mindnumbrobot

Restart, maybe?

2011-02-01T14:05:00.002-05:00

It's been forever. Thinking about giving this another whirl.

Greatest Play in Baseball History

2008-04-18T12:28:00.002-05:00

I still get a little misty when I watch this. Ok, I'm a sentimental wuss, so sue me.

Airplane!

2008-03-05T20:37:00.001-05:00

Classic movie to a Classic song.

Is It 2008?

2008-02-25T15:29:00.002-05:00

So it's been about 5 months since I've posted anything.

Inspiration

2007-09-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

If you need any, here it is:

Beware the Grass

2007-08-18T10:55:00.000-05:00

Another Vid for Your Pleasure

2007-06-29T14:04:00.001-05:00

And sticking with the lighter side for it little while still, here's a classic from SNL:

This bit cracks me up every time. Martin Short was a gas when he was SNL.

Now Thats Dramatic

2007-06-25T15:03:00.001-05:00

Global Warming and Hurricanes

2007-05-31T11:39:00.000-05:00

I just posted a comment over at Scott Maxwell's blog concerning Dr. William Grey's hurricane predictions for this year, so I thought I post an after thought here.

The point of Scott's blog post is to take a lighthearted approach to these predictions because, quite frankly, Dr. Grey was way off last year. Of course that had to do with the unexpected rise a el Niño, but it exactly illustrates the point I made in my post. We simply do not know enough about our atmosphere to make concrete predictions of what the future holds. Of course this fly's in the face of global warming advocates who say the evidence is unequivocal that man is the cause of global warming, and if you believe otherwise your an idiot, period.

To illustrate the point that we are just beginning to understand our planet and how it interacts with our surrounding solar system, scientists have now discovered that Neptune in experiencing some warming as well:

Neptune is the planet farthest from the Sun (Pluto is now considered only a dwarf planet), Neptune is the planet farthest from the Earth, and to our knowledge, there has been absolutely no industrialization out at Neptune in recent centuries. There has been no recent build-up of greenhouse gases there, no deforestation, no rapid urbanization, no increase in contrails from jet airplanes, and no increase in ozone in the low atmosphere; recent changes at Neptune could never be blamed on any human influence. Incredibly, an article has appeared in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters showing a stunning relationship between the solar output, Neptune’s brightness, and heaven forbid, the temperature of the Earth. With its obvious implications to the greenhouse debate, we are certain you have never heard of the work and never will outside World Climate Report.

The article goes on to include charts showing the correlation between the rise in temperature on Neptune, and Earth, as it relates to increased solar output from the sun. And this follows in the footsteps of similar results being reported on Mars.

My point is a simple one: We're a very small and still very ignorant creature when it comes to our understanding of our own planet, Earth. As soon as we think we've figured one thing out, it raises new questions and forces us to reevaluate what we believed to be true before.

It is for this very reason that it's hard for me to take the global warming alarmists seriously. They may be right, they may be wrong, but the more they insist that theirs is the only real truth, the less I believe them.

Dems Finally Back Down

2007-05-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

It was inevitable, and finally the Democrats have backed down on their demands for surrender deadlines in funding for the war. They were never in a position to get any such Bill passed, but they wanted to make their statement and attempt to appease their rabid base. (You know, playing politics while our military forces are in the field and all that. But they support the troops!) Of course that won't work, because nothing short of immediate and complete withdrawal from the battlefield will make the KosKidz happy.

Their response has been kind of tame (at Kos anyway), with Kos counseling patience. However, this part of his post caught my eye:

We face a multiple-front war -- against conservatives, against an out-of-touch and corrupt beltway consultant class, against corporatist Democrats, or Democrats that long ago lost the fire in their belly, and against a compromised punditry elite.

That pretty much sums it up for the anti-war crowd. The only enemy they recognize and are willing the go to "war" against are their political enemies. I know it's a lot to ask, but just once I'd like to see the left get worked up about defeating our real enemies. But, like I said, that would be asking a lot.

Another part of the post that caught my eye was this bit:

Buck up. We still haven't completely lost this Iraq supplemental battle. And if we do, instead of crying and taking your ball home, resolve to fight even harder. We owe it to our troops in Iraq, to our families, to our neighbors, to ourselves.

Funny, I read quite a few MilBlogs and have read a lot about what the soldiers actually fighting the war want, and I don't recall ever reading about them asking to be rescued from the war. Is that what Kos thinks we "owe" them?

Do they want to come home? Of course, who wouldn't. But most of what I read is they simply want to finish the job they've started. All they ask is to be given the time, resources, and support to complete the mission. While the KosKidz love to keep a bodycount, everyone of those killed will have been lost in vain if the left gets it's way. That's not supporting the troops in my book, and it certainly isn't what we "owe" them.

Worst President Ever?

2007-05-21T11:37:00.001-05:00

When you actually are the worst president in modern history, it's usually not a good idea to draw attention to yourself by claiming sombody else should have your title.

He's now backtracking by saying he was "careless" and his comments were "misinterpreted." Right.

America's national embarassement known as Jimmy Carter continues to this day more than 25 years after his presidency ended. Quite a feat, even for somebody as naive and incompetent as Carter.

Now They Tell Us

2007-05-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

To borrow a line from James Taranto, What Would We Do Without Experts? This from CNN:

No safe way for U.S. to leave Iraq, experts warn
(CNN) -- Pulling U.S. forces from Iraq could trigger catastrophe, CNN analysts and other observers warn, affecting not just Iraq but its neighbors in the Middle East, with far-reaching global implications.

Well, duh! The most glaring omission from the MSMs coverage of the Democrats surrender bill has been what will the consequences be?

I guess now that all the political theater by the Democrats is over, for the time being, CNN had no choice but to finally ask, "Hey, what happens after we surrender?" It is a subject that seriously needs to be debated and one that will expose the Democrats strategy for surrender as nothing short of disastrous.

Reuters: Terrorist Death = Bad News

2007-05-01T08:36:00.000-05:00

Only Reuters could report the unofficial death of the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq as bad news:

If true, the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri would signal a deepening split at a time when the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is trying to woo some insurgent groups into the political process.

Excuse me? A deepening split with who? Could Reuters not know that the exact opposite is true? The Iraqi government and coalition forces have been trying to convince the shieks in the Anbar province to evict al Qaeda from their territory and join the governement in working towards reconciliation. That's exactly what's happening the Reuters reports it as bad news.

I know I shouldn't be surprised with Reuters because this is the news agency where one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but they've actually reported this story from the perspective of al Qaeda.

This is what happen's when you start to play the moral equivalency game, I call it the "Bridge of River Kwai Syndrome." You spend so much time trying to prove your superior morality to your enemy that you forget who's side you're on.

UPDATE: The Confederate Yankee has a good analysis of how this news may portend a shift of momentum on the ground. It's very true that the war will be won by the Iraqi's themselves and it appears that under the new leadership of General Petraeus that may be occuring. The Confederate Yankee's keen insight into the complexities of the war stands in stark contrast as to how the KosKidz see things. To them, it's all about the body count.

Car Chases? Hell Yeah!

2007-04-30T14:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a great post at Les Jones dot com. It's a poll for "What's the greatest car chase in movie history?" Not only is there a vote, but the post includes video of the contestants! The nominees are: Bullitt, The French Connection, The Seven-Ups, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, The Blues Brothers, The Road Warrior, To Live and Die in L.A., Ronin, the Bourne Identity.

My personal favorite is Bullitt. It was the original and still holds up very well after all these years. I'd give Ronin the nod for second. It had some incredible driving and on those tiny European streets it makes for great film. (via Ace)

Tony's Back! Huff's Closed.

2007-04-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

As a fan of Tony Snow, it was good to hear he's back on the job after his latest surgery while he continues his battle with cancer.

Over at the Huffington Post, they've greeted this story in their usual fashion -- they've closed their comments section. The comments at the Huff when relating to the health of any Administration official (Vice President Cheney most notably) have traditionally been so vile that the Huff has discontinued comments for any such story.

This is a leading web site for The Left and Democrats in general. It tells you a lot about how infected the Democrat base has become with BDS when they cannot even be trusted to comment on the health of a fellow human being simply because he has an "R" after his name.

Cleaning House

2007-04-26T11:51:00.000-05:00

Boy, when those Democrats promised to clean house and end the "culture of corruption," they weren't kidding. The punishment handed down the William "Cold Cash" Jefferson? Nothing:

House Democratic leaders are not expected to pressure embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) to forfeit his lone remaining committee assignment, even as two Republican lawmakers who similarly face intense FBI scrutiny have relinquished their posts in recent days.

I'm shocked!

God Bless The Irish

2007-04-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

I love the Irish, maybe that's why I married one. When flooding strikes the Ireland countryside, what do the Irish do? Why, find a pub, that's what. (via The Corner.)

Shields Up

2007-04-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

This is pretty cool:

Deflector shields made of ionized gas are under development by British scientists. These Star Trek-style shields could be turned off or on depending on solar activity or other requirements.

Astronauts who spend time in low earth orbit are mostly protected from radiation by the magnetosphere, Earth's powerful magnetic field. However, travelers to other planets will run the risk of exposure to cancer-causing radiation from the sun and other sources outside our solar system.

I can't wait until the commander of one of these future space vessels says, "Make it so."

I Am Livid!

2007-04-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

In this post at Hot Air Senator Harry Reid says he won't believe anything General Petreaus has to say when he reports to Congress. This is, of course, after he disgraced himself by declaring the war lost which followed up on his statement that the war will allow democrats to pick up more seats in the Senate next election. In the same clip he tries to manipulate General Petreaus' words from "there is no military solution" in Iraq to telling the soldiers they're fighting for a lost cause. News flash for Harry Reid: Our soldiers aren't that dumb and neither are we.

Harry Reid is a digrace to the Senate and his country. This man is openly working for his own country's defeat in order to further his political agenda. Disgusting.

Free Speech For Me, But Not For Thee

2007-04-18T15:01:00.000-05:00

The College Republicans at Rhode Island University decided to advertise a satrical "scholarship" for white, heterosexual, American males. The Student Senate demanded an apology. The College Republicans refused. So what's the solution the Student Senate came up with? Well, they decided to derecognize the College Republicans, that's what.

FIRE has taken up their cause, and after some wrangling the College Republicans will be recognized again. Darn that First Amendment! Here are the details.

Constitution? What Constitution?

