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Saturday, December 09, 2006
McNinney Goes Out With a Bang Ah, some of the moonbats never fail us: In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.
The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.Of course, you know what she's doing? She's making sure she remains a hero to the nutbars on the Left, who've been agitating for impeachment and dismayed that Pelosi has specifically ruled it out (for now).
Friday, December 08, 2006
Brainster On the Radio!(This post will remain on top until tomorrow afternoon--scroll down for newer content). I'll be on with my buddies Andrea Shea-King and Mark Vance of Constitutional Public Radio tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. You can tune in the show here and please, join us in the chatroom as well. Note: The show begins at 3:00 and I always listen to both hours, so feel free to tune in early. You won't regret it!
Realpolitik in the 21st CenturyThat's how Ralph Peters characterizes the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. He's hit the ball on the screws with this one: If the Baker commission is the K-Mart version of the Congress of Vienna, its influence may prove no less pernicious. Baker is the dean emeritus of a reactionary school of diplomats--inaccurately labeled "realists"--whose support of the shah of Iran, the Saudi royal family, Anwar Sadat, then Hosni Mubarak, and, not least, Saddam Hussein delivered short-term stability that proved illusory in the long run. It was the "realist" elevation of stability above all other strategic factors--echoing Prince Metternich--that gave us not only the radical regime in Iran, but, ultimately, al Qaeda and 9/11.Great article, highly recommended. I have been wading through the ISG report and the comparison to Metternich is apt. For one thing, the average age of the study group is deceased: Ed Meese, Sandra Day O'Connor and Lawrence Eagleburger are the young faces.
Steyn on the Treasonous PressHere's a terrific clip of Mark Steyn on Bill O'Reilly. If O'Reilly is going to get this caliber of guest, I may start watching him more often.
The Sounds of SilenceThat's what Kerry received when he popped the question to some "big-bucks Democrats". According to a source who knows one of the attendees, Kerry started off by asking guests if he should run or not: "When no one answered, he launched into a speech about why he was the best candidate."
Thursday, December 07, 2006
From My Inbox"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all. I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11. I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia. I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat. [Zarqawi isn't going to tell anybody anything; he's dead]. I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques. I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs. I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights. In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care. When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care. When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care. When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care. And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and ---- you guessed it - - I don't care!!!!! If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your e-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
Newly Noted: Jihadophobic and Please Make It ClearTwo new buddies from the CPR gang have joined the living dead, as I like to refer to bloggers. Say hi to Julie from Jihadophobic and Geoff from Please Make it Clear.
One Thing That's Not Bugging MeIs making John Hawkin's Top 40 Blog list again. Thanks, John!
Two Things That Bug Me1. Sports talk radio guys who refer to the "New York Football Giants". Guys, it's been 50 years since there was a New York Baseball Giants team. I could understand it when old announcers like Marty Glickman used the term, but it's obsolete. 2. These ridiculous commercials on Monday Night Football. I don't even know what they're advertising, but the commercial features a pretty little girl who goes on about how "It's the mirrors." If we can't tell what your selling, we ain't buying!
Obama Mania ContinuesNow it's Airiheadda Huffington jumping on the bandwagon: And then, suddenly, came a rumbling in the distance. A rumbling caused by Barack Obama. Indications are that before the year is out, he will officially be in the race.
All at once, a surge of enthusiasm and support for Obama is threatening to ruin all of Clinton's perfect plans. She thought she had the momentum, but it's Obama who has the wind at his back.Hilariously, Arianna accuses Hillary of being a weather vane. Let's remember that Mrs Huffington was a rock-ribbed conservative at one point, until the wind blew her in another direction. Update: Michelle Malkin also remembers Arianna the conservative.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Mr Barbra Streisand is a 9-11 Truther?Our buddy James caught this somewhere; James Brolin, who of course is married to Barbra, apparently hyped the bizarre 9-11 conspiracy movie, 9-11 Mysteries. As a blogger at Screw Loose Change, I've seen just about all of the 9-11 CT movies. 9-11 Mysteries is particularly weird because the narrator (and director/author/producer), a gal named Sophia (probably not her real name) is a complete space cadet, and she pronounces words with no inflection. From what I can see the forum at the website Brolin recommended has a grand total of 15 members and 8 posts. Brolin has always struck me as something of a goofball. He had a show sometime in the mid-1990s where they'd present you with three brief stories about the bizarre and unusual. The gimmick was that two of the stories were "real" and the other phony, and you had to try to figure out which was the bogus. So he may just have an affinity for this kind of crap.
