents, despite CPS requirements that foster couples be trained before being entrusted with children.

At this point, even if Hey and Slitor win, they lose. To quote Ezra Levant, "the process is the punishment". Regardless of the final outcome, they will still have their legal fees, while the state will have none. If they can't reverse the custody decision, they lose their daughter. If they regain custody rights, they've lost two very important years of Sabrina's life to the nanny state.

(h/t the Corner)

McCain's POW time & the general election

2008-04-30T13:00:00.002-04:00

Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal today on Sen. McCain's unwillingness to talk about "private" stories. For example:

[Col. Bud] Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple."

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day's will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at "a goofy angle," as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

But it didn't heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in the prison courtyard to use as a splint. Mr. McCain put Mr. Day on the floor of their cell and, using his foot, jerked the broken bone into place. Then, using strips from the bandage on his own wounded leg and the bamboo, he put Mr. Day's splint in place.

Years later, Air Force surgeons examined Mr. Day and complemented the treatment he'd gotten from his captors. Mr. Day corrected them. It was Dr. McCain who deserved the credit. Mr. Day went on to fly again.

Rove goes on to make the case that McCain needs to be more open to letting the public know about these events. I'm not sure. I agree (in part) with Ed Morrissey that the article would have sounded better coming from a fellow POW such as Col. Day. I think a better idea would be a 527 group of McCain's fellow POWs, Vietnam veterans, etc. to deliver ads in the fall to tell these stories for McCain. That way, the general public will still get a sense of McCain's service in the Vietnam war while McCain runs primarily on the issues (with a little war-hero biography thrown in here and there).

"I was only 9"

2008-04-30T12:48:00.004-04:00

There is a great piece in the City Journal journal today by John Murtagh, a target of Bill Ayers' terrorist group. When this man was only 9, the Weather Underground bombed his home, seeking to kill not only his father, but his whole family:

In February 1970, my father, a New York State Supreme Court justice, was presiding over the trial of the so-called “Panther 21,” members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of February 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. (Today, of course, we’d call that a car bomb.) A neighbor heard the first two blasts and, with the remains of a snowman I had built a few days earlier, managed to douse the flames beneath the car. That was an act whose courage I fully appreciated only as an adult, an act that doubtless saved multiple lives that night.

I still recall, as though it were a dream, thinking that someone was lifting and dropping my bed as the explosions jolted me awake, and I remember my mother’s pulling me from the tangle of sheets and running to the kitchen where my father stood. Through the large windows overlooking the yard, all we could see was the bright glow of flames below. We didn’t leave our burning house for fear of who might be waiting outside. The same night, bombs were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn. Sunlight, the next morning, revealed three sentences of blood-red graffiti on our sidewalk: FREE THE PANTHER 21; THE VIET CONG HAVE WON; KILL THE PIGS.

Of course, Ayers' actions shouldn't matter to Murtagh, because he was only 9 at the time.

Amy Holmes at The Corner predicted the future...

2008-04-29T20:28:00.003-04:00

...with regards to Hate-monger Jeremiah Wright at least. This is what Ms. Holmes wrote on March 18, 2008:

He leaves this thing alone for the time being and suffers through the next few primaries. [...] Then, he deploys The Pastor Plan. It goes like this. Pastor Wright arranges to give a speech. In it, the pastor makes such outlandish and slanderous claims, not unlike we've already heard, that Obama has no choice but to say, "Enough! Jeremiah has gone too far. I cannot abide his divisive, harmful, and inappropriate language. He does not speak for me or my family which is why we must, with heavy hearts, sever our relationship. He will always be a friend and welcome at my door. But I cannot continue to take his counsel, religious or otherwise." It helps here if the pastor has used some swear words and invented new conspiracies.

[...]

Timing is key. Sometime right after the inevitable 527 Pastor Wright ads start running. In fact, they can be the pretext of the pastor's speech. The 527 ads provoke the Reverend's fury. Obama reacts. Bam! It's over. Pastor problem solved.

Eerie.

UPDATE:Welcome Kausfiles readers. Take a look around!

Actual Headline: "Global warming set to fan HIV"

2008-04-29T14:28:00.002-04:00

You read that right. In addition to causing heat waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, and snow storms, global warming is now set to help spread AIDS:

"It was clear soon after the emergence of the HIV epidemic that discrimination, gender inequality and lack of access to essential services have made some populations more vulnerable than others,'' said Prof Tarantola, of the University of NSW.

Those problems had not gone away, he said, and today extra threats were lurking on the horizon "as the global economic situation deteriorates, food scarcity worsens and climate change begins to affect those who were already dependent on survival economies''.

