Usually I like Marc Ambinder's blog. When it comes to up the minute political news he's been the man, but sometimes--I think in his search to be unbiased--he makes some really weird contradictions. Just take a look at this post about McCain's 'gaffe' (I'm really starting to hate that word) about troop size in Iraq. In it he makes two arguments that completely fall apart:
"Some brigades have returned home, so in some areas of Iraq, US troops have been drawn down to pre-surge levels; but other unit are returning, and while the number of combat troops in Iraq is slowly returning to pre-surge levels but it's not there yet -- not there by 20,000 troops -- and might not be there for a while. In what way is he wrong? Is he wrong because he knows the truth and wants to obscure it? It requires a willful suspension of belief to assume that McCain would lie about the status of the withdrawals, just as it requires a leap of imagination to envision a scenario wherein the Democrats wouldn't have pounced on his error like Tom on Jerry." (Itz mine)
But then later he states:
"Politics abhors a middle ground: either Iraq is getting better or it isn't. McCain has every incentive to maximize the success stories and project forward; Obama has every incentive to maximize the chaos and project forward." (Itz mine)
So if it's to his advantage...why should it require a 'willful suspension of belief" to think that McCain's lying, especially since all his previous 'gaffes' correlate to the idea that the situation in Iraq is getting better? If they were really mistakes, shouldn't some of them go against his 'incentives?' After all, when Obama has made mistakes they have worked against his message--but McCain's mistakes always seem to help him make his argument. Seems to me that Ambinder's denial of this stems from the media's infatuation with the McCain narrative that he's a 'straight shooter' (After all he named his bus the 'straight talk express' right? That's some real Jedi mind trick shiz)
Here another one:
"The question for voters is: the present is almost as unknowable as the future, so whose vision do you trust more? Polls show that less than half of Americans trust McCain and less than half trust Obama. Obama has an advantage on policy -- Americans want troops home soon and consider the Iraq adventure a failure -- , but the advantage disappears when voters are asked to think about who should lead the policy, whatever it turns out to be. That's probably because McCain retains enough of the aura of a straight-talking, tell-it-like-is-is reformer whose words reflect reality."
I'm not sure if he's just selling the public stupid, or he really thinks this is the case. According to his numbers the public just about equally trusts McCain and Obama on Iraq, and the public happens to agree with Obama's message so...they're going to vote for McCain? I mean that just doesn't make any sense.
I know most of the M$M wants to make this thing a horse race, but call it as it is--don't just summon incoherent arguments to plead a case. We have enough of that BS with Hillary.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Does Scotty McCellan Have A Death Wish?
Obviously he never heard of the saying, Snitches get Stitches:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Friday he would be willing to comply with a rumored congressional subpoena to discuss the administration’s handling of pre-war intelligence, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he’d be “glad to share my views” if asked to testify."
You know, if you substitute 'Scotty' for 'Curtis' then this is quite fitting:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Friday he would be willing to comply with a rumored congressional subpoena to discuss the administration’s handling of pre-war intelligence, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he’d be “glad to share my views” if asked to testify."
You know, if you substitute 'Scotty' for 'Curtis' then this is quite fitting:
I Thought It Was Over...
But the debate continues:
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fate of nearly 2.3 million Democratic presidential primary votes belongs to 30 party activists.
"The activists sit on the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which was to meet Saturday to decide what role Michigan and Florida should play at the national convention in August."
She keeps going, and going, and going, and going...
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fate of nearly 2.3 million Democratic presidential primary votes belongs to 30 party activists.
"The activists sit on the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which was to meet Saturday to decide what role Michigan and Florida should play at the national convention in August."
She keeps going, and going, and going, and going...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Buck Stops Here
Did George W. Bush authorize the Plame Leak? According to Scott McCullen's interview with the Today Show this morning, he all but pointed the finger:
"Scottie McC: But the other defining moment was in early April 2006, when I learned that the President had secretly declassified the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq for the Vice President and Scooter Libby to anonymously disclose to reporters. And we had been out there talking about how seriously the President took the selective leaking of classified information. And here we were, learning that the President had authorized the very same thing we had criticized.
