Of course, you read the article and it turns out that the lawyer was pushing nonsense related to the whole Plame affair:
Sanford: Yes, thank you. There has been a lot of speculation concerning the meaning of the underlying statute and the grand jury investigation concerning Mr. Rove. The question is, have the legal counsel to the White House or White House staff reviewed the statute in sufficient specificity to determine whether a violation of that statute would, in effect, constitute treason?
And if you've been following Plamegate, you know it's been over forever; in fact the lawyer asked the question in July of 2005. Dang, that Rove sure waits awhile before getting his revenge!
Peace activist Cindy Sheehan and four other protesters were arrested Thursday for blocking a road near President Bush's ranch, delaying the arrival of Vice President Dick Cheney's motorcade, authorities said.
Sheehan and the others lay or sat in the road for about 20 minutes and didn't heed requests to move, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. R.T. King said.
The good news is that her antics may start to catch up to her:
Earlier this month in New York, Sheehan was convicted of trespassing for leading a protest across the street from the United Nations.
A judge sentenced them to conditional discharge, which means they will not face any punishment as long as they don't get arrested in the next six months.
George Bush is a hero to me because he has courage. The President does what he believes to be in the best interest of the United States. He sticks with his beliefs, no matter how intense the criticism and invective that are directed against him every day.
The enormous defeat President Bush suffered with the loss of both Houses of Congress has not caused him to retreat from his position that the U.S. alone now stands between a radical Islamic takeover of many of the world’s governments in the next 30 or more years. If that takeover occurs, we will suffer an enslavement that will threaten our personal freedoms and take much of the world back into the Dark Ages.
Exactly. So many focus on the supposed freedoms we've lost under the Patriot Act, without considering the freedoms we'd lose under Sharia Law.
Here's a good article on Mitt's attempts to spar with John, who mostly seems to be ignoring him. As usual, it notes Romney's attempts to remake himself into a conservative of the Ronald Reagan mold:
Last month, Romney accused McCain of being "disingenuous" for opposing gay marriage but not supporting a federal constitutional amendment to ban it.
"Look, if somebody says they're in favor of gay marriage, I respect that view," Romney said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. "If someone says like I do that I oppose same-sex marriage, I respect that view. But those who try and pretend to have it both ways, I find it to be disingenuous."
However, Romney, when he ran against Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 1994, held the same position McCain does now: that it should be up to states, not the federal government, to decide whether to outlaw same-sex marriage.
Of course, a bicycle nut like me would go for this, but it's truly an extraordinary performance. There are parts of the video where you can't help wondering how someone even thinks up stunts like this.
Ever notice how the oh-so-tolerant left are just as homophobic as Anita Bryant when it comes time to imagery? Check out this example from Bob Geiger:
Nausea alert: Do not read this on a full stomach if you're a Progressive, who has had it up to your eyeballs with some elected Democrats regularly accepting prison shower-room, Ned-Beatty-in-'Deliverance' treatment from Republicans and then meekly saying "Thank you, sir, may I have some more?"
Somewhat reminiscent of Paul Begala's comment about butt-boys as well. What's got Geiger huffing is the notion that some Democrats actually want to work with the Republicans to forge a consensus. Of course, "progressives" don't want to see this; they want the Republicans to be punished:
Republicans made this bile-filled, partisan stew long ago -- now they can damn well eat it.
(This was forwarded to me by my friends Andrea Shea-King and Mark Vance, of CPR Radio and Radio Patriots)
On November 29th, we posted on The Radio Patriots about Morrill Worcester, owner of the WORCESTER WREATH COMPANY of Harrington, Maine, who since 1992 has donated over 60,000 wreaths to adorn the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. Morrill Worcester's motto is: "Our Mission: Remember - Honor - and Teach. To Remember the fallen; Honor those who serve; and Teach our children the value of freedom."
The folks at Worcester Wreath Company make and decorate the beautiful Christmas wreaths that adorn over 5000 headstones of our Nation’s fallen heroes - in coordination with the Cemetery Administration and the Maine State Society.
This year Worcester also included every national cemetery in the United States. With the help of the Patriot Guard Riders and other support groups, simultaneous ceremonies were held in all 50 states.
The Patriot Guard Riders are asking for our help in nominating Morrill Worcester for the Presidential Citizen Medal.
"He deserves to know that we are a grateful nation... after all, we all probably have a relative that has served this country sometime. Isn't it nice to know this guy gives them a Christmas wreath every year."
I linked to this article yesterday because at first glance it made some very telling points against the Iraq Study Group. But as I looked into it a little deeper, I discovered that the article is not as compelling as it might seem. For example, consider this segment:
While the Group was charged with analyzing the situation in Iraq, some were surprised and disturbed that the focus shifted to Israel and did so in hostile way. For example, the superb Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens took note of the fact that while most of the policies towards the "players" involved in the Middle East were couched in the language of suggestions ("should") those directed at Israel were seemingly mandatory and were characterized as orders (as in "Israel must").