2007-04-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

The battle between Congress and the President over funding for the Iraq War will soon be coming to a head. Congress insist on managing the war as 535 field generals, while the President stands by his threat to veto any bill which infringes on his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief. How this battle is viewed by the left is perfectly illustrated by this post by Kagro X of the Daily Kos. After citing a poll in which the public expresses more confidence in the Democrats in Congress than the President in handling the war, Kagro X sums it up nicely with this conclusion:

Americans know what's happening with the Iraq occupation. They know the position of Bush and his apologists is for endless war. They know they screwed the troops, and they know everything Bush touches turns to crap.
It's time to turn over the keys, Mr. Pretzeldent. It's over.

So there you have it. Disregarding the childish "Mr. Pretzeldent" (a trademark of the KosKids), the left has declared the American people have spoken and therefore the President must relinquish Commander-in-Chief authority to Congress.

The arrogance combined with the ignorance of the crazy KosKids is amazing. They really believe in mob rule, and the Constitution is only a thing to be followed when it's convienent to their cause.

The Congress has a constitutional role in the conduct of war, and that is the power of the purse. If they really believe this is an unwinnable war and not worthy of one more sacrifice, then they should defund the war. Any action short of this is pure politics at it's most cynical. What a disgrace.

Baseball IS Fun To Watch

2007-04-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

One of these day's I'll learn to embed video from YouTube so I don't just link to it, but in the meantime here is a funny video from the Angels vs. Red Sox game the other day.

A pop-up goes to the edge of left field where a couple of fans try to catch the ball. As a result they spill beer all over each other, but then a piece of pizza comes flying in from nowhere. Turns out the guy trying to catch the foul ball and the guy that threw the pizza were jawing at each other earlier in the game. Over what, I have no idea. But in the end, the pizza thrower was ejected.

Overall the incident is pretty damn funny and the commentators had a good time with it.

Illogical Left

2007-04-17T11:33:00.000-05:00

I read this post from Matt Stoller of MyDD yesterday and pretty much ignored it because it seemed pretty silly to me. In it, Stoller talks of how proud he is to pay his taxes because he loves America. On the other side of this, he says conservatives hate America because they hate taxes. Money quote:

The right-wing likes to pretend as if taxes are a burden instead of the price of democracy. And I suppose, if you hate democracy, as the right-wing does, then taxes are the price for paying for something you really don't want.

You can see why I ignored it, because it's a pretty dumb conclusion. Conservatives don't rail against all taxes, they argue against excessive tax rates which place an unneccessary burden on the American people which in turn retards economic opportunity and growth for everybody as a whole.

Anyway, I'm posting on it now because Stoller again regales us with his wisdom after his post made for rounds. Here he is again with the same twisted logic:

When you point out that a hatred of taxes, which is hatred of money paid for the upkeep of America, thus equates to a hatred of America, they can't deal with it.

There, got it? "Hatred" of taxes equals "hatred of America." And this is one of the leading voices on the port side of the blogosphere.

Hold On To Your Guns

2007-04-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the Virginia Tech mass murder, the calls for stricter gun control laws are coming in fast and furious. Without getting into the weeds discussing the 2nd Amendment, my only question for the gun control crowd is: how would stricter gun control laws have prevented this mass murder? It is against the law to possess a firearm on the campus of Virginia Tech, yet that didn't stop this mad man from going on a killing spree.

It seems pretty clear to me that "gun free zones" merely create a shooting gallery of known, unarmed targets. No amount of gun laws can prevent a criminal from getting what he wants and using it in the commission of a crime. Gun laws only make it harder for law abiding citizens to defend themselves when necessary.

I have yet to read a story about a licensed, armed citizen going on a killing spree. However, there are pleny of stories of licensed, armed citizens stoping crimes in progress because they had the means to do so. However, none of this will stop the gun control crowd, because to them guns are the problem, not the maniacs who use them.

al-Sadr Makes Last(?) Move

2007-04-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

The news today that Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his ministers to resign from the Iraqi government is being reported as a setback. The AP reports:

BAGHDAD (AP) - Cabinet ministers loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned on Monday to protest the prime minister's refusal to set a timetable for an American withdrawal, raising the prospect that the Mahdi Army militia could return to the streets of Baghdad.
...
The departure of the six ministers, while unlikely to topple Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, deals a significant blow to the U.S.-backed leader, who relied on support from the Sadrists to gain office.

I couldn't disagree more. al-Sadr has been the fly in the ointment for a long time and the compromise Maliki agreed to was necessary at the time. Since then, al-Sadr's involvment within the govenment has been a large factor in Sunni's reluctance to back Maliki.

Now that the surge is taking place with the complete backing of Maliki, including the very important broadened rules of engagment, the conditions on the ground have turned against al-Sadr. He has fleed to Iran costing him street cred with his brothers as well as a splintering of his militia. His protest organized last week in Najaf was a complete dud (despite the MSMs best attempt to paint it as another huge rally against the occupation.) Now, al-Sadr seems to be playing his last card: attempting to bring down the Maliki governement. But as even the AP concludes, that's not likely. With al-Sadr out of the way, the Iraqi goverment may now be able to start making progress with Sunni's more inclined to come aboard.

I also don't understand why the return of the Mahdi Army to the streets of Bahgdad would be a bad thing. Their strategy up to this point has been to lay low, awaiting the eventual surrender of the Democrats. Wouldn't their return to the streets give us the opportunity to rid them of the community once and for all? Of course it would, so don't expect the APs prediction of the much vaunted Mahdi Army to return to the battle any time soon, they're not that stupid.

One other note of interest are the demands of al-Sadr for the Maliki governement to set deadlines for the withdrawl of American forces. It seems al-Sadr and the Democrats have the same goal: the defeat of American forces in Iraq. The only difference is al-Sadr isn't afraid to come right out a say it.

Conspiracy Crackpots

2007-04-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! lays it on the conspriacy theorists, especially the Truthers and Rosie O'Donnell. He discusses the Lunar Landing, JFK assassination, airliner contrails, and last but not least the Truthers. I really liked this line about Rosie:

Rosie O’ Donnell making such a claim on a major network is a national disgrace. The fact that much of the audience cheered and applauded is nothing less than a national catastrophe.
To her, and to her audience, it is taken as granted that the government is capable of such things. As if “the government” was operated by cyborgs grown in Haliburton vats, rather than by well-meaning and patriotic people that love this country.

"This is the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel," she said. This is a statement of such pristine and perfect idiocy that it surely must be emblazoned in stone across the entrance to the Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History. But mastery of physics and engineering requires some intelligence, some perseverance and some discipline: none of which are in evidence in this buffoon. Everything is a conspiracy to a mind this far gone. The 15 British sailors kidnapped at sea? All a plan by our evil (but incompetent!) government to get the next war it so desperately needs. “Gulf of Tonkin! Google It, people!” she said on national TV.
And I will, Rosie. I promise. As soon as I finish googling MAD COW DISEASE.

Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History? I love it. (via Michelle Malkin.)

They Know The Real Enemy

2007-04-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here's a pretty good piece of satire from Transterrestrial Musings (via the Instapundit.) My favorite part:

Speaker Pelosi agreed. "It's one thing to meet with a peace-loving world leader like Bashar al-Assad, or President Ahmadinejad," she said. "It's another to meet with a theocratic warmonger like George Bush. If we dignify his illegitimate regime with a negotiation, how will we ever build international pressure against him, and end his imperialistic ambitions?"

Tee-hee. It been said many times, if the Democrats put as much energy into defeating our real enemies abroad as they do into defeating Bush here at home, the war would have already been won.

Message Received

2007-04-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

“Evacuate all houses in the area around the Americans’ base for we shall attack it soon… Those occupiers will soon be gone from this land. Who will protect you then?”

These were roughly the words in a leaflet the “mujahideen” distributed in Adhamiya a few days ago. A distant relative who lives there received one.

That's the beginning of a post by Omar Fadhil of Iraq the Model. It's clear that the "mujahideen" has gotten the message that the democrats are sending loud and clear: We're leaving, you win.

It's amazing enough that our enemy telegraphs their strategy, but quite disgusting that the Democrats are willing to go along with it. Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) knows no bounds, not even the deliberate defeat of your own country.

Why I Love Photoshop

2007-04-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Just look at this photo courtesy The Corner via Bill Bennett.

All According To Plan

2007-03-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

I see another member of al-Queda is claiming torture at Guantanamo:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A suspected Saudi terrorist told a military hearing that he was tortured into confessing that he was involved in the bombing of the USS Cole, according to a Pentagon transcript released Friday.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent, said he made up stories that tied him to the 2000 Cole attack, which killed 17 U.S. sailors and nearly succeeded in sinking the $1 billion destroyer in Aden harbor, Yemen.

"From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me. It happened during interviews. One time they tortured me one way, and another time they tortured me in a different way," al-Nashiri said, according to the transcript. "I just said those things to make the people happy. They were very happy when I told them those things."

Gee, what a surprise considering this is part of their training!

Look for the useful idiots, lead by that intellectual giant Rosie O'Donnell, to pick this one up and run with it. And then enemies such as the Iranian mullahs will talk about how well they're treating their British "guest" compaired to the evil Americans.

Oh The Humanity!!

2007-03-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

No wonder they hate us.

Guantanamo Bay - "War on terror" detainees at Guantanamo are avid Harry Potter readers and eagerly await the next book in the series featuring the schoolboy wizard, the camp librarian says.

While religion tops the reading lists of the overwhelmingly Muslim detainees, Harry Potter was a big favourite, said the chief librarian at the US-run prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(via Michelle Malkin.)

What next, Korans for everybody and culturally sensative meals? Oh, never mind.

What Do The Troops Think?

2007-03-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Well, now that the Democrat Congress has officially voted for retreat and defeat, what do the troops think? Blackfive asked the question and sums up the responses:

Previously, I had asked for and received a lot of email from troops around the world (but mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan) about the Democrat resolutions for retreat...especially, in the face of the surge and a new Commanding General that the Democrats unamimously approved of...
I haven't received one troop email that supports the Democrat position of cut and run.

Needless to say, the troops (which the democrats claim to support) are pretty disgusted, especially given the fact that notable improvements are occuring with the new leadership of General Petraus. But, the democrats are so heavily invested in the defeat of our country (George W. Bush in their eyes) they must turn their predictions of defeat into a self fulfilling prophecy. They've been claiming defeat for so long they must now insure that that happens.