"Viera: Did you talk to the President and say why are you doing this?
"Scottie McC: Actually, I did. I talked about the conversation we had. I walked onto Air Force One, it was right after an event we had, it was down in the south, I believe it was North Carolina. And I walk onto Air Force One and a reporter had yelled a question to the President trying to ask him a question about this revelation that had come out during the legal proceedings. The revelation was that it was the President who had authorized, or, enable Scooter Libby to go out there and talk about this information. And I told the President that that's what the reporter was asking. He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said "yeah, I did." And I was kinda taken aback."
Can we finally impeach Bush? I mean seriously...
"Scottie McC: But the other defining moment was in early April 2006, when I learned that the President had secretly declassified the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq for the Vice President and Scooter Libby to anonymously disclose to reporters. And we had been out there talking about how seriously the President took the selective leaking of classified information. And here we were, learning that the President had authorized the very same thing we had criticized.
"Viera: Did you talk to the President and say why are you doing this?
"Scottie McC: Actually, I did. I talked about the conversation we had. I walked onto Air Force One, it was right after an event we had, it was down in the south, I believe it was North Carolina. And I walk onto Air Force One and a reporter had yelled a question to the President trying to ask him a question about this revelation that had come out during the legal proceedings. The revelation was that it was the President who had authorized, or, enable Scooter Libby to go out there and talk about this information. And I told the President that that's what the reporter was asking. He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said "yeah, I did." And I was kinda taken aback."
Can we finally impeach Bush? I mean seriously...
Now Her Own Party's Against Her
...or so she'll undoubtably say:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects of persuading Democratic officials to override party rules and recognize all delegates selected in the Florida and Michigan primaries suffered a setback yesterday after lawyers for the party ruled that no more than half of those delegations could be legally recognized.
Glad to see that's over, but she'll still continue to run, and run, and run, all the way into an Energizer commercial.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects of persuading Democratic officials to override party rules and recognize all delegates selected in the Florida and Michigan primaries suffered a setback yesterday after lawyers for the party ruled that no more than half of those delegations could be legally recognized.
Glad to see that's over, but she'll still continue to run, and run, and run, all the way into an Energizer commercial.
Top 10 Pics from Seattle
1) Wok & Roll is AWESOME
2) The view as we ate massive amounts of clam chowder at the Public Market
3) View from the top of the Space Needle
4) Hiding behind the Great Wall at Shorty's:
5) The Worse Band Ever:
6) The Album Cover:
7) The Beautiful Bride and Groom:
8) No One Will Ever Believe This is Seattle:
10) Meeting New Friends
Until Next Time!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
More Lobbyist Woes For McCain
Another crooked wheel on the Straight Talk Express:
"For months, John McCain has been bragging on the fact that he's got fmr. Sen. Phil Gramm as his key economics advisor. That's scary enough as it is, if you're familiar with Gramm's policy predilections and legislative history. But now it turns out that Gramm, who advised McCain on his mortgage relief policy and speech, was also a registered lobbyist for the Swiss bank UBS, which is obviously heavily concerned with the mortgage crisis. According to MSNBC, which has just broken the story, UBS only deregistered Gramm on April 18th of this year, which I'm pretty certain was after McCain rolled out the policy that Gramm had a hand in crafting."
But wait, it gets sexier:
"On the McCain/Gramm/UBS front...it seems that not only is Sen. McCain's top economics advisor, fmr Sen. Gramm, lobby and work for UBS, but according to today's Financial Times the company is advising members of its private banking team not to step foot in the United States in order to avoid indictment."
Well, at least Gramm can work with McCain via the Net--ain't technology great!