Three demands were particularly disconcerting:
* that Israel must negotiate with the Palestinians, with no mention that the Palestinians are ruled by a regime dedicated to the destruction of Israel;
* that Israel must relinquish the strategically vital Golan Heights to Syria;
* that Israel must accept that the Palestinian refugees from the war-torn area have a "right of return" to Israel (this contravenes US policy and would lead to the demographic destruction of Israel).
Okay, those are three pretty imperious commands that if true would go a long way towards proving an anti-Israel, pro-Saudi bias. Are they true?
As Wayne Gretzky once said, "No". Certainly the report does suggest negotiating with the Palestinians; that's fairly non-controversial. But the other two items are just plain wrong. The Golan Heights is indeed mentioned in the report:
Hmmm, "should" is in there, and "must" is not.
The Right of Return?
Once again, we see the word "should" and not the word "must", and in this case it's even softened further by the idea that the Right of Return is to be negotiated.
There is a subtle innuendo to the article that is disturbing. For example, consider this:
He established the James Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. No information is listed on the Institute's website about major donors, but the Institute's impressive building bespeaks lavish funding. The Saudis are known to favor think tanks established by former government officials with generous support, possibly because they may prove useful to them in the future, or to reward them for past service to the Kingdom, and offer an example to others still charged with serving American national interets.
Translation: I don't have any actual evidence that the Saudis funded it, but they may have.
Baker's Houston-based law firm, Baker and Botts, has offices in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and in the Persian Gulf nation of Dubai. Baker and Botts defended, among others, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia who was sued by the families of the World Trade Center victims for alleged complicity in the attacks. Baker has had quite a lucrative career after his government career.
That Baker and Botts has offices in Riyadh and Dubai is interesting, but hardly dispositive. Being a Houston-based law firm, Baker and Botts specializes in legal matters related to oil companies; surely some of those legal matters are common to other oil-producing areas. Baker and Botts may have defended Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, but the evidence that he helped finance the 9-11 attacks is pretty slim (mostly pushed by Michael Moore), and the lawsuit was thrown out.
Much of the other evidence compiled by Lasky falls into the same category. Two Citibank employees are tarred by association with the largest Citibank shareholder, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. We then get a recitation of Prince Alaweed's bad acts, including funding Harvard and Georgetown Universities and investing in Ruppert Murdoch's News Corp. Yes, he was the Saudi whose check Rudy Giuliani refused when he tried to tie the 9-11 attacks to America's support of Israel.
Don't get me wrong; I am sure that a lot of the people involved with this commission have anti-Israel views. And it is legitimate to point this out, for example in the instance I cited yesterday:
Raad Alkadari, Director Country Strategies Group, PFC Energy. His firm is a consulting group dependent on oil company and oil country clients. In an ABC News interview, he agreed with the view that the Bush Administration was too influenced by pro-Israel voices.
He is of a conspiratorial mind-set: also claiming that the U.S. motivation for Iraq's liberation was a grab for oil.
Something of a kook, in other words. I do think that Lasky should have noted that it was an ABC News Australia interview, but that's a quibble. But how about these examples:
Amy Myers Jaffe: Listed employer: The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. True employer? Maybe the Saudi benefactors of this Institute? In any case, her views would be redundant with those of James Baker, no? Again, the illusion of neutral and diverse views.
But as he admits, Lasky has no evidence for the Saudi benefactors, so it's all supposition.
Although I don't support the Iraq Study Group or their recommendations, I cannot support this article either.
An aside: While researching this matter last night I was checking on the James A. Baker Institute, and its connection with Rice University, and came across this fascinating little story about the Bakers and Rice:
On May 13,1891, Massachusetts-born businessman William Marsh Rice chartered the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art as a gesture to the city of Houston, where he had made his fortune. The terms of the charter required that work on the new institute would begin only after Rice's death. However, unforeseen circumstances almost prevented its very founding.
In 1896, William Marsh Rice's wife died, leaving a will which claimed half of Rice's 5.6 million dollar estate. The claim was challenged; but while this process was moving through the court system, William Marsh Rice was murdered on September 23, 1900, by his valet, Charlie Jones. Jones had conspired with an unscrupulous lawyer, Albert Patrick, to kill Rice and claim his estate by using a forged will.
When an autopsy ordered by Rice's attorney, Captain James A. Baker, revealed evidence of poisoning, Jones agreed to provide state's evidence against Patrick in return for immunity from prosecution. Patrick was convicted of murder and sent to Sing Sing in 1901 (although pardoned in 1912). Captain Baker's quick action and the favorable legal resolution in 1904 of the claim against Rice's estate cleared the way for the Institute to fulfill its charter's mandate.
Of course, Captain Baker is James Baker III's grandfather.
What did the groups really do wrong? Did they bribe or corrupt politicians? Well, no. You won't find "Duke" Cunningham, William Jefferson or Bob Ney connected to MoveOn or the Swift Boat Veterans. Did they make illegal contributions to campaigns? Well, no again. Did they seek out special favors or illegally coordinate their efforts with candidates? No. The FEC admitted that, after a "thorough" investigation, it found no evidence that any of the groups operated in concert with candidates or sought legislative favors.