The Usual Brilliance from KosHeheh, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga thinks Barack Obama is a cinch to win the Democratic nomination. I've been working up a few scenarios given the primary calendar (which isn't set in stone, with states like California looking to move up), and really, it would be Obama's race to lose.
Iowa is right next door to Obama's Illinois, and while Vilsack will win it (getting no boost out of it), the race for second-place will determine the "true" winner. Hillary, for now, appears to be bypassing Iowa. So the early battle would appear to be between Edwards and Obama. A 2-3 finish for these guys, in any order, leaves them in good shape moving forward.The only thing that could derail an Obama coronation? Al Gore, the great white hope! Just hilarious.
The Hawk on the CandidatesJohn Hawkins has a post at Human Events running down the Republican field fairly exhaustively. I don't agree with these comments about John McCain: With a guy like McCain, even if he wins, Republicans still lose because they'd be forced to have him as their party's representative in the White House for at least four years.Yes, McCain irked us because, as John points out, he seems to be the go-to guy for the media when they want a Republican to criticize other Republicans. But does that matter if he's the top dog? Overall I agree with his observations, although slotting Jim Gilmore as a second-tier candidate seems a stretch. Tancredo's a one-trick pony and he's said too many stupid things over the last couple years to be trusted in the spotlight.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Vets for FreedomAndrea Shea-King and Mark Vance had one of the leaders from this organization on their CPR show today. They are recruiting Iraqi veterans as candidates for public office. Go over and show them your support!
Impeachment Watch XLIMore and more liberals are expressing their anger that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are apparently not going to impeach President Bush. Over at Common Dreams, R. W. Behan dips his toes into the fetid swamp of 9-11 Denial in pursuit of a high crime: The controversies rage on yet today about the events of September 11, 2001. No steel building has ever collapsed from fire alone. Buildings falling precisely into their footprints are the marks of deliberate (and expert) demolition. The faulty construction/foreshortened lifespan/insurance angle. The collapse of a third building that was not hit at all. The short-selling of airline stock in previous days. The Pentagon hit by a missile, not a civilian airliner. Michael Rupert’s book “Crossing the Rubicon” lays the blame for 9/11 directly at Dick Cheney’s feet. Senator Robert Dole’s former chief of staff, Mr. Stanley Hilton, claims he can prove George Bush signed an order authorizing the attacks. Half the people polled in New York city believed the Bush Administration had prior knowledge of the attack, and “consciously failed” to act. Et cetera.Behan's an idiot "Truther". No steel building has ever collapsed from fire alone? That's not true, but even if it were, how does 9-11 change that? The two towers did not collapse from fire alone; there was the little matter of two planes ramming into them and severing many of the structural steel columns that supported the building. WTC 7 was hit by debris from the North Tower (which also exposes the fallacy of claiming that the buildings fell "precisely into their own footprints". In fact, well over a dozen buildings were damaged by the collapse of the towers, including the Winter Garden, which was over 500 feet away. But anyway, the only reason he brings in the 9-11 Denial is that he sees it as a way to get the impeachment process ginned up: We need to know the truth and all the truth. The time has come, as well as the opportunity, for formal, Congressional investigations, based on subpoenas, sworn testimony, and direct evidence about 9/11 and about the created reality of the “war on terror.”
The new Congress has no greater Constitutional duty than to find this truth and display it, if our nightmarish politics is to end. If such inquiries clearly exonerate the Bush Administration, the nation can breathe deeply and go on. If they do not, then but only then should impeachment be undertaken.Meanwhile, over at the Huffpo, Tom Gilroy is bitter as well: But here we are a little over a month later to find the war hawks seriously floating INCREASED troop levels, Bush repeating we're staying in Iraq until victory, and Nancy Pelosi claiming impeachment's not an option. Say what?
2008 Candidate WatchHillary undertakes a listening telephone tour of Iowa: Clinton spoke Monday with Des Moines Democrat Bonnie Campbell, who worked in the Department of Justice during the administration of President Bill Clinton, the senator's husband.
Campbell, a former Iowa attorney general, declined to discuss the details of her brief talk with Senator Clinton, except that it touched on her running for president and competing for the caucuses, scheduled to launch the 2008 nominating process.