Vileness at the Huff

2007-03-27T14:18:00.000-05:00

I read today with heavy heart that Tony Snow is going to have to battle cancer once again. Tony Snow has always been one of my favorites and I was one of people cheering when he decided to take the job as White House Press Secretary. So, after saying a prayer for his recovery I turned my attention to The Huffington Post. After all of the vile comments wishing Dick Cheney had been killed in an assassination attempt and the uproar that followed, I wanted to see how the Huff would handle this one. Alas, it didn't take long to find the vile hatred that consumes so much of the Left these days. Here's a pleasant chap named Charles Karel Bouley and some of what he had to say:

I admit my bias shows with these stories. I hear about Tony Snow and say to myself, well, stand up every day, lie to the American people at the behest of your dictator-esque boss and well, how could a cancer NOT grow in you. Work for Fox News, spinning the truth in to a billion knots and how can your gut not rot? I know, it's terrible. I admit it. I don't wish anyone harm, even Tony Snow. And I do hope he recovers or at least does what he feels is best and surrounds himself with friends and family for his journey. But in the back of my head there's Justin Timberlake's "What goes around, goes around, comes around, comes all the way back around, ya.."

Thank goodness he makes it clear he hopes Tony recovers.

What is it with these people and their hatred? It is well known that in a town of cut throat ruthlessness, Tony Snow is one of the genuinely nice guys. Widely admired and even liked by the Washington Press Corp, some of the most jaded people on Earth. But to the Left, because you disagree with his political viewpoints you think cancer should be a natural occurrence? And the Right is supposed to be the one dividing the country, spreading hatred, and intolerant? Go figure.

R.I.P., Larry "Bud" Melman

2007-03-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

Calvert Deforest, better known as Larry "Bud" Melman from the David Letteran show, has passed away. He was 85.

Here's one of his classic skits (via American Spectator) handing out hot towels at a bus station. This is back when Letterman used to be funny.

I can remember watching Letterman as a kid and I always loved his show. It's a shame he's such a ass now, but nothing stays the same. Larry "Bud" Melman was always one of my favorites because I never could tell if he was an actor doing a skit or just an ordinary guy. Of course, he was an ordinary guy and seemed like a sweet fellow with a great since of humor.

See you on the other side "Bud" and thanks for the laughs.

This Just In...

2007-03-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

Administration grows a pair:

If subpoenas are issued damanding White Houe aides testify on the firing of eight former U.S. attorneys, then President Bush will have no choice but to withdraw his offer to have his staff meet with congressionial lawmakers informally, Press Secretary Tony Snow said Wednesday.

I'm no fan of Gonzales, and I think this whole affair has been handled ham-handedly. However, there doesn't appear to be an wrong doing on the part the White House and it's nice to see them finally stand up to the Democrats bullying. If the Administration doesn't stand-up for itself now in the face of the Democrats strategy of throwing mud at President Bush for the next two years, it never will. They've got to nip this in the bud, now.

I think the Democrats are making a mistake in picking this fight, but the media has blown this thing so out of purportion they almost have no choice but to persue it. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out with the Democrats and the media going full bore against the President. Personally I'd like nothing more than to see Pat Leahy lose this one big time. My sentiments about Leahy are in line with Cheney's when he told him to go "f*** yourself."

Mathews Not Completely Nuts

2007-03-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

Chris Matthews is a blow hard who has an unhealthy obsession with Dick Cheney. But in this piece by Stephen Spruiell of the Media Blog, Matthews shows he hasn't completely gone nuts. I love the last line:

...Paul Krugman, struck dumb, assumed the kind of look a dog might get if you tried to teach it how to light a cigar[.]

Now that's a funny line.

Killer Confesses, Left Frets

2007-03-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Anne Applebaum laments that fact the confession by Khalid Sheik Mohammed to masterminding the attacks of September 11th along with many other terrorists attacks was greeted by the "world" with skepticism and indifference because of the suppossed tactics used to get the confession:

Here is one thing nobody predicted back in 2003: that when the notorious Mohammed eventually stood before a Guantanamo Bay military tribunal and took responsibility for not only for the Sept. 11 attacks, the deadliest crime ever carried out on American soil, but also for the horrific death of the journalist Daniel Pearl and some two dozen other operations, the world would greet the confessions with skepticism and indifference.

Well, guess what, Anne: I don't give a damn what France, or Germany, or even England thinks. The information gathered from Mohammed most certainly prevented more attacks and saved many more lives. It's a crying shame when liberals such as Applebaum seem to care a hell of a lot more about what the "world" thinks of us than potentially saving thousands of innocenct lives. She can take a long walk off a short pier as far as I'm concerned.

Even the Times Can't Ignore It

2007-03-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

The New York Times, yes the New York Times, today runs an article critical of Al Gore and his global warming hyperventilating. You know the wheels are about to fall off when the Times starts running stories critical of the global warming crusaders. My favorite part:

Other critics have zeroed in on Mr. Gore’s claim that the energy industry ran a “disinformation campaign” that produced false discord on global warming. The truth, he said, was that virtually all unbiased scientists agreed that humans were the main culprits. But Benny J. Peiser, a social anthropologist in Britain who runs the Cambridge-Conference Network, or CCNet, an Internet newsletter on climate change and natural disasters, challenged the claim of scientific consensus with examples of pointed disagreement.
“Hardly a week goes by,” Dr. Peiser said, “without a new research paper that questions part or even some basics of climate change theory,” including some reports that offer alternatives to human activity for global warming.
Geologists have documented age upon age of climate swings, and some charge Mr. Gore with ignoring such rhythms.
“Nowhere does Mr. Gore tell his audience that all of the phenomena that he describes fall within the natural range of environmental change on our planet,” Robert M. Carter, a marine geologist at James Cook University in Australia, said in a September blog. “Nor does he present any evidence that climate during the 20th century departed discernibly from its historical pattern of constant change.”
In October, Dr. Easterbrook made similar points at the geological society meeting in Philadelphia. He hotly disputed Mr. Gore’s claim that “our civilization has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this” threatened change.
Nonsense, Dr. Easterbrook told the crowded session. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts, he said, were up to “20 times greater than the warming in the past century.”
Getting personal, he mocked Mr. Gore’s assertion that scientists agreed on global warming except those industry had corrupted. “I’ve never been paid a nickel by an oil company,” Dr. Easterbrook told the group. “And I’m not a Republican.”

Ouch! I've always been fascinated with the weather and have been skeptical of the claim that global warming is caused by humans. I don't doubt we play a factor in some shape, form, or fashion -- but how much is of course the 64 Million Dollar Question. Unfortunetly the debate has become too politicized and so much money is at stake for research, that many claims by scientists with a vested interest in proving the existence of man-made global warming are dubious at best. We simply do not understand enough about how our atmosphere works to make such unequivocal conclusions.

It appears as though Al Gore may have reached his high water mark with his Oscar for An Inconvient Truth. When global warming's True Believers start viewing skeptics as the equivalent of Holocaust deniers, thankfully that's when cooler heads begin to prevail.

Kudos to the New York Times for this fine article, something I don't get to say often enough.

Miller Time

2007-03-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of Dennis Miller. While a lot of people don't find him very funny, he's always tickled my funny bone. I like a comedian with wit and brains. Here he is taking it to one of the dimmest bulbs in Hollywood, Rosie O'Donnell.

My favorite line:

If we want to check Ramney al-Kaboom because he took 4 bomb cook books out in a month all of the sudden it’s wrong.

"Ramney al-Kaboom," classic Miller. Rosie tries trotting out one of Ben Franklin's most misquoted lines, "If you sacrifice liberty for perceived security you don’t deserve either" (her words, poor grammar and all.) But as somebody notes in the comments section, Franklin's full quote is actually "Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security." Those few words make a big difference in his meaning. It's almost as bad as the bogus quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Sorry, he never said it. Oh well, I've never accused liberals of not being afraid of putting their ignorance on display.

Local Hero Honored

2007-02-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

U.S. Army PFC Branden Cummings was laid to rest yesterday. It is because of brave, unselfish, dedicated men like Branden Cummings that we can enjoy the freedom and liberty which, all too often, we take for granted. If you would like, you can leave a note of thanks to his family.

RIP Braden, and thank you for your bravery and sacrifice.

Tornado Damage

2007-02-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

I went golfing yesterday and saw some of the damage done by the Groundhog Day tornadoes in New Smyrna Beach. I've never seen an area damage by a tornado before, and everything they say is true. The randomness of the damage is fascinating. One house untouched, while his neighbor has all of his windows blown out. The area was where an F1 came through, so I can only imagine the damage further west where an F3 touched down. Tree's were twisted and snapped like twigs and you could see where the debris had damaged the golf course by tearing up the ground as it flew through the air. Mother Nature can humble you very quickly and I felt great empathy for the people that went through it. Luckily, in this area, nobody lost their lives. I hope I never have to go through what these people must have, it was most certainly a terrifying experience.

Here's a link to a page at the National Weather Service in Melbourne for a summary of the tornadoes paths and damage. Pretty interesting stuff.

Savings Rate Misleading

2007-02-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

If you're out there Jim Nauseum, I thought you might find this interesting:

Personal Saving Rate Is A Misleading Indicator

Enjoy!

Geez, 4 Months!

2007-02-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

Has it been four months? I guess I'd better post something and see if my interest is rekindled.

Still Hate Polls

2006-10-18T18:59:00.000-05:00

This post from the Washington Post's blog The Fix reminds me of why I don't like polls. It suggest, citing polls, the Democrat base is fired up: It reads in part:

The most striking finding in the Pew poll was the comparisons between Democratic and Republican energy levels in the last midterm election year and today. In 2002, 40 percent of Democrats said they were enthusiastic about voting in the fall while 44 percent of Republicans said the same thing. Four years later, 51 percent of Democrats said they were enthused while just 33 percent of Republicans said the same.

This is one of the reasons I hate polls. If I were polled and asked whether I was "enthusiastic" to vote or not, I'd say "not." Does that mean I'm not going to vote? No. I'm not happy about a lot of things the Republicans have and haven't accomplished, but that certainly doesn't mean I'm doing to sit it out and suffer the consequences. I suspect that most of the Republican base feels the same.

Anger Managment Might Help

2006-10-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

I received an email for John Kerry yesterday titled: Stay In Their Face! That's basically what they've got to work with, anger. Has anger ever won an election? I've always thought the best way to win people over was with optimism, hope, and inspiration. Who the hell wants to be angry all the time? But alas, that appears to be what the base of the Democrat Party is all about today. Will it work? Who knows, but if it does I don't see how turning all of that anger into action can be good for the country. I guess I forgot that it's President Bush supposedly dividing the country, how silly of me.

Polls, Polls, And More Polls

2006-10-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

Most political junkies love polls -- I hate them. So much polling is done any more that the polls seem to drive the news rather than the other way around. You have a policy you want to find support for? You can have a poll done to do just that.

Having said that, I notice that the liberal flagship blog Daily Kos is flush with polls. Of course there are plenty of conservative blogs that track polls closely such as my favorite, RealClearPolitics, but at Daily Kos it seems they are constantly sighting this poll of that poll to reflect what they believe to be true. Granted, Kos himself usually adds a preface to his posts indicating he is still pessimistic about the election despite what the polls say. He’s been wrong so many election cycles I don’t blame him for being gun shy.