But these groups aren't being punished for making errors in their filing papers. They're being punished for criticizing politicians. Now, it's natural that politicians don't like that and might pressure the FEC to shut their critics up — the FEC reportedly acted in part because of pressure from Congress and a lawsuit brought by Reps. Christopher Shays and Martin T. Meehan — but why should ordinary citizens feel offended by criticism of public officials? Shouldn't we be more upset by efforts to silence criticism of public officials?
Here's a revealing article on the people who did the actual work of the ISG, not the famous names who signed it.
Raad Alkadari, Director Country Strategies Group, PFC Energy. His firm is a consulting group dependent on oil company and oil country clients. In an ABC News interview, he agreed with the view that the Bush Administration was too influenced by pro-Israel voices. He went on to state,
"the people who have been the most hawkish, the people who have demonstrated this vision of the Middle East (reordering it) have also been the most ardent supporters of Israel. That is what it is all about. The idea of re-ordering the Middle East is not just about diminishing threats to the United States. Ultimately it's also about ensuring that you have a Middle East that's far more amenable to an Israeli vision of a solution to the Palestinian problem". .
He is of a conspiratorial mind-set: also claiming that the U.S. motivation for Iraq's liberation was a grab for oil.
Many more examples are given of people with strong anti-Israel, pro-Saudi bias.
Let me ask you this: When you hear that somebody isn't your typical peace activist, do you automatically assume that in fact, they are the typical peace activist? Me too.
Vt. Woman Is an Unlikely Peace Activist
"She's not a loony toon by any means," said Andrew Schoerke, 73, a retired U.S. Navy captain who was arrested with her. "She's a very down to earth, sensible, caring person with some very strong convictions."
Jackowski was one of a dozen protesters arrested at a March 20, 2003 protest, staged within hours of the start of the United States' "shock and awe" bombing campaign in Iraq. Carrying a sign that read "Impeach Bush" on one side and listed U.S. "war crimes" on the other, Jackowski refused police orders to get out of the street and was arrested for blocking traffic.
Yeah, typical antiwar kook. But Newsbusters did a little deeper digging on the story. Turns out she's a big fan of Ward Churchill and writes about secret military installations.
35) "In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian-Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." -- Joe Biden
31) "...I would further strongly urge Democrats who don't believe marriage is between a man and a woman but who feel they ought to pretend to believe this in order to win elections (a plausible position) need to do a better job of pretending. I've heard a shockingly large number of politicians say things, in rooms where journalists are present, that make it perfectly clear that they think gay marriage is just fine but that the voters aren't ready for it. That's a sensible thing to believe, but you can't go around saying it if you're trying to win votes. If you're going to lie, then lie -- and lie convincingly!" -- Prominent liberal blogger Matthew Yglesias
28) "It seems to me like 19 amateurs with box cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75% of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory. It raises a lot of questions." -- Charlie Sheen
That appears to be the story behind the fall and fall of Air America.
Some people at Air America assert that, under Mr. Glaser and the team he put in place, the network was top-heavy with management, inept at selling ads, unwilling to make program compromises that veered from the liberal message and overstaffed with more than 100 employees when two dozen would have sufficed.
“What they did for $45 million they could have done for $10 million,” said Sheldon Drobny, an investor with a contentious relationship with the network. Mr. Drobny and his wife, Anita, longtime Democratic activists, are credited with the idea for Air America.
Unfortunately no discussion of where the money went, like the ridiculous contracts given to Al Franken and his producer.
Edwards is probably the only candidate with a real chance to derail Hillary. And that should tell you quite a bit about the prospects for the Democrats in 2008.
Update: John Ruberry says that Edwards is running one half of his 2004 campaign.
Although the article tries to make it sound like he had a chance, Evan Bayh was a dead man walking in the Democratic primaries.
"At the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue," Bayh told the Indianapolis Star. "This path and these long odds — would have required me to be essentially absent from the Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation."
The announcement comes just three weeks after Bayh, in an appearance on a Sunday talk show, announced that he would take a first step toward a 2008 presidential campaign, forming an exploratory committee. His decision narrows a field dominated by Whites House hopefuls, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
Obama's not a serious candidate. If anything he makes Hillary look qualified.
The Chicago Tribune broke the story back in November. It begins in 2004 with Obama's $1.9 million book advance for The Audacity of Hope. In June 2005, Obama used the money to purchase a $1.65 million Georgian revival home on Chicago's South Side—$300,000 less than the asking price. On the very same day, Rezko, a Democratic Party fund-raiser and developer, bought the adjacent empty lot at the asking price from the same owner (the house and the lot were previously owned by the same person). Rezko, who had raised money for Obama and known him since the senator attended Harvard Law School, did not develop the empty lot. In January 2006, he sold a 1,500-square-foot slice of it to Obama for $104,000, a fair sum in that market.
Here's the question: Did Rezko orchestrate his same-day purchase of the lot at full price so that the seller would give Obama a break on the price of the adjacent house? Was Obama in on the deal? And did Rezko never intend to develop the lot, giving Obama a nice roomy side yard, a favor which he'd call in later?