"She is looking at the possibility of running for president and is looking for a read on Iowa," Campbell said.However, there are some storm clouds: A Register poll in June showed Clinton second to former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards among likely Democratic caucusgoers. In September, a Register poll of Iowa voters showed Clinton trailing all four Republicans listed in a hypothetical general election matchup.Never underestimate the chances of the Democrats going for pretty boys. Update: Check out also Pam Meister's article in the American Thinker on Hillary's prospects: While Hillary is certainly not the only woman whose name comes up in discussions for the 2008 presidential run (Condoleezza Rice, for example), she is perhaps the most likely to throw her hat into the ring. Yet her name recognition, ability to raise huge sums of campaign money, and strong Washington D.C. connections can only get her so far. As a woman, she has to be tough - but not so tough that she turns people off. She also has to be able to appeal to liberals and conservatives alike, which is a difficult task in today's political climate. Some liberals say she doesn't go far enough to the left, while many conservatives don't trust her centrist appeals on the war and other issues.Meanwhile, Barack Obama was in Hillary's neck of the woods shaking the money tree: Amid intensifying presidential musings by Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama met with George Soros, the liberal billionaire philanthropist, and then some other donors last night at Mr. Soros’s offices.
One of the donors who met with Mr. Obama, and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to offend Mrs. Clinton, said that he and several others had supported Mrs. Clinton’s Senate campaigns but were not committed to her as a presidential candidate.If Obama's smart, he'll play Mr Nice Guy this time around, hoping to get in everybody's good graces so that when he mounts a real effort (say in 2012 or 2016) he'll be the Golden Boy. He may be suitable for the bottom half of the ticket in 2008, but obviously not with Hillary. She'll be looking for somebody who can bring a marginal state into play, and that's not Illinois. Obama does say something smart here: “I think she is tough, I think she is disciplined, I think she is smart, and I’m not one of those people who believe she can’t win,” Mr. Obama said. “I recognize it’s fun to set these things up as a contest between the two of us. I would say half my colleagues in the Senate think they’re going to be the next president.”If anything, that might be a little low. And on a lighter note, the other mayor of NYC in this century is thinking of throwing his hat into the ring: Soon enough, From found himself having supper at Steinhardt’s apartment on the Upper East Side with Bloomberg and his senior political adjutants: deputy mayors Patti Harris, Kevin Sheekey, and Ed Skyler. For the next couple of hours, From laid out his analysis of the political landscape and his views on the viability of an independent candidacy. He discussed DLC poll data concerning the alienation of voters from the two major parties. But he also argued that any mayor—and especially a mayor of New York—would face an uphill slog. Bloomberg listened closely but asked few questions, preferring to hold forth (at great length) about his record as mayor. Regarding his national aspirations, he adopted a posture of self-protective self-deprecation. “What chance does a five-foot-seven billionaire Jew who’s divorced really have of becoming president?” he asked.Zero. Especially when he's the RINOest of the RINOs.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Brownback Throws His Hat In the RingHere's the guy who should represent the right wing in the 2008 Republican race. "I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency," Brownback said in a statement. "There is a real need in our country to rebuild the family and renew our culture and there is a need for genuine conservatism and real compassion in the national discussion."
Brownback said he has formed a presidential exploratory committee, which will allow him to travel the country and raise money while gauging support for the GOP nomination.
He also announced 20 members of his exploratory advisory committee, an eclectic mix ranging from anti-abortion activists to business executives, including: Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, former Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and the Rev. Frank Pavone, head of the advocacy group Priests for Life. Bowie Kuhn? Holy smoke, where'd they dig him up from?