"For months, John McCain has been bragging on the fact that he's got fmr. Sen. Phil Gramm as his key economics advisor. That's scary enough as it is, if you're familiar with Gramm's policy predilections and legislative history. But now it turns out that Gramm, who advised McCain on his mortgage relief policy and speech, was also a registered lobbyist for the Swiss bank UBS, which is obviously heavily concerned with the mortgage crisis. According to MSNBC, which has just broken the story, UBS only deregistered Gramm on April 18th of this year, which I'm pretty certain was after McCain rolled out the policy that Gramm had a hand in crafting."
But wait, it gets sexier:
"On the McCain/Gramm/UBS front...it seems that not only is Sen. McCain's top economics advisor, fmr Sen. Gramm, lobby and work for UBS, but according to today's Financial Times the company is advising members of its private banking team not to step foot in the United States in order to avoid indictment."
Well, at least Gramm can work with McCain via the Net--ain't technology great!
And It's Banal Too!
MY makes a perfect point to collaborate what I said, here:
"On the one hand, it's a huge deal that former White House press secretary Scott McClellan is now out there admitting that the Iraq War was a mistake sold with lies. But on the other hand, it's sort of banal. We've known this for years. It's a shocking truth about our current state of affairs, but not a truth that any longer has the capacity to shock me, On the other hand, this from Byron York was interesting:
"One of the main reasons John McCain is facing such an tough job today is that we are now in the sixth year of a war that the president of his own party started by mistake. That's a major headwind when you're running for president; an error of that magnitude will exact a political price. Would anyone be surprised if voters say that they've had enough?
"That all seems reasonable enough to me, but what York is missing is that McCain doesn't think it was a mistake. One would think the virtue of nominating a guy who doesn't have close personal ties to the Bush administration would be that McCain could say something like "hey, I think liberalism is wrong and conservatism is good, but that doesn't mean I'm a sociopath who loves war so much that he still thinks the invasion of Iraq was a good idea." But he doesn't say that, presumably because he doesn't believe it. At even a time when the chief propagandists of the Bush administration are willing to admit that there BS was BS, he's a true believer."
That ultimately, that's what makes him (and possibly Hillary, for a reason that will be soon shown) even scarier that Bush. Remember this simple equation: True Believer = Fanatic = Bat shit crazy. For McCain he's a true believer in not just the Iraq War, but in the righteousness of military dominance by the United States over the world--everyone else be dammed. Hillary on the other hand is a true believer in the power of herself, the voting public and the rules of the DNC be dammed. Either one doesn't seem to be the option of sane people.
"On the one hand, it's a huge deal that former White House press secretary Scott McClellan is now out there admitting that the Iraq War was a mistake sold with lies. But on the other hand, it's sort of banal. We've known this for years. It's a shocking truth about our current state of affairs, but not a truth that any longer has the capacity to shock me, On the other hand, this from Byron York was interesting:
"One of the main reasons John McCain is facing such an tough job today is that we are now in the sixth year of a war that the president of his own party started by mistake. That's a major headwind when you're running for president; an error of that magnitude will exact a political price. Would anyone be surprised if voters say that they've had enough?
"That all seems reasonable enough to me, but what York is missing is that McCain doesn't think it was a mistake. One would think the virtue of nominating a guy who doesn't have close personal ties to the Bush administration would be that McCain could say something like "hey, I think liberalism is wrong and conservatism is good, but that doesn't mean I'm a sociopath who loves war so much that he still thinks the invasion of Iraq was a good idea." But he doesn't say that, presumably because he doesn't believe it. At even a time when the chief propagandists of the Bush administration are willing to admit that there BS was BS, he's a true believer."
That ultimately, that's what makes him (and possibly Hillary, for a reason that will be soon shown) even scarier that Bush. Remember this simple equation: True Believer = Fanatic = Bat shit crazy. For McCain he's a true believer in not just the Iraq War, but in the righteousness of military dominance by the United States over the world--everyone else be dammed. Hillary on the other hand is a true believer in the power of herself, the voting public and the rules of the DNC be dammed. Either one doesn't seem to be the option of sane people.