The obvious thing to do here is look at that parcel of land and figure out whether the price Rezko paid is justified by comparable properties in the neighborhood. How does it compare on a per-square foot basis to what Obama paid for the small piece? That 1,500 SF parcel was almost $70 per square foot, which is an extraordinarily high amount for residential dirt; that would work out to about $3 million per acre.
Andrea Shea-King and Mark Vance express their gratitude to retiring Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. As I mentioned on the show last Friday, I thought he did the best job he could; about the only criticism that can be offered is that he underestimated the insurgency and its staying power.
One of the things I try to keep on top of is "who's getting buzz" right now. And there is little doubt that Duncan Hunter, a congressman from California, is getting quite a bit of buzz. Two months ago, when I saw his name listed as among the possible presidential contenders in 2008, my response was, "Who?" No longer. Here's a wide-ranging interview of Congressman Hunter by John Hawkins.
We are training the Iraqi military right now. We've got 470 embedded teams right now. Those are training teams within the Iraqi military itself and my recommendation to the President and to the Iraqis is that one thing they could do right now that would accelerate the maturation process for the Iraqi military is to pick the 27 battalions that are in the quiet provinces in Iraq - 9 of the 18 provinces have virtually no action taking place - take those 27 battalions and move them into the fighting in Baghdad and Anbar province in the Sunni Triangle.
Nothing matures a military force quicker than actual military operations. That develops cohesion that re-enforces the chain of command, develops combat effectiveness, and I think most importantly it validates the link between the military and the civilian government - that is, when the Ministry of Defense picks up the phone and calls a battalion commander and tells him to saddle up and move to Baghdad, if he doesn't move, they need to reach into a battalion which is doing well, pull out a field officer and replace the officer who won't move with one that will. So that is my recommendation to the President and one thing I told him is I'm sure that he's not short on recommendations right now.
While we're on the subject of interviews with potential presidential candidates, here's K-Lo with Mitt Romney. I like this:
Lopez: What did you make of the Iraq Study Group report that was released last week?
Gov. Romney: The members of the Iraq Study Group deserve credit for their hard work. But their recommendations read like the product of a flawed process — one more focused on reaching consensus for the sake of reaching consensus. There were a few recommendations that I found especially striking: Suggesting that somehow the Israel-Palestine conflict is a root of sectarian and insurgent violence in Iraq is just wrong. Sunnis are killing Shia and vice versa. Pressuring Israel won’t change that.
Proposing that we negotiate with terrorist regimes like Syria and Iran — without a rigorous analysis of how our incentives could ever be aligned — is just counter-productive. I have no quarrel with talking, especially if it yields valuable intelligence and insight about an adversary. But that’s a far cry from actually negotiating with Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah, has nuclear ambitions, and has been clear in its intention to wipe our ally Israel off the map. And Syria is systematically undermining the sovereignty of Lebanon and funding and arming terrorists. Any suggestion that we might trade something for their help or forbearance is out of the question. When considering a negotiation, one must ask what kind of leverage we have, and recognize that there are situations where we have more to lose than gain by negotiating.
Our buddy from the CPR chatroom, Liberty or Death, has a post on this topic, which by coincidence came up during lunch today.
Clinton issued 29 Executive orders restricting use of land in behalf of the environment. How many have been revoked by Bush? None. Yikes, a closet tree hugger! When Hillary becomes president you can be certain she will revoke the executive orders of every conservative president.
That might be a slight exaggeration, but it's not far off.
Michelle Malkin reports that Eason Jordan is currently looking for the elusive Jamil Hussein that the AP has relied on for many stories that are now in question. As she points out, the fact that Jordan hasn't been able to locate Hussein in two seconds is a pretty good sign that this "police captain" doesn't exist.
Tooting my own horn here a bit. James B and I have been included in the curriculum for a college course.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time a blog I have been involved with was included in college material; Kerry Haters was a part of a college course in 2004. And Brainster's has been featured in a book published by a university professor.
DNA testing conducted by a private lab in the Duke lacrosse rape case found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear _ but none from any team member, including the three charged with rape, according to a defense motion filed Wednesday.
The motion, signed by attorneys for defendants Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, complained that the information was not disclosed in a report on the testing prosecutors provided earlier this year to the defense.
"This is strong evidence of innocence in a case in which the accuser denied engaging in any sexual activity in the days before the alleged assault, told police she last had consensual sexual intercourse a week before the assault, and claimed that her attackers did not use condoms and ejaculated," the motion read.
This farce has gone on far too long. I originally thought the accusations must have some merit, but the moment I started looking into the case seriously back in April, it became obvious that there was nothing to the charges.
9. End state is Israel destroyed, Iran the hegemon of the Middle East, possibly China as Asian hegemon, NATO greatly diminished, America no longer a superpower.
Here's an interesting article from Jim Geraghty on the importance of Minnesocold, as Hugh Hewitt likes to call it.
In 2002, White House strategist Karl Rove referred to Minnesota as the "Holy Grail." At the time, the state seemed well within the GOP's grasp. On the heels of a funeral for Senator Wellstone, a Democrat, that many believed had turned into a tasteless pep rally, Republicans enjoyed a wildly successful year. Governor Pawlenty was elected by an eight-point margin in a three-way race; Senator Coleman beat last-minute replacement candidate Walter Mondale.