Who's the Conservative Hope?Ask Dick Morris and Eileen McGann. One thing that strikes me interesting is that while they acknowledge that some of the more liberal positions that Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have do not cause them problems personally, they see those issues hurting them with more conservative voters: He's fine with us, but not with the party base. Again, we're OK with all this, but you don't win in South Carolina with these positions. It strikes me as just possible that Morris and McGann are underestimating the willingness of the social conservatives to go along with a candidate who may not agree with them on everything, but who is solid on the war on terror.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
The Amazing Race: You Spray Tomato...I paid attention to the times this evening and the racers left at the following times: 5:30 Team Recovery 5:31 Team Gump 5:47 Rob & Kim 6:16 Beauty Queens So the blondes were starting from a 29 minute deficit to #3 right off the bat. Yet somehow when it comes to finding the clue box 275 miles away in Casablanca, they are number two, hot on the heels of Team Recovery. Now, an aside. The girls seem a little too willing to allow unknown men to get into their car with them. One assumes that the camera person is a man, but is he intended to provide protection? They get the local man to help them for the rest of the time in Casablanca, which gives them a tremendous advantage. Roadblock. It's time for one of those local delicacies; camel-kabobs! The teams must first grind the meat with an old-fashioned meat grinder, then spice and spit it, before handing it to the chef to cook. Team Recovery arrives first, and is dismayed when the BQs show up shortly thereafter. How did they make up so much time? Tyler whips through his meal like he was a camel connoisseur from infancy. BQNY manages to get hers down as well without any distress. Meanwhile, Rob & Kim and Team Gump are running around futilely looking for the cluebox. Team Recovery tells them that the blondes are already at the Roadblock, causing more anguish. Eventually Rob & Kim and Team Gump find their way to the destination, but it is obvious that an Alabama mom knows more about grinding meat than Kimberley. We get the "hurry up and eat" routine from the non-eating partners. Kimberley definitely slows down here, and she and Rob are in last place when they leave Next task is to fly to Barcelona. As the teams race to the airport, the blondes are reflecting that they might already have a half-hour lead on R&K and the Gumps. Stupid thought, with an airport coming up. Sure enough, all four teams get on the 4:30 flight, so that half-hour bulge is gone. Teams must travel to a giant hedge maze and find their way to the center. But it turns out to be closed for the evening. This is kind of off-putting; a double-bunch. The next morning, the blondes get a workman to call a cab for them to be waiting when they get out. Rob & Kim do the same, and apparently ask for one for Team Recovery, as well. The teams run around quite a bit through the maze, but R&K get to the Cluebox first, followed by Team Recovery, then the blondes and the Gumps. But, smartly, the Alabama moms get out of the maze first, while the other teams run around like rats. However, they still don't have a cab and the blondes and R&K take off while Team Recovery and Team Gump must chase one down. The clue is a Detour: Lug It or Lob It. In Lug It, teams must carry a pair of giant-sized dolls about a mile to find another giant doll. In Lob It, they must hunt through a giant stack of tomatoes for the next clue while being pelted with other tomatoes by youths in what is apparently a quaint local custom. Those fun-loving Spaniards! Team Recovery explain that their strategy is to stick with the Beauty Queens on the quite reasonable supposition that if the BQs are not first to the mat, they will be guaranteed to finish ahead of them by virtue of the 30 minute penalty the gals would then incur. They catch up to the BQs as they struggle to carry the giant dolls and find the street where the next clue is. Meanwhile Rob & Kimberley have decided (improbably) on Lob It. As soon as they show the mound of tomatoes, my response would have been to leave. And when the youth start flinging more tomatoes into the mix it's clearly hopeless. But Rob is insistent despite Kimberley twice attempting to leave. She's only talked back when the cabbie tells them it's 20 kilometers to the Lug It location. Meanwhile, Rob, despite criticizing his girlfriend, seems more interested in throwing tomatoes back at the locals than searching. And, completely and utterly improbably, Rob finds the clue. Now I'm sorry, but that was thoroughly unbelievable guys. If you want to say that there were 50 or 100 clues in that pile then maybe, but not if there was just one. These were immense piles of tomatoes and there's no way they could have found that otherwise. Team Gump also opts for the tomato treatment, and sure enough despite wanting to quit, they find the clue in also what appears to be a remarkably short period of time, with a whole pile in front of them virtually untouched. The clue is to head to the Pit Stop, and about this point it becomes obvious that the Beauty Queens are doomed. They aren't going to finish first and Team Recovery is right by their side. Sure enough, Rob & Kimberley finish first, followed shortly by Team Gump. Phil tells them they are the first all-female team to make it into the finals. The other two teams finally locate the clue-giving doll and head off to the mat close together. But once again the sheer atleticism of Team Recovery tells, and Team Beauty Queen does not even have to serve out penalty time, as they are Phil-Liminated. Next Week: Finals, baby! Can the Gumps win one for the six-pack? I'm rooting for them. They have been the smart team, and they have accomplished incredible things. But I would guess that Team Recovery takes it all. As usual, check out Viking Pundit's terrific report as well.
Daschle Out, Bayh PonderingTom Daschle has bowed to reality and dropped out of the '08 presidential sweepstakes. Tom Daschle was expected to make a decision about running for president by the end of the year, and Saturday afternoon, he told KELOLAND News he has decided not to seek the United States' highest office in 2008.
“I've made a decision that I will not seek the presidency of the United States,” Daschle said.Meanwhile Evan Bayh continues to ponder a run. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said Sunday he is taking the first official step toward a run for president in 2008, setting up a committee that allows him to raise money and gauge support.
He said he would decide over the upcoming holidays whether to seek the Democratic nomination.I like Bayh, but I don't see any room for him in the Democratic field. He's not getting to the right of Hillary on Iraq, and at this point there does not seem to be another issue that he can break away from her on. Of course, if Hillary shocks us all and decides not to run....
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