No Salvation For Darth Vader
From Sully:
"It would be easy to think of Scott McClellan's new book as a piece of dish, designed for sales, pitched for controversy, packed with juicy detail. And it is that, of course. But it is also something more. It is an argument by a man very, very close to the president, and deputed to be his spokesman for many years, that the president deliberately deceived the country about the reasons for going to war. We're not talking mistakes here; we're talking about a deliberate shading of the truth to hide the real motivation for risking the lives of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians:
"In Iraq, McClellan added, Bush saw "his opportunity to create a legacy of greatness," something McClellan said Bush has said he believes is only available to wartime presidents.
The president's real motivation for the war, he said, was to transform the Middle East to ensure an enduring peace in the region. But the White House effort to sell the war as necessary due to the stated threat posed by Saddam Hussein was needed because "Bush and his advisers knew that the American people would almost certainly not support a war launched primarily for the ambitions purpose of transforming the Middle East," McClellan wrote.
"Rather than open this Pandora's Box, the administration chose a different path — not employing out-and-out deception, but shading the truth," he wrote of the effort to convince the world that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, an effort he said used "innuendo and implication" and "intentional ignoring of intelligence to the contrary."
"President Bush managed the crisis in a way that almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option," McClellan concluded, noting, "The lack of candor underlying the campaign for war would severely undermine the president's entire second term in office."
"If this is true, if the president intentionally ignored data refuting the existence of Saddam's WMDs, he should be impeached."
Well duh. If you haven't woken up to this fact by now, if you haven't seen the Downing Street Memo, Bob Woodward's books, Richard Clarke's warnings, Fahrenheit 911, and the rest of the evidence of incompetency and maleficence, then you deserve George W. Bush as your President. But beyond the obvious guilt of George W. Bush, I am also pretty sick of guys like McClellan and George Tenet who think their deathbed confessions will lead them to some type of salvation. Both of them in various ways have admitted that they consciously and unconsciously, willingly and unwillingly, have aided and abetted GWB's various war crimes. In the Star Wars saga we see a native and gullible Anakin Skywalker get seduced and corrupted by the dark side of the Force and the charismatic Emperor Palpatine. Even before Ani turns into Darth Vader he, just like McClellan and Tenet, helps his "master" break both legal and natural law to consolidate power for various ends. He gets his salvation through sacrifice, killing his boss to save his son. This is great in a Sci-fi movie, and perhaps does make a great metaphorical and spiritual conclusion, but in the real world justice for war crimes, mass murder, and theft on a grand level isn't made with symbolic shows of rebellion and sacrifice--it's made with trials, investigations and finally the submission of the law breakers to face the punishments that the people that they have oppressed and maligned find fair and just. If these men really want to atone for their actions they should submit themselves to the Hague to await trial. Anything less than that, like writing confessional novels who's goal is self-absolution, is meaningless and insulting.
"It would be easy to think of Scott McClellan's new book as a piece of dish, designed for sales, pitched for controversy, packed with juicy detail. And it is that, of course. But it is also something more. It is an argument by a man very, very close to the president, and deputed to be his spokesman for many years, that the president deliberately deceived the country about the reasons for going to war. We're not talking mistakes here; we're talking about a deliberate shading of the truth to hide the real motivation for risking the lives of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians:
"In Iraq, McClellan added, Bush saw "his opportunity to create a legacy of greatness," something McClellan said Bush has said he believes is only available to wartime presidents.
The president's real motivation for the war, he said, was to transform the Middle East to ensure an enduring peace in the region. But the White House effort to sell the war as necessary due to the stated threat posed by Saddam Hussein was needed because "Bush and his advisers knew that the American people would almost certainly not support a war launched primarily for the ambitions purpose of transforming the Middle East," McClellan wrote.
"Rather than open this Pandora's Box, the administration chose a different path — not employing out-and-out deception, but shading the truth," he wrote of the effort to convince the world that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, an effort he said used "innuendo and implication" and "intentional ignoring of intelligence to the contrary."
"President Bush managed the crisis in a way that almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option," McClellan concluded, noting, "The lack of candor underlying the campaign for war would severely undermine the president's entire second term in office."