In the final week of the November election, Mr. McCain made several appearances with Mr. Pawlenty and his words of praise would suggest the Arizona senator sees in the governor a potential future vice president."I know of no one who will make a greater contribution to the future of America than this great leader," Mr. McCain said at one stop."This is the kind of leadership that I'd like to pass the torch to."
Kerry won Minnesota by 3.5 percentage points in 2004, which certainly indicates that the state is in play.
Earlier this month, National Review Online reported that Mr. Pawlenty will support Senator McCain's bid for the White House and is actively engaged in the senator's exploratory committee. Though no evidence exists that the Minnesota governor's early support represents a pitch to get on a McCain-Pawlenty ticket, it's hard to believe the thought hasn't crossed either man's mind.
2008 will be a remarkable year for presidential politics. It will be the first time in my lifetime that there won't be an incumbent president or vice president running for the Oval Office. This has created a "wide-open" atmosphere in both parties. How wide open? Well, according to Pam Meister, wide open enough that Christopher Dodd is contemplating a run.
A Christian newly-wed has filed a £3.5 million compensation claim against his employers, saying that his marriage was ruined because his sex drive spiralled out of control after he injured his head at work.
Stephen Tame, 29, from East Bergholt, Suffolk, fell from a gantry while working in a bicycle warehouse in January 2002. Although he made a full physical recovery after two years of specialist treatment, he claims that the accident led to severe sexual disinhibition, which is destroying his marriage.
His wife, Sarah, 30, has had to spend nights away from him “to get some respite”, and he has resorted to using pornography and visiting a prostitute.
I heard this story today on the radio and was pumping my fist as they read it.
As he lay there bleeding to death, he saw two men running towards him. His first thought was that he would die, but then he had hope because he thought these two men would rescue him.
When they got to him, they started kicking him. He called them "Pansies" because he was mortally wounded and yet they continued to kick him.
You will not believe what happened next. Just a superb story.
Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.
McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest Soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four Soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad.
McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.
His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.
“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade…It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”
McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped.
“He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”
Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn’t know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered.
“He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant,” Thomas said. “He’s a hero. He’s a professional. He was just an awesome guy.”
Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.
For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.
She's running advertisements on her blog now, asking people to "Join the Huffpost Hybrid Movement". Yes, she believes in reducing our reliance on foreign oil, and all that wonderful stuff. But check out the photo:
Yep, there's Arianna herself, looking smug as her Prius waits. But what's that yellow in the background? Is it possible that she has all the lights on in her house in what appears to be the late afternoon?
Our favorite "F-Troop" Indian (as John Ruberry likes to call him) delivered a nice helping of red meat to the loonies at the New School:
In a two-hour speech at the New School titled "Sterilizing History: The Fabrication of Innocent Americans," delivered without notes, Mr. Churchill traced what he called a pattern of mass murder as American foreign policy from the time of the country's inception to the events of September 11, 2001, which he said the country was essentially asking for.
Mr. Churchill also called the president of the New School, Robert Kerrey, a former senator of Nebraska, a "mass murder and serial killer to boot" for having served in Thanh Phong, Vietnam. Mr. Churchill also served in Vietnam, an act for which he said he has spent the rest of his life apologizing.
Mr. Churchill received cheers from the audience for comparing Mr. Kerrey to the serial killer Charles Manson. "That's who you've got moral equivalency in the president's chair at this institution," Mr. Churchill said. "How about a cage rather than a president's suite?"
That's disgusting. Bob Kerrey may not be my favorite person on Earth, but he's a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and deserves more respect.
Dennis Kucinich will be around to provide the giggles during the 2008 campaign.
In a statement, Kucinich said he plans to formally announce his candidacy for 2008 on Tuesday at City Hall, where he served as mayor of his hometown in the 1970s.
The Amazing Race Finale: The Alamo in the Village?
Teams start out in Barcelona. Find the church that's been under construction for 129 years. Of course, this is the Sagrada Familia.
There, the teams get a clue in the form of a photograph: the Eiffel Tower. At first things look good for Rob & Kimberley as they get the only seats on the first flight out. Meanwhile Team Gump is talking about an Iberia flight. As it works out they get on three different flights, with the Gumps leaving last. However, what the other teams don't know is that the Gumps are flying into Orly Airport which is closer to Paris than Charles De Gaulle. They arrive first at the cluebox to the astonishment of the other teams.
Take the train to Caen and then to the airport. My ears prick up at this. Caen was a major objective for the Allies during the Normandy invasion, and is one of the two towns in that area that come up in crossword puzzles constantly (the other is St. Lo). At the airport, they learn the roadblock is to skydive onto Omaha Beach.
Well, by this time I'd be in 7th heaven--D-Day is an obsession with me, so I'd go crazy if I didn't get to do the skydive, which of course is exactly what happens to Rob when Kimberley volunteers. Get over it!