Jim Geraghty at TKS has an interesting discussion about the accuracy of modern day polling (keep scrolling, there are several posts.) With the rapid increase of cell phones and many homes going without a land-line altogether, just how accurate are polls anymore? Who are the people that answer the polls? Are they answering honestly? What are the demographics? It’s a fascinating discussion and as the electronic revolution continues the dynamics of polling will have to adapt in order to provide accurate information.

For my part I’ve been polled one time, and will never do it again. It takes entirely too long and as it drug on I became less interested and therefore was paying less attention to what they were asking. I tend to believe that most people who vote regularly such as myself would probably have the same reaction. This years election will be interesting to watch and see to what degree the polling is accurate. If the polls are not even close and the Democrat Tidal Wave doesn’t happen, the KosKidz are going to have to be put on suicide watch.

Lessons Not Learned

2006-10-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

I've always been perplexed by the Democrats insistence on repeating our defeat in Vietnam. I know they hate George W. Bush and have never gotten over their defeat in 2000, maybe even their lose of Congress in 1994. However, even taking their bitterness into consideration, what kind of pathology drives you to advocate a policy of defeat when history so vividly reminds you of the consequences? Here's an example of that history from Michael Rubin at The Corner:

The Ghosts of Defeat [Michael Rubin]

Realists exist in a freeze-frame reality—blind to the long-term consequence of cold, calculating, short-term decisions. Several argue for a pull-out from Iraq. Discussions of time tables and phases are mere spin for withdrawal. It’s too easy to forget or ignore the human costs of such a decision, or the sense of betrayal which we telegraph around the world. In his history of the 1970s, my colleague David Frum relates the story of Sirik Matak, whom the US embassy in Phnom Penh offered to evacuate as the Khmer Rouge closed in on the city. Matak refused, writing this letter to the US ambassador. It should be a must read for the “abandon Iraq” crowd:
Dear Excellency and Friend,
I thank you very sincerely for your letter and for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection, and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under this sky. But, mark it well, that if I shall die here on this spot and in my country that I love, it is no matter, because we all are born and must die. I have only committed the mistake of believing you.
The Khmer Rouge shot Matak in the stomach. He took three days to die.

History also teaches us that our abandonment of the South Vietnamese led to the death of hundreds of thousands innocent Vietnamese and Cambodians. It was also a complete and utter humiliation for our military and led ultimately to the feckless presidency of Jimmy Carter, which in turn emboldened our enemies around the world and more humiliation at the hands of the Iranians during the hostage crisis until finally Ronald Reagan (RIP) rode into office and restored a sense of pride and courage in our great nation once again.

Today's Democrats can't see beyond their hatred of George W. Bush and their thirst for power, leading them to openly root for our defeat in Iraq while leaving the fate of millions of innocents, once again, to be brutalized at the hands of a ruthless enemy. This is the face of the Democrat policy on Iraq, and I strongly suggest to anybody who believes the Republicans deserve to lose and is going to sit out this election, please think again.

As Opposed To Behind The Bush?

2006-10-12T14:06:00.000-05:00

What Not to Wear in Front of Bush

Things Are Gonna Change, I Can Feel It

2006-10-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

This is an classic example of why liberals are disappointed again and again the day after elections:

As I mentioned before, I'm in Connecticut again. Kos, sitting in nice sunny Berkeley, has it right - this campaign just feels better, it feels like there's momentum behind it. That doesn't always mean that this impression is correct, but politics is more about feel than one might think.

This is a classic combination of the echo chamber and liberals natural inclination to judge everything by ones "feelings." At least he throws in the token CYA of he may not be right, but dammit it just feels right. I have no doubt that Joe Leiberman will win reelection easily, and once again left in it's wake will be the KosKidz wondering how they could lose when everybody they know voted for Lamont. Simply being the loudest does not make you right, nor the majority.

What's That Word? Chutzpah?

2006-10-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

Now this is rich:

WASHINGTON -- Democrats seized on North Korea's brazen act to criticize President Bush's record in confronting the communist regime, contending the administration's focus on Iraq ignored legitimate threats.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the president's rival in 2004 and a potential 2008 candidate, assailed Bush's policy as a "shocking failure," and said, "While we've been bogged down in Iraq where there were no weapons of mass destruction, a madman has apparently tested the ultimate weapon of mass destruction."

So let me see if I've got this straight: because we're in Iraq, that allowed North Korea to develop The Bomb? That makes absolutely no sense. I guess if we weren't in Iraq, we could maybe follow a policy of signing an agreement and building nuclear power plants for them? Oh wait, we already did that and it's the exact reason "Me So Ronery" Kim Jong Il now has the bomb (possibly.)

Democrats have simply gotten so used to blaming Bush for everything that they say stupid things like this and nobody bats an eye. I sure hope Kerry runs again in 2008, he's non-stop material.

On another note, read the entire article linked above so you can gather such nuggets of liberal wisdom such as this from the unbiased, straight-down-the-middle Seattle-Intelligencer:

In the nearly five years since Bush labeled North Korea part of an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq, Kim Jong Il's government has withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, announced it has nuclear weapons, refused to return to six-nation talks and launched seven missiles into the Sea of Japan, including a long-range Taepodong-2.

You see, it's all Bush's fault!

Foleygate, Revisisted

2006-10-10T12:38:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for the whole Foleygate thing to settle down before commenting on what I thought the fallout wil be. Things were moving so fast with one new revelation after another, frankly even I couldn't keep up. If you want the details I would suggestion visiting Gateway Pundit for the low down (he's got all the inside stuff.)

Enough time has passed and the results are coming in, and they don't look good. That being said, I still think there is more at play here than simply reading the polls. I've picked up a vibe from conservatives that the whole episode has generated some motivation among the base. I wouldn't expect that to show up in the polls, so I'm still taking them with a grain of salt. The polls, I think, reflect the general attitude of people such as those that work in my office. They seem to get their news from The Daily Show and of course are clueless about the details of the story. For instance, they think that Denny Hastert knew of the lurid IMs, when in reality it was the emails Hastert knew about. That's probably neither here nor there, because I don't think any of them vote Republican anyway. But I do believe they probably reflect the general population represented in the polls.

So, the bottom line is that it certainly has caused some problems, but I believe there is still time to motivate the base that so desperately wants to be motivated. The story seems to have dropped a little too early and events such as North Korea's nuclear test pushed the Foley story off the front pages and reminded people of the dangerous world we live in (damn that Karl Rove is good.) Remember Gary Condit? He was front page news on September 10, 2001. Enough said. Also, another reality not reflected in the polls is the superiority of the GOPs Get Out The Vote (GOTV) effort. It is time to see how effective Ken Mehlman's machine can be.

Time and events will tell, but there is no doubt that it'll be tough going for the next few weeks.

Tolerance, The Liberal Way

2006-10-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, Babs, a model of tolerence, love, and peace. During a concert in which she was performing a skit portraying President Bush as a "bumbling idiot" (gee, that's original), some in the audience, after shelling out big bucks, were none to please. Babs response?

"Shut the **** up! Shut up if you can't take a joke!"

Nice. They love to dish it out, but they just can't take it. Actually, I was surprised that people in the audience weren't just lapping it up. Considering how well her radical views are known, it's surprising that anybody who doesn't agree with her in lock-step would give her money. Oh well, I guess they got just what they deserve.

Hastert Not Hasert

2006-10-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

Ooops.

Should Hasert Resign?

2006-10-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

I'm perplexed by the Washington Times' call for Denny Hasert to resign as Speaker of the House. The meat of their argument:

Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois, the Republican chairman of the House Page Board, said he learned about the Foley e-mail messages "in late 2005." Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the leader of the Republican majority, said he was informed of the e-mail messages earlier this year. On Friday, Mr. Hastert dissembled, to put it charitably, before conceding that he, too, learned about the e-mail messages sometime earlier this year. Late yesterday afternoon, Mr. Hastert insisted that he learned of the most flagrant instant-message exchange from 2003 only last Friday, when it was reported by ABC News. This is irrelevant. The original e-mail messages were warning enough that a predator -- and, incredibly, the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children -- could be prowling the halls of Congress. [emphasis mine]

If the initial emails weren't enough to raise even the hackles of liberal newspapers such as the St. Petersburg Times or the Miami Herald, they were supposed to be "warning enough" for Denny Hasert to launch an investigation? The Washington Times dismisses the differences between the emails and the IMs as "irrelevant"? If Rep. Hasert launched an investigation into every such matter concerning questionable behavior of a fellow Representative, the House would be one big non-stop investigation of itself.

So far, I've seen nothing that indicates the House Leadership knew anything more than the contents of the original email. Could you imagine the uproar from liberals if they had launched such an investigation of Rep. Foley, long known inside the beltway as a homosexual, based soley on such ambiguous emails. Liberal would have been screaming "homophobia" at the top of their lungs. They would have accused Hasert of painting all homosexuals as pedophiles.

With everything we now know, I not only hope that Denny Hasert doesn't resign, but I hope he digs his heels in and fights back. There have been some pretty ugly accusations tossed in his direction, including covering for a known pedophile. That is not something you should take lying down Mr. Speaker.

UPDATE: Mark Levin at The Corner makes some good points along the same lines that I believe I'm following here. Of course he's much clearer and better spoken on the matter than I, but then again I'm only about half as smart as he is. Also notice the mature discourse displayed by conservatives on this matter in contrast to the... ah, you know.

UPDATE II: Investor's Business Daily appears to be the first to call into question the timing of Foleygate and questions about what did "Democrats know, and when did they know it?" As the story continues to unfold, it should begin to become clear that the Democrats will have quite a bit to answer for as well. This is politics at it's dirtiest and the only way for the Republicans to fight back is, sadly enough, to get down and dirty with 'em.

Foley, Foley, And More Foley

2006-10-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

The left side of the blogosphere is going absolutely nutso about the Foley resignation. As of this writing, seven of the last twelve post in KosLand has been about Foley. It's pretty clear that Foley is a sick perv who got exactly what he deserved. The real question surrounds what the House leadership knew and when they knew it. Of course the left has already decided that it's a clear cut case and Denny Hasert and the entire House leadership should be run out of town on a rail. The facts, or lack thereof, of course tell a more ambiguous story.

I'll let those facts shake out before passing judgement. I've always been apathetic towards Denny Hasert as Speaker of the House. He seems like a nice guy, and as a former teacher if he really knew the perversity of Foley's exploits I have a hard time believing he would simply look the other way.