"If this is true, if the president intentionally ignored data refuting the existence of Saddam's WMDs, he should be impeached."
Well duh. If you haven't woken up to this fact by now, if you haven't seen the Downing Street Memo, Bob Woodward's books, Richard Clarke's warnings, Fahrenheit 911, and the rest of the evidence of incompetency and maleficence, then you deserve George W. Bush as your President. But beyond the obvious guilt of George W. Bush, I am also pretty sick of guys like McClellan and George Tenet who think their deathbed confessions will lead them to some type of salvation. Both of them in various ways have admitted that they consciously and unconsciously, willingly and unwillingly, have aided and abetted GWB's various war crimes. In the Star Wars saga we see a native and gullible Anakin Skywalker get seduced and corrupted by the dark side of the Force and the charismatic Emperor Palpatine. Even before Ani turns into Darth Vader he, just like McClellan and Tenet, helps his "master" break both legal and natural law to consolidate power for various ends. He gets his salvation through sacrifice, killing his boss to save his son. This is great in a Sci-fi movie, and perhaps does make a great metaphorical and spiritual conclusion, but in the real world justice for war crimes, mass murder, and theft on a grand level isn't made with symbolic shows of rebellion and sacrifice--it's made with trials, investigations and finally the submission of the law breakers to face the punishments that the people that they have oppressed and maligned find fair and just. If these men really want to atone for their actions they should submit themselves to the Hague to await trial. Anything less than that, like writing confessional novels who's goal is self-absolution, is meaningless and insulting.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A Quick Note
From MY's blog:
T"his weekend veterans from around the country paraded through the streets of DC on motorcycles, but last week the Senate passed massive Webb-Hagel GI Bill reform legislation with a veto-proof majority. While the bill on the national level is still in the works, it looks like some states are starting to step in and attempt to repair the GI Bill legislation on their own. New Jersey's proposed legislation is particularly generous, limiting the amount that a veteran or veteran's widow to pay only $50 per credit for a public in-state college or university. Other states that are offering free or reduced-fee tuition are Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. The worry, of course, is that states will pass the legislation without compensating for the added cost. This could end up causing higher tuition among non-veteran students." (Italics mine)
Speaking for myself--I see no problem with this, assuming that the extra charge isn't too substantial and agreed to by state boards. (I say this by the way with the belief that state education should be free for everyone, but assume that that policy is far in the future) Our vets make a great sacrifice for our nation and we should all chip in to give them the benefits they deserve. It's about time we started acting like a team rather than a bunch of whining divas. Here's an idea, maybe we should tie their benefits into what ever retirement benefits congressmen get. If they want wars that create veterans maybe linking their pensions to their decisions will make these chickenhawks a bit wiser in their use of military force.
T"his weekend veterans from around the country paraded through the streets of DC on motorcycles, but last week the Senate passed massive Webb-Hagel GI Bill reform legislation with a veto-proof majority. While the bill on the national level is still in the works, it looks like some states are starting to step in and attempt to repair the GI Bill legislation on their own. New Jersey's proposed legislation is particularly generous, limiting the amount that a veteran or veteran's widow to pay only $50 per credit for a public in-state college or university. Other states that are offering free or reduced-fee tuition are Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. The worry, of course, is that states will pass the legislation without compensating for the added cost. This could end up causing higher tuition among non-veteran students." (Italics mine)
Speaking for myself--I see no problem with this, assuming that the extra charge isn't too substantial and agreed to by state boards. (I say this by the way with the belief that state education should be free for everyone, but assume that that policy is far in the future) Our vets make a great sacrifice for our nation and we should all chip in to give them the benefits they deserve. It's about time we started acting like a team rather than a bunch of whining divas. Here's an idea, maybe we should tie their benefits into what ever retirement benefits congressmen get. If they want wars that create veterans maybe linking their pensions to their decisions will make these chickenhawks a bit wiser in their use of military force.