The teams come out of this with Team Rehab in the lead, Team Gump in second and Rob & Kimberley last, but not far behind. Back to Paris and the Place de la Concorde. It's a search and the Gumps fall behind while R&K take the lead. Detour: Art or Fashion. In Art, teams must deliver a painting to an artist through the streets of Paris. In Fashion, they must assemble a jacket on a mannequin. Surprisingly (perhaps) all three teams choose the latter task, which seems reasonably hard. But Team Rehab is made up of male models who've been fitted for clothes many times.
The woman checking the work is pretty hard but Team Rehab makes it out the door just ahead of Bama, while Rob & Kim, who arrived first, leave last. Head to final destination: New York!
Team Gump hope that their knowing about Orly Airport will help get a lead. One problem: No flights from Orly to the Big Apple. They have to schlepp over to De Gaulle. Meanwhile it appears there's an 8:30 AM flight to New York but it's full. Somehow Rob & Kimberley beg their way on the plane by telling the guy it's worth a million dollars to get on the flight. Team Recovery and Team Gump are wait-listed.
Now, of course, there wouldn't be much drama if Rob & Kim were the only ones on that plane, so of course the male models get the last seats, while Lyn & Carlyn's hopes go up in smoke.
In New York, teams must make their way to the Daily News Building. Team Recovery's cabbie knows the way, while Rob & Kim's doesn't, so they follow the boys. Realizing this, they try to shake the other cab, unsuccessfully until a toll booth. Team Recovery's cabbie's got EZ Pass while Rob & Kim's does not and they are left behind.
At the Daily News Building, the teams are told to run down to the East Village and find a statue named (improbably) the Alamo. It's a big cube. The filming emphasizes that Rob & Kim are running while the Team Recovery walk, but the boys still end up getting the clue from a gal in yellow first. Drive to Garrison, New York, in Putnam County, where they must locate St. Basil's Academy.
And at the Academy, there is.... Phil and the mat. I mean, where's the puzzle? I know that prior season endings have been two hours long, but to just end it at the mat like that with nothing else was an anti-climax. Team Recovery, who are probably the guys that anybody would have picked back in the first episode, get the congratulations and the million dollars, while Rob & Kimberley and Lyn and Carlyn get the pat on the back and the assurance that they were winners for making it this far.
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).
(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!
That'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.
That'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."
"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!
1. 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!
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.
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.
Heheh, 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!
John 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.
Andrea 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!
More 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?
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.
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.
"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?
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.
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.
Tom 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.
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....
Oscar-winning US actress Gwyneth Paltrow feels dinner talk is far more interesting in her adopted homeland Britain than back in her native country.
"I love the English lifestyle, it's not as capitalistic as America. People don't talk about work and money, they talk about interesting things at dinner," she told "NS", the weekend magazine supplement of daily Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias on Saturday.
I'm sure she'll take a lot of criticism for those remarks, but I happen to think she's right. Remember, Gwyneth doesn't hang out with the Andy Capps of England or the Joe Sixpacks of America; she hangs out with the swells, the artists and the like. I am sure that the Hollywood Glitterati are reasonably boring to hang out with than their counterparts in the UK. The LA crowd are far too busy making their movies and money to keep up with current events and are less likely to have the kind of classical education that makes for a well-rounded conversationalist. I am sure that if Gwyneth were by some chance to hang out with the middle and lower classes, she'd find the Americans far more interesting and cultured than the Brits. Although I loved my time in London, one thing that shocked me was how coarse and numerous the lower classes were. The soccer hooligans are just the tip of the iceberg.
The Democrats and their enablers (including the ACLU) are pushing for a "do-over" or worse in Florida's 13th Congressional District:
That would be Florida's 13th Congressional District, which runs along the Gulf Coast from just south of Tampa to just north of Fort Myers. The certified winner is Republican Vern Buchanan, who beat Democrat Christine Jennings by fewer than 400 votes out of more than 237,000 cast. Two recounts, which were demanded by Democrats and required by law, have reconfirmed Mr. Buchanan's victory and slightly increased the margin.
Unbowed, the Dems are now suggesting that defective voting machines cost them the race. They point to Sarasota County's 18,000 "undervotes," or incidences where voters cast ballots in other races but not the Buchanan-Jennings contest. Ms. Jennings--along with such liberal partisans as People for the American Way and the American Civil Liberties Union--has filed a lawsuit contesting the results based on "statistical and eyewitness evidence of significant machine malfunctions" in Sarasota's iVotronic touch-screen system.
They want a court to declare Ms. Jennings the winner by--get this--using statistical models to extrapolate that she would have received most of the undervotes. Short of that, they'll settle for nullifying the November results and holding a new election. But among the many things that are strange here is that if anyone ought to be complaining about undervotes, it's the GOP. Sarasota is the largest and most Republican county in the district, yet the Democrat, Ms. Jennings, carried it handily. In fact, it's the only county in the district that she did carry, which makes it more likely that it was Republicans who declined to vote in the Congressional race, not Democrats.
Of course, those same statistical models indicated that Kerry won Ohio in 2004, which I have pretty well debunked in the past.