"Climate change will trigger a chain of events which is likely to increase the stress on society and result in higher vulnerability to diseases including HIV,'' said Prof Tarantola, due to address an HIV forum in Sydney tonight.

[...]

"Climate change will lead to food scarcity and poorer nutrition, putting people with perilous immune systems at more risk of dying of HIV, as well as contracting and transmitting new and unusual infections,'' Prof Cooper said.

Life sure is different over there in the reality-based community. Maybe this is party of Whitey's grand plan to spread some of that good ol' government-engineered HIV. Wright is a prophet.

I missed this during Wright's NPC appearance

2008-04-29T14:13:00.003-04:00

I was otherwise engaged yesterday, and didn't get to comment on Rev. Wright's appearance at the National Press Club. Michelle Malkin live-blogged it, and this statement during the Q&A session:

Question: Would people of other races be welcome at your church?

“Yes…a white woman stood up at our church and said “I am unashamedly African.”

Huh? So the only way for a person to feel comfortable at Trinity United Church of Christ is to either be "African" or "African in spirit"? I thought the goal of the Christian Church was to unite people as brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of earthly, temporal thins like race, gender, politics, or anything else. Apparently, I was wrong. But then again, I am the White Devil, so what do I know?

Looks like "The Speech that Saved the World" didn't save the world...

2008-04-29T13:37:00.003-04:00

Headline: Tells voter at Winston-Salem town hall that he will address the Wright issue at a “big press conference” following the event.

Sadly, by the time I hear what he says I'll probably be at work.

UPDATE: Looks like I was wrong. Sayeth the Obamessiah:

“I’m outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle. The person that I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate. I believe they do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. They certainly don’t portray mine. If he considers this political posturing, then he doesn’t know me very well. And I don’t know him well either.”

AIDS conspiracy: “Ridiculous proposition.”

Farrakhan support and analogy of Marines/terrorism: “They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans. They should be denounced. And that’s what I’m doing clearly and unequivocally here today.”

Heh. I seem to remember Obama saying that he couldn't denounce Wright any more than he could denounce the black community.

There's more of the press conference at the link.

NRCC: Sure, we'll fund the kleptocrat!

2008-04-29T12:42:00.003-04:00

Stephen Laffey vs. Lincoln Chafee, version 2.0:

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. said that even though Alaskans might be lukewarm about the Republican on the presidential ticket, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the state is so red that it won't matter when it comes to the congressional race. McCain will "provide cover" for Republican candidates in Alaska, including Rep. Don Young, Cole said.

[...]

"But so far as I know, nobody's been charged with anything and I think that becomes really critical. At the end of the day, I've served with Don Young. I believe he's an honorable man. I don't have any doubt about it."

They will never learn. This makes it all that more important for conservatives to support Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell's candidacy. If I can afford to do it on my $18,000 a year salary, you can, too.

Despite Rep. Cole's friendly words, Don Young remains one of the most corrupt figures in politics on either side of the aisle. Cole can't even (reliably) say that Rep. Young could win against his Democratic challenger in the fall. Internal polling from his likely challenger shows Young behind by 8 points.

Cole and the NRCC are sacrificing respectability, ethics, and even electability on the altar of incumbency. This is why Republicans lost in 2006, and why they will continue to lose in 2008. If McCain stands up and "provides cover" for Young, he can throw out any chance of running on a message of good ethics and change in government.

No, Pete, there oughtn't be a law.

2008-04-28T19:54:00.002-04:00

It's brilliant ideas like this that caused Republicans to lose in 2006:

Congressmen Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) today unveiled his “There Oughta Be a Law” initiative at a press conference in Bloomingdale.

[...]

“As a new member of Congress, I have learned first-hand what most 6th District residents already know, Washington is broken. Partisan politics have hamstrung Congress’ ability to find solutions to the most pressing problems our nation faces.

“The constituents I represent are reasonable folks with sound ideas – and it’s time to send a little more 6th District solutions to Washington.

“Therefore, I am proud to give my constituents the unique opportunity to have their legislative idea introduced in Congress. The very best way to restore faith in our nation’s government is to empower individuals. This is the ultimate definition of representative government.

Apparently, being a Republican in Chicago means that you want statist laws coming from the constituents, rather than the Representative in DC.

As Radley Balko (h/t, btw) points out:

Results of prior "there oughtta be a law" competitions: drug testing for welfare recipients, and seat belts for dogs.

Ri-friggin'-diculous.