As far as the possible fallout and impact this story has on the elections, I don't see a lot to it. Of course that could change if it turns out that the House leadership was complacent in the matter, but as of now I don't see it. The story involves sex, so of course the press will cover it in the most sensationalist fashion possible. And right now the dems are taking full advantage of the situation, which of course I don't blame them for doing. In the end, however, I suspect once again they'll over-play their hand on this, because they have nothing else to offer, and within a week or so barring any further incriminating developments it'll be back to business as usual as we head down the home stretch leading to the November elections.

To be continued...

UPDATE: I found this headline from ABC News blog, the Blotter, very interesting:

E-mails Show Foley Sought Rendezvous with Page

My understanding is that there are two completely different issues between emails and Instant Messages. The emails, while creepy, are not explicit and didn't warrant any disciplinary action against Foley. The IMs, on the other hand, are perverse and may land Foley in jail. It's a very sloppy piece written as if they want to blur the line and confuse the story. Big surprise? NOT!

Bush Blast With Both Barrels

2006-09-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

President Bush is a master at lower expectations and sandbagging his opponents. Many times persons like me find ourselves criticizing him for not fighting back, only to find out later he was letting his opponents climb further out on the limb before he starts the cutting. Well, he's at it again with this blistering speech at a funder raiser in Alabama yesterday. A little taste:

Some Democrats in Congress say that we should not be fighting the terrorists in Iraq; it was a mistake to go into Iraq in the first place. I believe these Democrats need to answer a simple question: Do they really believe that we would be better off if Saddam Hussein were still in power? In a recent interview, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee was asked this very question. And his answer was, yes, yes, and, yes.
If this is what the Democrats think, they need to make this case to the American people: They need to make the case that the world would be better off it Saddam Hussein were still in power.
[snip]
After the attacks of September the 11th, it became clear that the United States of America must confront threats before they come and hurt us. Saddam Hussein's regime was a serious threat, a risk the world could not afford to take. America, Iraqis, and the world are safer because Saddam Hussein is not in power. (Applause.)
In a recent series of speeches, I made it clear that we're in the early hours of a long struggle for civilization. I have made it clear that we're in the ideological struggle of the 21st century. I've also made it clear that the safety of the American people depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.
I strongly believe that Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. The Democrats may not think so, but Osama bin Laden does. Here are the words of bin Laden, "I now address... the whole... Islamic nation: Listen and understand... The most... serious issue today for the whole world is this Third World War... [that] is raging in [Iraq]." He calls it "a war of destiny between infidelity and Islam." He says, "The whole world is watching this war," and that it will end in "victory and glory or misery and humiliation."
For al Qaeda, Iraq is not a distraction from their war on America, it is a central battlefield where there's -- outcome of the struggle will be decided.
The NIE I quoted earlier says this about Iraq. It said, "Perceived jihadist success there," in Iraq, "would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere. It also says that "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."
Democrats in Washington have been quoting the NIE a lot in recent days, but you don't hear them quoting that part of the document. The Democrats can't have it both ways. Either they believe that Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror or they agree with the intelligence community and the terrorists themselves that the outcome of Iraq is important in the war on terror. Truth is, the Democrats are using the NIE to mislead the American people and justify their policy of withdrawal from Iraq.
[snip]
The stakes in this war are high, and so are the stakes this November. Americans face the choice between two parties with two different attitudes on this war on terror. Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on American homeland in our history, the Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction, and endless second-guessing. The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut-and-run. (Applause.)

That last part will have Democrats in full purple-face rage. More Mr. President, please.

Dems, Follow These Men

2006-09-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

Senators Leahy, Kerry, Feingold, and Dodd, that is. They're up in arms over the terrorist detainee legislation which passed the House yesterday and is now before the Senate. Nothing would be better for the Republicans than for the Democrats to get behind these Senators in their quest for bestowing the right of habeus corpus upon terrorist being held at Club Gitmo. Liberals cheered when the Supreme Court ruled the military tribunals proposed by the Bush Administration unconstitutional. Now, though, they have to deal with the reality of coming up with a solution themselves. Gee, things get a little harder when you actually have to come up with ideas as opposed to just heaping non-stop criticism.

That's My Niece!

2006-09-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

This is an article about my niece, Laura. She helped pass a law in New Jersey that allows students to opt out of dissecting animals, without penalty, as required in some classes. Apparently there are other methods that can be substituted. Good for her. Towards the end of the article you learn she's working to start a Young Republicans Club. Brains, looks, personality, Republican! Oh, sorry, a button just bounced off my screen. And by the way, big brother is a Marine. A big thumbs-up to my sister, Karen.

Ahhh, Is That It?

2006-09-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

Now that portions of the NIE have been declassified and we get to see the key conclusions, we can make a few conclusions for ourselves.

First, if this is representative of what the intelligence community is generating, we're in big trouble. There is absolutely nothing of substance in the document. A lot of "if's" and "maybe's" and nothing more. Second, it is clear that the information leaked to the New York Times was cherry picked to put the Administration in the worst possible light and the New Yorks Times ate it up without a single critical thought. The New York Times has abandoned any pretence of objectivity and is nothing more than an extension of the Democrat Party and should be viewed as such. And lastly, the Democrats have once again demonstrated they can not to be taken seriously when it comes to fighting the War on Terror (a phrase which I despise by the way.)

In the end, this is a big todo about nothing. The report is from April, tells us nothing new (other than our intelligence agencies remain inept,) and within a week will be forgotten. Next.

UPDATE: I forgot to add that with the Democrats demanding the President Bush release the NIE in it's entirety, it proves they don't like the results of Bush calling their bluff. They know perfectly well that the President won't declassify the document, so now they can run around blabbing about how the President isn't being honest with the American people. They're not serious about this, they simply want cover for the fecklessness.

Stepping In It

2006-09-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

The Democrats are going to regret jumping on the leaked information from the NEI. Now that President Bush has order it's declassification we will get the complete picture. This was nothing more than a political hit job by President Bush's enemies within the intelligence community.

Nancy Pelosi's request for a rare closed-door secret session to discuss the analysis is a sure sign of panic. In their zeal to denounce Bush and the Iraq War they once again put their complete unseriousness and pure partisanship regarding the War on Terrorism on display for everyone to see. They simply are not serious and cannot be trusted with the defense of the this country.

Now, let's get to bottom of who continues to leak classified information to the The New York Times and start prosecuting theses people to the fullest extent of the law.

Fighting Enemies Makes Them Mad

2006-09-25T14:10:00.000-05:00

This just in, fighting your enemies makes them mad. Much is being made of the latest National Intelligence Estimate in which it states that our invasion of Iraq has help create more terrorists. Let's put aside the fact that, once again, classified information is being leaked in an effort to undermine the Bush Administration, and look at the logic of the Democrats criticism. I think Neal Bortz has the perfect analogy. He ask us to think about the Civil Rights movement and about how that helped recruitment for the Klan. Does that mean that it was wrong? Of course not, and it doesn't make any more sense in the case of Iraq.

Islamists had been gaining momentum from the time of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Iran through the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole and ultimately 9/11. The latest National Intelligence Estimate appears to view terrorism as a threat that began with the invasion of Iraq in 2003, ignoring the history of the Islamist movement. Judging by the reactions of the Democrats, they want to go back to what we were doing on September 10th, 2001 -- nothing.

The Wagging Finger

2006-09-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

When was the last time I saw Bill Clinton wagging his finger in indignation? Hmmm... Oh, yeah, when he was lying through his teeth to the American people about the whole sordid Lewenski affair. Now he's wagging it again complaing about the "right wingers" criticism of his less than agressive approach to capturing or killing Osama.

Look, nobody took terrorism seriously enough from Jimmy Carter through George W. Bush's first eight months in office. Mistakes were made and the threat was underestimated. Frankly, I don't really care much about pointing the finger of blame as much as I care about making sure we don't make those same mistakes again. Clintons outrage, much the same as his protest concerning the ABC miniseries Path to 9/11, does nothing more than draw attention to his abysmal record on fighting terrorism during his eight years in office. By attempting to rewrite history in an effort to salvage his "legacy," he's only undermining himself.

Mr. President, my advice to you concerning this matter is to follow the words of the immortable Sergeant Hulka, "Lighten up Francis."

Osama Dead... Again

2006-09-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

Here we go with another report that Osama bin Laden is dead. Of course nobody believes these reports anymore when they come out. I almost convinced myself that he was dead up to the 2004 election, but when he reappeared just before the election I learned my lesson.

It's curious that this news comes out a few weeks before a new rumored video message from Osama is to appear. This has to do with the chatter that another, spectacular, attack is to occur sometime during Ramadan of this year. We shall see within the next few weeks.

Personally I'd like nothing better for this rat bastard to die of typhoid in some dark, damp, cave, in the hills of Pakistan. Nothing would be better than to deny him the supposed glory of having died as a martyr.

Kos Speaks on Chavez

2006-09-22T13:12:00.000-05:00

Well, Kos has finally commented on the Chavez kerfuffle (TM James Taranto) and has this to say: Move along, nothing to see here. The Anchoress is not amused and takes the Democrats and their Kos minions to task for enabling such nonsense:

There are some on the left who are suggesting that Hugo Chavez’s remarks are simply an indicator that the world “disrespects” President Bush…well…I wonder who gave them the idea that they could? Was it John Kerry calling him a “fucking liar,” and not having to answer for that rudeness to anyone while the press shrugged it off? Good heavens, Bush calls terrorism “evil” and he was mocked and criticized for using that word, but the press never had a problem with “fucking liar, fucking crooks and thieves” or with adolescent musings about the president’s name and female genitalia. It was alllllll soooooo funnnnneeeeeee, newsreaders could hardly deliver the spite without grinning, themselves.

Please read the whole thing, she's on fire.

Saying Goodbye to the F-14

2006-09-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

The F-14 Tomcat is now officially retired. Growing up, I always loved the F-14. It was just a cool looking aircraft: twin engines, swept wings, huge ordnance capability. It was one bad mother. Of course it became immortalized in the movie Topgun, where everybody learned about fighter pilot culture and became familiar with cool call names such as Maverick, Iceman, and Goose.

It was one great plane that served it's country well. Thanks to the F-14 and all of the pilots it's served throughout the years.

(via The Corner)

Cartoon of the Day

2006-09-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

I got a kick out of this cartoon (via RealClearPolitics). While I do give credit to Reps Rangel and Pelosi for calling out Chavez, I get the feeling they're doing it more out of political expediency than authentic outrage. It certainly isn't helping them with their Netroots though. They made their bed by cozying up to the fringe, now they have to sleep in it.

Chavez for Prez!