I have heard about this device in the past, and now astronomers have figured out how it worked:
Using high-tech x-ray and CT scanning, they have deciphered hidden inscriptions and pieced together the workings of the complex mechanical mechanism.
The analysis confirmed the theory that the Antikythera Mechanism, which dates back to between 100 and 150BC, was an astronomical calculator - but also showed it was much more technologically advanced than previously thought.
So sophisticated was the system of gears, cogs and wheels that it is thought to have been unmatched until the at least 1,000 years later.
Here's a terrific story of one of our fighting women in action:
Back in March in Iraq, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lori Hill, with the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, was piloting her Kiowa Warrior when the lead chopper came under heavy fire. She drew the fire away, simultaneously providing suppressive fire for the troops engaged with the enemy on the ground.
A rocket-propelled grenade hit her, damaging the helo’s instrumentation, but instead of focusing on her predicament, she established communication with the ground forces and continued to provide them with aerial weapon support until the soldiers reached safety.
As she turned her attention to the aircraft, which was losing hydraulic power, the helo took on machine-gun fire, a round crashing into one of Hill’s ankles. Still, with a damaged aircraft and an injury, she landed at Forward Operating Base Normandy, saving her crew and aircraft.
For her actions she was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross by Vice President Richard Cheney at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Oct. 16.
“It’s was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to get the award and then have the vice president come and award it to you,” she said. “It’s just incredible for any soldier.”
Obviously the focus has been on his calling the President "numbnuts" but somebody should mention that he also talked about "trashing" the Lincoln Bedroom. Reminds me of the famous photo of Marky (dumb as a ) Post jumping up and down on the bed.
...and then we banish the nastiness from our thoughts and vote like it never happened, like terrorism isn't our problem. Yet our enemies still exist, and they still want all of us "infidels" dead. That includes all of those anti-war sympathizers, too. They're considered infidels along with the rest of us. But what the hell, life is a cabaret -- right?
Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.
He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.
I couldn't agree with him more. Usually I'll read an editorial like this and the writer will go off onto a tangent, but Prager hits on all the points I would:
1. Jews have not taken their oath of office on the Talmud. 2. Mormons have not taken their oath of office on the Book of Mormon. 3. Atheists have not taken their oath of office on the New York Times.
He points out that Ellison is likely to get away with it, precisely because he is a Muslim.
An aside (okay a tangent) here: A lot of conservative commentators (including Charles Krauthammer and Jonah Goldberg have panned the movie Borat for its supposed revelation that people in the heartland of America are intolerant. In fact, Borat shows that if anything, people are too tolerant of a boorish, sexist kook. Ditto with Ellison and his quest to be sworn in on the Koran.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry, considering a second bid for the U.S. presidency, finished dead last in a poll released on Monday on the Likeability of 20 top American political figures.
Among those placed ahead of Kerry were about a dozen potential 2008 White House rivals, including Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
This is hardly surprising to a person who started a blog called Kerry Haters. It always seemed that the people who knew Kerry best, liked him least. Remember the "no-bounce" convention in 2004? Kerry, given a week of solid coverage capped off with his "And I'm reporting for duty!" speech at the DNC, actually saw his poll numbers decline slightly.
Everywhere you looked, you found people who disliked Kerry, from his classmates at Paul's prep school, to those who knew him at Yale, to those who served with him in the Navy. After his divorce from his first wife, he dated a few famous women, including Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas singing group, and actress Morgan Fairchild. Phillips donated to Kerry's rival for the nomination, Howard Dean, but not to Kerry. Fairchild donated to John Edwards, Howard Dean, and Dick Gephardt, but not John Kerry.
I consideredd this but couldn't pull it off; Junkyard Blog figured it out.
Grandma detonated in a rage, dear Her whole family’s thrilled and not bereaved ‘Cause she tried to take Israelis with her Now your darling sweet ol’ granny’s a shaheed.
Kudos to our buddies Andrea Shea-King and Mark Vance, whose post on thanks to our military got picked up by Stand To!, a daily compendium of news, information and context for Army leaders. (Look under "What's being said in blogs").
Apparently Sherman Yellen wasn't paying attention during the 1990s, as he comes up with a hilarious "high crime and misdemeanor" for which President Bush can be impeached:
What is the impeachable offense, other than lying to America and to the world about the WMD's? First and foremost, stupidity. There is a point in which bad judgment is a crime, or as the diplomat Count Metternich said of some 19th Century misadventure, it is worse than a crime, it is a mistake. As a result of George Bush and Dick Cheney's mistake, the republic is at risk. That is what impeachment is about - removing those whose disgraceful actions have put the country in danger.
I will be guest-blogging for John Hawkins over at Right Wing News tomorrow. I'm pinching myself, especially when I look at the other guest-bloggers that John has lined up.
I don't know how much there is to this story, but it's certainly interesting that his war wounds have migrated over time.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 12, 2002, reported that “Marine Corps casualty records show that Murtha was injured in 'hostile' actions near Danang, Vietnam, on March 22, 1967, and May 7, 1967.
“In the first incident, his right cheek was lacerated, and in the second, he was lacerated above his left eye. Neither injury required evacuation,” the Post-Gazette reported.