2006-09-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

After listening to Hugo Chavez at the UN yesterday, I thought perhaps he was running for the Presidential nomination on the Democrat ticket. I mean, he was feeding them the red meat they so desire. He doesn't mince words, speaks truth to power, hates George W. Bush, and is a socialist - their perfect candidate!

But, now I see the responses coming in and it looks like even the Dems are not that dense. Even Charlie Rangle is defending the Prez for crying out loud! The only bulb dim enough to defend Chavez appears to be Sen. Harkin of Iowa (link down) which really isn't much of a surprise. There aren't many Senators more partisan than Harkin and he doesn't disappoint here.

Hugo Chavez did President Bush and John Bolton a great service yesterday, he exposed the UN as the worthless anti-American organization it is. Thanks Hugo! I'd also like to note that there is nary a word over and DailyKos about this embarassing episode for their beloved UN, there too busy continuing to try and paint Senator George Allen as a racist.

Oh, and by the way, Citgo is owned by Hugo Chavez. You may want to take that into consideration next time you fillup.

P.S. Chavez is the gift that just keeps giving. Here is Chavez this morning while touring Harlem:

Speaking while walking in a Harlem street, Chavez told a group of passers-by: "Bush is an alcoholic, a sick man with a lot of hang-ups."

"He walks like John Wayne," declared the left-wing Venezuelan leader. "He doesn't know anything about politics, he got there because of Daddy."

This is straight out of the Dem talking points. By all means Mr. Chavez, please continue on...

Blogging Continues

2006-09-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

OK, it's been way too long since my last entry. With the election rapidly approaching I'm going to make another effort with this thing. Having said that, now that football season has started, isn't it about time you starting blogging as well, Jim?

Olbermann Puff

2006-07-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

This puff piece by the New York Times on Keith Olbermann is what DailyKos characterized as Fox "feeling the heat from Olbermann". Here's a snippet of the "heat":

...Mr. Olbermann has managed to climb past CNN into second place in the news channel competition at 8 p.m. among that 25-to-54 group. That qualifies as a feat for MSNBC, though Mr. Olbermann’s show remains little more than a dot in the rearview mirror of Fox News.

A little more than a dot and the KosKids are dancing in the streets. Oh well, I guess you take what you can get. I admit to watching a bit more of Olbermann these days than I ever did before. Not for anything substantive, but for the mere entertainment of the nutiness. I don't find him funny in the slightest, but the material he covers on his show is a rabid Bush haters dream. It's not for everybody, but if you want to crawl inside the head of a nutty left winger, this is a good start.

News AP & Al Reuters Style

2006-07-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

AP and Reuters both report the same way on the video released of two soldiers tortured and murdered in Iraq. Here's the AP:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - An al-Qaida-linked group posted a Web video Tuesday purporting to show the mutilated bodies of two U.S. soldiers, claiming it killed them in revenge for the rape-slaying of a young Iraqi woman by American troops from the same unit.

And here's al-Reuters:

DUBAI (Reuters) - A group led by al Qaeda in Iraq released gruesome footage of two corpses it said were of U.S. soldiers killed in June, and dedicated the video to an Iraqi girl raped and shot dead by U.S. forces.

Obviously from this reporting the soldiers accused of rape and murder have already been found guilty by the AP and Reuters. To bad they don't give as much benifit of the doubt to our soldiers as they do to the terrorists. Oh yeah, to them one man's terrorist is another man freedom fighter.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

2006-06-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

You have got to be kidding me. According to this review from Libertas the new Superman stands for "truth, justice, and all that is good"!!!!!!! What the...? The rest of the review doesn't get any better. Bummer.

"New Direction" Is It?

2006-06-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

Nancy Pelosi, in an interview with USA Today outlines the Democrats strategy to win back Congress this fall:

WASHINGTON — Democratic House and Senate leaders are planning to reduce the cost of student loans and prescription drugs, raise the minimum wage and launch an effort to develop alternative fuels if they win back control of Congress.

Hmmmm... Nothing about the war? Nothing about immigration? They do mention this as part of their platform:

The agenda also calls for enacting recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, formed after the 2001 terror attacks, to boost national security and funding for it, and for eliminating about $18 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for oil companies. Pelosi said savings would go to develop alternative fuels.

That's what we call playing defense -- it's a complete loser. It took then this long to come up with this brillant plan (they've been promising to unviel their strategy since last year)? It's looking more and more like the Republicans are going to have an easier time retaining their majorities than was believed just a short time ago.

Roved Cleared, Moonbats Mourn

2006-06-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

A quick note about the reaction of the Moonbats to the news that Karl Rove will not be indicted. Here's a post from DailyKos today (via The Corner):

I don't think I've ever seen such a look of misery and dejection on the face of my daughter as I just did a moment ago. She just couldn't understand why the President would be going to Iraq when so many things are wrong in this country. "Doesn’t Mr. Bush care about us anymore?" she asked pitifully.

I sat down with her on the sofa and (as calmly as I could) tried to explain to her why the President seems to be abandoning his country. "Honey, I think his boss, Mr. Rove, sent Mr. Bush out of the country in order to keep himself out of the newspapers. You see, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be arrested today or not, and so he planned Mr. Bush’s trip ahead of time just in case...”

I tried to keep my voice steady, but it became increasingly difficult - the rage and feelings of helplessness were just too much. I think my daughter could tell something was wrong. I found myself at such a loss for words - nothing made any sense; nothing makes sense anymore. I finally had to admit, "Honey, I just don't know - I don't know what's going on in this country anymore..."

When I finished her lower lip started to tremble and her eyes began to fill with tears, "Daddy" she said, "why are the Republicans doing this to the country?" Well, that was it for me: I finally fell apart. She just fell into my arms and we both began sobbing for several minutes.

For once she had to comfort me and get me back on my feet. Sometimes I just think it's too much, but seeing the strength in my young daughter's voice helped me to get through.

Truly pathetic and hilarious at the same time.

After Long Hiatus

2006-06-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

To my loyal readers (hi Jim and Jim), sorry about the long period without any post. I was in the Keys for a week and work has been hell since returning. My boss suffered a minor heart attack while I was gone and needless to say things were a bit hectic for a while.

He's back to work now and things are returning to normal, so hopefully I can begin to post regularly again. There has been a lot going on in the world of politics and I've got plenty to say, so stay tuned.

In the mean time, I'm going to live blog Tropical Storm Alberto. Here it goes:

It rained some yesterday, and today. The end.

BDS At Its Worst

2006-05-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

Rep. John Murtha has become so infected with BDS that he is now accusing our Marines of killing innocent Iraqi women and children in cold blood. While the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, Murtha has already declared our Marines guilty and he blames Bush. What a disgrace. This man, a former Marine, is willing to believe the worst about our men and women in uniform and use it for political gain because of his hatred of Bush and his policies.

John Murtha: National Disgrace

UPDATE: Flopping Aces has a good run down of the details. This one is catching fire, expect to hear more about this.

Tony Snow Is The Man

2006-05-17T13:27:00.000-05:00

I meant to link to this video from Hotair.com of Tony Snow dealing with Helen Thomas yesterday, but have been busy. This is what we've been waiting for, somebody who actually puts the old moonbat in her place. Why she is still in the front row of these press conferences is beyond me. She's officially retired as a journalist and is now a sydicated columnist, so she neither deserves nor belongs there. Anywho, this is exactly what I expected from Tony Snow; it's a beautiful sight to behold. If you get a chance to catch the entire press conference on C-SPAN, it's well worth watching.

God Bless, Tony.

Good For A Laugh

2006-05-16T18:32:00.000-05:00

I missed this Screedblog from James Lileks earlier, and it's pretty funny. It's his version of what the letter from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. It begins:

Dear Infidel Crusader Zionist sock-puppet Saudi-lackey depoiler of Mesopotamia woman-touching pigdog fiendish (293 words excised) Shah-licking son of a toad’s offal: I trust this finds you well. I have much on my mind, and have taken the pen to unburden my breast. I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope should you wish to reply.

Lileks is always good for some levity when it's needed.

BDS At Work

2006-05-12T19:11:00.000-05:00

Some goofball adjuct professor from Boston College is resigning because Condoleezza Rice has been invited to give the commencement speech this year. He starts off by letting us know that he's not resigning in protest because he's against the Iraq War, it's something much deeper:

Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university and the Catholic and Jesuit traditions from which those values derive.

But I am not writing this letter simply because of an objection to the war against Iraq. My concern is more fundamental. Simply put, Rice is a liar.

He then he goes on to talk about... the Iraq War:

She has lied to the American people knowingly, repeatedly, often extravagantly over the past five years, in an effort to justify a pathologically misguided foreign policy.

The public record of her deceits is extensive. During the ramp-up to the Iraq war, she made 29 false or misleading public statements concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda, according to a congressional investigation by the House Committee on Government Reform.

He then rambles on about all of the supposed lying by the Secretary and finishes up with this:

Honestly, Father Leahy, what lessons do you expect her to impart to impressionable seniors?

That hard work in the corporate sector might gain them a spot on the board of Chevron? That they, too, might someday have an oil tanker named after them? That it is acceptable to lie to the American people for political gain? [...]

I would like to apologize to my students and prospective students. I would also urge them to investigate the words and actions of Rice, and to exercise their own First Amendment rights at her speech.

To have an oil tanker named after them? And they let this guy teach college students? If I went to BC, I'd want my money back. Also note how he exhorts his students to exercise their First Amendment rights at her speech, obviously inciting them to protest.

Hey professor, I have an idea. How about letting the mass majority of students and their families that are there to enjoy their graduation enjoy their graduation? A graduation ceremony is neither the time nor place to make it all about you and your politics. Grow up!

UPDATE: No sooner then I finished posting this I see that Michele Malkin has already posted about it as well (you'll have to scroll down.) I guess great minds DO think alike.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

2006-05-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

I've said all along that Tony Snow would be a great White House Press Secretary, and if this is any indication of what's to come, he won't disappoint.

Go Tony Go!

Well, Duh

2006-05-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

Howard Fineman writes today that Karl Rove (cue Darth Vader music) has a new strategy to help Republicans win election this fall, and it shocking, SHOCKING I TELL YOU: Fight Back.

The way I read the recent moves of Karl Rove & Co., they are preparing to wage war the only way open to them: not by touting George Bush, Lord knows, but by waging a national campaign to paint a nightmarish picture of what a Democratic Congress would look like, and to portray that possibility, in turn, as prelude to the even more nightmarish scenario: the return of a Democrat (Hillary) to the White House.

Rather than defend Bush, Rove will seek to rally the Republicans’ conservative grassroots by painting Democrats as the party of tax increases, gay marriage, secularism and military weakness. That’s where the national message money is going to be spent. [...]