But an Oct. 26, 1994, article in the Herald-Standard quoted Murtha as describing two different injuries.
“I was wounded in the arm with shrapnel from a bullet that hit the motor mount of a helicopter. In the other, my knee was banged up and my arm was banged up when a helicopter was shot down from a very few feet,” Murtha told the Herald-Standard.
The four remaining teams learn that their next destination is Morocco. On the way to the airport, we see that Rob is again having trouble with his rental car; he's always complaining about the cars, but as one of the Gumps remarks later, if it's always you having the problem, maybe you are the problem.
The Beauty Queens get the first flight to Italy, from where they will have a tight connection to Casablanca. The other teams fly to Paris where there is a later flight to Casablanca, but it apparently doesn't matter, because there is only one flight from Casablanca to the town that is the destination, which is something like Ouarsazad. As it works out, the BQs miss their connection, and just barely make it to Casablanca in time.
The teams must travel to the Casbah, where they will receive a good luck charm at a particular store. The Beauty Queens sneak off the flight quickly but Rob & Kimberley and Team Recovery follow them as they follow a cabbie who apparently knows the route but gets lost and stops for directions. Meanwhile, Team Gump did not waste their layover in Paris, spending their time studying maps of the region. Sure enough, they zip past the other teams and find the shop quickly. The next clue takes them to the Atlas Studios where films such as Gladiator were shot. Warning, Yield Ahead!
Unfortunately, the studios are closed until morning, so the Gumps don't get their chance to yield the Beauty Queens, and instead are yielded by them. Oddly, the other two teams arrived at the Yield first and did not choose to yield the BQs. Roadblock: Teams must take part in a chariot race and grab two pennants while they're racing. This does not appear too tough, but Team Recovery misses their first try at a penannt and so must make another lap while the BQs and Rob & Kimberley head off. It appears that the Gumps' time delay is over at about this time as well, and they make it through the chariot race fairly quickly. BTW, guys, they were not "gladiators" they were "charioteers".
Rob & Kimberley are in the lead, but what's this? A flat tire on their vehicle being pointed out before the fact by the Beauty Queens? I'm just a tad suspicious; there seem to be constant flats in TAR. At first, Rob can't find the jack, then he can't get it out of the vehicle. Meanwhile, all three teams (including the yielded Team Gump) have passed them by. Next stop is a Cafe, and I have a sinking feeling that we're going to get one of those "local delicacy" bits. Fortunately I'm wrong and it's a Detour: Throw It or Grind It.
In Throw It, teams must complete two pieces of pottery, while in Grind It, they must grind 77 pounds of olives into a paste. Phil mentions that there are only three stations at each location, so if all four teams choose the same task, one will be forced to wait.
The BQs decide to Grind It (mainly because they know which direction they are going on that task), while Team Recovery opts initially for Throw It, but then decides to Grind It as well. But the BQs make their first major mistake of the race as they drive past the horse ranch where the olive grinders are located. Meanwhile the Gumps have nearly caught up with Team Recovery, and they begin grinding olives at roughly the same time.
Rob & Kimberley flag down a passing car and get help changing the tire. Finally they make it to the cluebox, where they also decide to grind it. Who will get to the horse ranch first?
It turns out that the BQs are left waiting while the other three teams are grinding away at those olives. Bad luck for them, which seems certain to result their being Phil-Liminated, when the next clue (first received by Team Recovery) is the location of the Pit Stop.
Team Recovery has a pretty good lead on Team Gump as they pull into the parking area and dash off towards the mat. But then they realize they've left their Good Luck Charm behind in the car. As they run back, the Gumps are parking. Can they actually pull off a victory?
Uh, no. It's not even really dramatic as we can see that the twentysomething men are only a little behind the thirtysomething women with a fairly long way to go. There's no way they don't win that footrace easily. Still the two black women are obviously proud of overcoming the Yield to take second place. Team Recovery also happened to pick the Luckiest Lucky Charm and get some sort of device where you can watch TV on your cellphone.
The BQs are clearly behind Rob & Kimberley and despite the latter getting lost initially, they arrive at the mat last. Is this the end for our two hotties? Well, I would have sworn it was, since we've already had two non-elimination legs so far this season, but sure enough Phil announces that they've been spared the axe. IIRC this is pretty standard practice for TAR when the teams reach four, but I could have sworn one of the rules was that all but two pitstops would be elimination legs. David and Mary, Team Coalminer, were spared twice this season already.
I'm glad they're still around; to a certain extent they're the villains this season. My wishes for the winners, in order: Team Gump, Team Recovery, the BQs and Rob & Kimberley. The Gumps because they've done a couple of smart things that have impressed me the last two weeks: studying the Moroccan maps tonight while laying over in Paris, and making up their rap song while driving last week, and it would be a gas to see those moderately out of shape women beat the athletes in the race. I'd pick Team Recovery over the BQs just because they've been more cooperative in the race; the BQs have their game faces on 24/7. Besides, teams that have overcome obstacles are more inspiring than a couple of hot chicks who won beauty contests. I just don't like Rob & Kimberley, although they were not as argumentative tonight as usual.