Then there is the attention being paid — and it’s just starting — to obscure Democratic characters such as Rep. John Conyers of Michigan. As of now, only political junkies know that Conyers, an African-American and old-school liberal from Detroit, would become chairman of the Judiciary Committee if the Democrats regain control of the House. Few know that Conyers has expressed interest in holding hearings on the impeachment of the president.
But before this election season is over, Republican and conservative voters are going to know a lot about Conyers. To hear the GOP tell it, the impeachment of the president will be the number one priority if Conyers gets his say, which of course Rep. Nancy Pelosi will be only too happy to give him. The aim will be to rally The GOP Base with talk of a political Apocalypse.

I've written here in the past that despite Republicans short comings, a Democrat controlled Congress would be disasterous. They've made their agenda pretty clear that if they do win back control of Congress it will be nothing but two years of going after Bush with a vengence. They've also made it pretty clear that, well yes, they do want to raise taxes, push gay marriage, secularism, and bow at the mantel of the U.N. That Rove and Co. look to exploit this weakness is seen by Fineman as unseemly, apparently unlike the constant bashing the Dems pile upon Bush and the Republicans.

I don't believe you can win an election simply by not being the other guy, you have to have an agenda and some fresh ideas. There is still plenty of time for the Republicans to get their act together and show they've learned their lesson. Along with getting their act together and going forward with a positive agenda, there is absolutely nothing wrong with pointing out the inherent weakness of the oppositions "ideas." This is something Fineman fails to grasp.

Rummy Speaks

2006-05-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

A fascinating interview by Hugh Hewitt with Donald Rumsfield (via Radioblogger.) First:

HH: Is the American media doing a good job of covering the war in all of its facets?
DR: Oh, goodness gracious. You know, I'm not a judge and a jury. That's up for the American people to decide, and you know where they rank the media.
HH: Well, transformation has been a watch word of your tenure. But has the Pentagon's focus on the information war that's aimed at the American public undergone a similar transformation?
DR: Well, it has to. I can't say that it has, but there's no question. This is the first war that's ever been conducted, in the 21st Century, in an era of these new media realities, where you have the internet and 24 hour talk radio and news and bloggers and video cameras and digital cameras and instant communications worldwide. And the enemy understands that they can't win a battle out on the battlefield in Iraq or Afghanistan. The only place they can win a battle is in Washington, D.C. So they have media committees, and they get up in the morning and figure out how they're going to manipulate the American media, and they do a very skillful job.
HH: Against that backdrop, that's really what I wanted to focus on. Are the pressers like the sort you just concluded, ten minute interviews and an occasional Sunday show, sufficient for you and the military to get across not only the good news, but the bad news, the challenges, the strategy? Are you using last war techniques in the new war?
DR: To a certain extent, we are still using the old 20th century techniques. And we're trying to figure them out and adjust them, and adapt them to the 21st Century. But it's painfully slow. People get set in their ways, and it's a difficult thing to do. We do provide, the Pentagon does, an enormous amount of information. There's someone briefing at the Pentagon, somewhere in the world, every day. And there are people providing information to people in a variety of different ways: through our website, through the Pentagon channel, through radio and television and print media. But it is still basically, I would guess, 80% 20th Century, and maybe 20% 21st Century.
HH: You've got people like Col. Austin Bay down in Austin, Texas, you've got Mudville Gazette, a bunch of bloggers, you've got Specialist Claude Flowers down at Centcom. They're all fighting the new media battle. Are any of those inside the E-ring, close to the control of actually the message machine?
DR: I don't know how to answer that. First of all, the truth is, and it's embarrassing to confess this, that I suppose I work about 13 hours a day. And I'll bet you that 12 1/2, or 12 3/4 of those 13 hours a day, I spend doing things instead of thinking about how I communicate, and what the message ought to be, and fighting the enemy on their level, against their media committees, and their active efforts at disinformation. And I probably ought to spend, and we here in the Department, ought to spend more time thinking about those messages, and how we can counteract the lies, because they are enormously successful. They can put out a lie, and then we're asked the question is that true. And we can know we think it's not true, but we have to be honest, and we have to be accurate. So we then have to spend two or three days trying to find out what the truth is, before we can rebut the lie. Well, the lie's been around the world 15 times by the time we even get our boots on.

And then this:

HH: Mr. Secretary, do you think that American can lose this war?
DR: Oh, sure. There's no way we can lose it on the battlefield. The only place we can lose it is if we lose our nerve, and if we decide that it's just too tough, and we're going to toss in the towel, that the dire consequences for the world, for the region, for the Iraqi people, for the Afghan people, and for the American people, are so serious, that the thought of it is just unacceptable.

In the first quote Rumsfield admits that we're not doing a good job of combating the terrorists in the media. Then, in the second quote he says the only way we can lose this war is here at home. That doesn't sound good to me.

If the only way we can lose this war is here at home, why isn't the Pentagon doing more on that front? Institutionalization? I like Rumsfield and think he has a very tough battle on his hands in trying to modernize the military to confront Islamofascism. However, this simply will not do. If the only battlefront on which we can lose is here at home I would suggest that the Secretary get busy fighting it.

Dick Morris Is All Wet

2006-05-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

Dick Morris writes in The Hill that in order for Republicans to have any chance of remaining the Majority party this fall they must start to act like Democrats. This is complete nonsense. Here is a taste of the strategy Dick Morris suggests:

The only way for a Republican to survive in 2006 is to run like a Democrat. The GOP line on oil companies totally misses the fact that voters see a vast conspiracy by big oil companies to manipulate the price to feather their own nests. All talk of supply increase or demand decrease is quite beside the point for the average voter. The issue is whether or not you are part of the conspiracy to fix and raise prices.
The Republican position on climate change — that it isn’t happening or, if it is, it’s inevitable — also completely misses the views of the average voter who sees hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes and such as the consequence of years of air pollution.

The GOP wisdom on Iraq also fails to address the underlying isolationism that is catalyzing opposition to the war. Instead of searching for a decent way out, most voters are just disgusted with the party that landed us in this no-win situation.

Taken together, the only way for a Republican to survive 2006 is to shed himself of his party ideology and run like a Democrat, using the entire playing field — left, center and right — to address voter concerns.

This is absurd. The reason Republicans are supposedly (I'm not convinced yet) in danger of losing their Majority status is exactly because they have been acting like Democrats lately.

While Dick Morris may be a brilliant pollster, he's absolutely clueless about conservative Republicans. If the Republicans do the exact opposite of what Morris suggest, they should be okay come November.

UPDATE: John McIntyre of Real Clear Politics seems to be on the same wavelength as me.

2006-05-09T14:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like things are getting back to normal in New Orleans:

Man Shot Dead On Bourbon Street

(Via Drudge)

Welcome To The Party Pal

2006-05-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

Richard Cohen of the Washington Post seems to have been caught off guard by the reaction to his recent column in which he criticized Steven Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents' dinner. Cohen had the audacity to point out what many people believed to be obvious, that Colbert wasn't funny. I like Stephen Colbert and find him to be mildly humorous, but having watched his performance at the event live on C-SPAN and also found it wanting.

Cohen's criticism brought down the wrath of the left wing kooks upon his head and this seems to have taken him by surprise. I find it interesting that somebody such a Cohen could have been so insulated from the fact that the left-wing in the country has simply lost it's mind; infected, perhaps terminally, with BDS.

Well, to Richard Cohen I quote Bruce Willis from the movie Die Hard, "Welcome to the party pal."

Has Been For At Least 30 Years

2006-05-08T13:06:00.000-05:00

Keith Richards near death that is.

Look Up

2006-05-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

Attention all nerds! Tomorrow is Astronomy Day 2006. Take a few minutes tomorrow night to go outside and look up (even if you're not a nerd.) By 9pm EST Jupiter will be well into the southeast sky while Mars and Saturn will be setting in the west. Just have a look around, it's awfully pretty.

If you're more ambitious, here is a link to an article from Sky & Telescope which includes a search engine to locate an Astonomy Club or Planetarium in your area.

The Kennedy Saga Continues

2006-05-05T18:11:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts about this have gone through my mind.

First and foremost is the police cover-up. I fear that in the story surrounding Patrick Kennedy's accident, Patrick Kennedy will become the story, and not the special treatment he recieved.

Second, why did he first give details about the night and then turn around and say he doesn’t remember anything? Doesn't make sense.

And third, I actually feel sympothic for the guy - he’s Ted Kenney’s son for crying out loud! If that didn’t drive you to booze, drugs, or depression, what would?

I Blame Bush

2006-05-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

"New Storm on Jupiter Hints at Climate Change"

(Via Drudge)

PsyOps For Zarqawi

2006-05-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

It appears that the military is pulling out one of the biggest weapons it can use against an Islamist: humiliation. Video discovered in recent raids show that Zarqawi may not be the most proficient weapons specialist. And as if that weren't bad enough, the video also shows him wearing sneakers!

Now if we can get al Jazeera to air it.

(Via Fox News)

UPDATE: Lots of stuff over at Hot Air on this one. Zarqawi has been in the news a lot lately and there's been noise about us being close to getting him. I never get too excited about those reports, instead preferring to wait for the actual capture or killing, but boy there is a lot of smoke lately. Let's all hope this scum bag is in custody soon, it'd be much better than killing him -- not that I'd shed a tear about that though.

John Bolton For President

2006-05-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I've always kind of liked Dennis Kucinich, the man. He seems like an affable, honest man, and I have nothing against him personally. Now, Dennis Kucinich the politician is a nut! He is way out there.

Here is a brief exchange between himself and John Bolton, via Expose the Left, where he is asking Bolton if he has read an article by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker. Bolton correctly, in my opinion, describes Sy's work as "fiction."

John Bolton is a plain spoken man, we need more men like him in today's world.

Dems In Control? Lord Help Us!

2006-05-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

For those of us that are frustrated with the direction of the GOP right now and are contemplating sitting at home this November to "send a message," I'd like to remind you of what you would have to look forward to. This is from todays Philadelphia Inquirer:

In recent months, though, impeachment calls have gained a new seriousness - and wider public support - and for good reason: This November, a shift of only 15 House seats would give Democrats control of the House and of the Judiciary Committee. Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), who would become Judiciary Committee chair, has already submitted a bill calling for an investigation into impeachable crimes, and would certainly welcome an impeachment bill.

More important, over the last five years, Bush has become the Willie Sutton of constitutional violators. While the impeachment of President Bill Clinton for lying about sex was a case of frivolous political harassment, this president's many "high crimes and misdemeanors" pose such a threat to basic freedoms, and to the system of checks and balances, that not to impeach would be irresponsible.

While Republicans may be rudderless right now, the thought of John Conyers heading the Judiciary Committe is down right scary. These people are so completely infected the BDS they would run this country into the ground in pursuit of their Great White Whale, George W. Bush.

Read the article to get a feel for what their arguments for impeachment are, it's right out of the Daily Kos diaries: lying us into war, trampling upon the Bill of Rights, abuse of power, war crimes, etc. You name it, and it's there.

Patronize Anheuser-Busch

2006-05-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

The wife and I visited Sea World (Orlando) this past weekend. Before the Shamu show started, Augusta Busch addressed the crowd via a huge video screen. He paid tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces who fight to keep this country free and encouraged everybody to support them. This invoked as very spirited and sustained applause from the audience, but the best was still to come. As the applause died, a Sea World trainer appeared live on stage and ask all service members of the United States, United Kingdom, and any of our allies from around the world to please stand and be recognized for their service. The audience roared with approval as members throughout the crowd stood. It was a thing of beauty. My wife had to wipe a few tears from her eyes.

This was clearly something that Anhesuer-Busch did not have to do and considering the large international audience that visits their parks, I believe it was above and beyond what most corporations would ever consider doing in such an environment.

Anheuser-Busch not only has the King of Beers, but they're a king in the industry when it comes to marketing as well, and few can top some of the their post-9/11 commercials such as the Clydesdales paying tribute to the fallen towers or the troops being greeted by spontaneous applause while walking through an airport terminal. This display at Sea World showed me that Anheuser not only talks-the-talk, but they walk-the-walk as well.

I shall continue to patronize them at every opportunity and hope you will as well.

I Know What's Best!

2006-05-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

There are many reasons that I don't particularly care for Sen. McCain, but his Campaign Finance Reform Bill is at the top of my list. I also hold President Bush responsible for signing the bill into law as he expected the Supreme Court to do his dirty work for him by striking it down. Didn't happen, and now we're stuck with a horrible piece of legislation that infringes on one of our most precious and fundamental rights: Freedom of Speech.

Today, the Examiner takes Sen. McCain to task for some comments he made recently. It begins in part:

James Madison, the prime mover behind the U.S. Constitution, and his colleagues among the Founders rightly feared arrogant men like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., so they limited the central government to a few, well-defined powers. As further protection, Madison and the first Congress approved the First Amendment to the Constitution to protect forever the right of every American to freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition.

Why do we think of the Arizona senator when arrogance is mentioned? Dictionary.com defines arrogance as “overbearing pride evidenced by a superior attitude toward inferiors.” McCain incited a blogstorm Friday with this comment, which epitomizes political arrogance:
“I know that money corrupts … I would rather have a clean government than one where, quote, First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I’d rather have the clean government.”

Sen. McCain is indeed a very arrogant man, and must be kept as far away from the Oval Office as possible.

Conservatives Making Ground?

2006-05-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

I've never really cared much for Robert Novak, but there's no denying he's an insider with lots of connections. This column (via Real Clear Politics) is some good insider baseball stuff and it seems to show conservatives within Congress may be getting the upper hand. Lead by Sen. Tom Coburn (whom I love) in the Senate and Rep. Dennis Hasert and Majority Lead John Boehner in the House, establishment types such as Sen. Thad Cochran and Rep. Jerry Lewis are being called to the carpet for their spending and are losing the battle:

Terrified by possible loss of their majorities in November, Republicans in Congress may have turned a corner in casting off the tyranny of the appropriators over the spending process. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert exerted his will, and newly installed Majority Leader John Boehner registered his first triumph. In scoring his first floor victory over an earmark, Coburn showed he is more than a nuisance freshman senator and, allied with Sen. John McCain, a force to be reckoned with.[...]

On Thursday, Coburn proposed to eliminate $15 million for "seafood promotion strategy." McCain told the Senate: "Let me save the American taxpayers $125 million right now by telling all Americans now to eat seafood. Eat seafood. It is good for you." When Coburn rejected Cochran's call for a voice vote, the normally calm Appropriations chairman in a fury made a non-debatable tabling motion to kill Coburn's proposal. The astounding outcome was a 51 to 44 bipartisan victory for Coburn and McCain, following years of failure in such initiatives.

More please.

World's Smallest Violin

2006-05-01T12:47:00.000-05:00

Poor, poor, Susan Sarandon. In this short article she whines about how "horrible" she and her family has been treated by the media (huh?) and public. Well friggin' boo-hoo-hoo. Welcome to real, grown-up world, where if you're going to express your opinions in the public square you'd better be able to give as good as you get. And, does this make any sense?:

And I don't think that I thought that I'd really never work again. But when there is nobody else, when you look out on the field and everybody is quiet and they're all looking away and nobody's saying anything, it's a really scary place to be.

What in the hell is she talking about? What a dunce.

Defending A Southerner

2006-04-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

This from John Derbyshire is interesting. It's not often that you'll here somebody defend George Wallace, who's been so vilified through the years. Here's some of what Wikipedia has to say:

George Corley Wallace (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was elected Governor of Alabama as a Democrat four times (1962, 1970, 1974 and 1982) and ran for U.S. President four times as well (in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976). He is best known for his racist attitudes, for which he later repented, during American desegregation.

While I don't pretend to know a lot about George Wallace and am far to young to remember anything about the times (I was born six years after his famous standing in the doorway), was George Wallace really a racist or was he simply a populist politician reflecting the wishes of his constituents at the time?

Mark Steyn: Genius

2006-04-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

In a discussion with Hugh Hewitt, Mark Steyn nails it as usual:

I think it [the Administration] does seem to me exhausted. And in a strange way, a lot of the things that he's [President Bush] getting into trouble with over the moment, like the $3 a gas pump, is, I think, a reflection of...it doesn't even have the sort of strength of will to drag its own party with him. I mean, I thought the Senate bill, that the Senate Republicans proposed on energy, is completely preposterous. If the Republicans cave in on energy, which is a national security issue, and which is something where the Democrats are even more witless than usual, because they're not in favor of any kind of energy. If you were to say we should all go back to wood-fired steam trains on the Atchison, Topeka and the Sante Fe, they'd say oh, no, sorry. We're opposed to logging. We can't even have that. They're opposed to all kinds of energy. And if you've got a Democrat Party that's not serious, you've got a Republican Party that is frivolous in Congress more than half the time, then it's no wonder the administration is just exhausted.

All, of course, is still not lost. I think the solutions to a lot of the problems the Republicans are facing now are fairly simple (secure the borders, open domestic drilling, repeal the boutique blends requirments, etc..) they just need to return to their conservative roots. They're not going to win any converts by acting like Democrats, but could win back a lot of support if they started to govern like conservatives. If the House can pull the Senate back into line, there's still plenty of time to right the ship (pun intended.)

Are These Republicans?

2006-04-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

What in the hell is happening with the Republicans in Washington? In response to high gas prices they want $100 checks for everybody, anti-price gouging protection, repealing tax incentives for oil companies, higher fuel economy standards, investigations into oil company profits? This is absurd. With behavior like this, I can't tell any difference between the two party's.

They'd better get their act together or they're heading for a train wreck in November.

UPDATE: Powerline has the details with thoughts on the matter as well.

Watch For Heads to Explode!

2006-04-25T10:42:00.000-05:00

If this is true, the White House press corp will go nuts!

I've always liked Tony Snow. He's very smart, well versed in all things political, and has a calming demeanor. But if he is named the White House press secretary, the press will go nuts for one reason and one reason only: Fox News. They absolutely loathe Fox News and everything they believe it stands for. They hate the fact that Fox News continues to enjoy unrivaled success in cable news as what they perceive to be a conservative news outlet. I don't believe there is any doubt that Fox's news commentary is dominated by center-right hosts, but their news reporting is honest and fair, something that cannot be said of their nearest rivals CNN and MSNBC.

Strategically, I'm not sure if it is the best move because even though the press corp is hostile towards this White House, a little outreach wouldn't hurt. This is practically a thumb in the eye to the MSM. I used to be of the mind that you could basically write off trying to work with them because of their inherent hostility, but that strategy obviously hasn't worked on Scott McClennon who basically stonewalled them at every corner and provided as little information as possible -- somtimes even muddling the issues even more.

If Tony Snow is appointed, there is not doubt it will be fun. We shall see.

Update: Hotline has some of the details behind the possibility of Tony becoming press secretary. In part, they say:

Fox Newser Tony Snow is said by Republicans familiar with the negotiations to have asked for guaranteed access to the president's ear and to an unusually large degree of latitude to reconfigure the WH press operation. That pleases the new chief of staff, who wants to relegitimize the press podium in the Brady briefing room. But Snow, not content to be a herald, also wants near-complete control over what he says from the podium, be it bromides, platitudes or substance.

This would be good. Tony needs to be able to freelance a bit from the podium. I trust him, cut him loose.

Rewriting History, Again

2006-04-24T12:36:00.000-05:00

I found this article by Arthur Schlesinger in today's Washington Post interesting. Most of it is pretty boring and not very noteworthy. The point, as best I can make it, is that the President is a bad man and basically we should do nothing in the War of Terror. What I found most interesting is that Mr. Schlesinger simply breezes past the Cold War as if it was won through "containment plus deterrence."

It was lucky that JFK was determined to get the missiles out peacefully, because only decades later did we discover that the Soviet forces in Cuba had tactical nuclear weapons and orders to use them to repel a U.S. invasion. This would have meant a nuclear exchange. Instead, JFK used his own thousand days to give the American University speech, a powerful plea to Americans as well as to Russians to reexamine "our own attitude -- as individuals and as a nation -- for our attitude is as essential as theirs." This was followed by the limited test ban treaty. It was compatible with the George Kennan formula -- containment plus deterrence -- that worked effectively to avoid a nuclear clash. [...]

But our Cold War presidents kept to the Kennan formula of containment plus deterrence, and we won the Cold War without escalating it into a nuclear war.

Notice how easy is was to face down the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis and ultimately win the Cold War? A simple speech and a policy of "containment plus deterrence." Gee, if only it was that easy.

Of course Mr.Schlesinger fails to mention that the policy of "containment plus deterrence" got us nowhere with the Soviets under Kennedy (Cuban Missle Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam-Beginning), Johnson (Vietnam-Middle), Nixon (Vietnam-Defeat), Ford, and Carter (Afghanistan). Only when Ronald Reagan aggressively confronted to Soviet Empire were they defeated.

Of course lofty speeches and wishful thinking may make liberal intellectuals feel superior, but the reality says otherwise. Just as President Reagan won the Cold War by confronting what truly was an Evil Empire, President Bush and future president's can only win the War on Terror by aggressively confronting the evil ideology of the Islamists.