Another Reason I Was Glad To Be In Seattle
Because I missed this nonsense:
"Hillary Clinton today brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.
"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," she said, dismissing calls to drop out."
I mean seriously? Seriously? Beyond the crassness of bringing up the issue, as an actual tactic this is the best you can come up with? You're pinning your hopes on someone killing him? I am actually at a loss for words. Just when you think she can't get any lower she does. What an embarrassment.
PS: By the way, considering that Hillary is a smart woman it seems pretty apparent that she's putting this idea, not just out there, but in play. May God help her if a Clinton supporter, even a tangential supporter, kills Obama because...I literally get sick at the thought.
"Hillary Clinton today brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.
"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," she said, dismissing calls to drop out."
I mean seriously? Seriously? Beyond the crassness of bringing up the issue, as an actual tactic this is the best you can come up with? You're pinning your hopes on someone killing him? I am actually at a loss for words. Just when you think she can't get any lower she does. What an embarrassment.
PS: By the way, considering that Hillary is a smart woman it seems pretty apparent that she's putting this idea, not just out there, but in play. May God help her if a Clinton supporter, even a tangential supporter, kills Obama because...I literally get sick at the thought.
Dang This is Good
From Obama's commencement address at Wesleyan:
"Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s.
"But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.
"It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America’s story."
Is this the new "Ask what your country can do for you." speech? Only time will tell, but it's encouraging to see a politician challenging the public.
"Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s.
"But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.
"It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America’s story."
Is this the new "Ask what your country can do for you." speech? Only time will tell, but it's encouraging to see a politician challenging the public.
I'm Back
Even though I bet you didn't notice I was away.
This weekend I went to a friend's wedding in Seattle and it was amazing. The city is clean and friendly and when I post up some of the wedding pics you'll won't believe how beautiful they were.
Shoutouts to Ani (my friend who was married) and her new husband Mario, they made an adorable couple, and their families and friends, and to Shorty's which turned out to be the coolest bar outside of 1020.
Needless to say, Seattle is Obama country--suck it Hillary!
More pics to come, but in the meantime I need to refresh myself about the news of the world. I'm pretty sure something happens when I'm not around.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Something Nice To Say About John McCain
Yeah I know I'm usually downing Mr. Keating 5-Bomb-Bomb-Bomb-McCain, but I have to say this was particularly funny:
Funniest line? "Crazy? Crazy exciting!" HA!
Note to Democrats--every joke has a hint of truth; time to wrap this thing up. Thank you.
Funniest line? "Crazy? Crazy exciting!" HA!
Note to Democrats--every joke has a hint of truth; time to wrap this thing up. Thank you.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Ironic...Don't You Think
So the Tennessee Republican Party has a new ad attacking Michelle Obama because of her "first time proud of her country" statement. The ad flashes Michelle saying that key line against several "regular" Tennessee Republicans who talk about some of the times they were proud of their country. What's ironic about all this? Well it's pretty apparent, at least to me, that the context of her comment was based on the African-American experience, which as well all know, hasn't been one of the best experiences in America, full of institutionalized racism and discrimination. So how did the Tennessee Republicans answer this?
By having four white people and a really light skinned Latino testify how much they love this country. And according to them, every thing's great! Especially when they all tell us that anyone can come to this country and make it, 'if they work hard enough." Glad they reminded me of that!
I personally love the old white dude playing pool, with his super-duper gun rack in the back. He totally doesn't scare me.
By having four white people and a really light skinned Latino testify how much they love this country. And according to them, every thing's great! Especially when they all tell us that anyone can come to this country and make it, 'if they work hard enough." Glad they reminded me of that!
I personally love the old white dude playing pool, with his super-duper gun rack in the back. He totally doesn't scare me.
How Would Republicans Like It If...
You know, I think Chait makes an even more profound point than he thinks when he says:
"President Bush's thinly-veiled shot at Barack Obama was, in the words of Obama's spokesman, "an unprecedented political attack on foreign soil." Jamie objects, "Bush has every right to criticize" his political opponents. I think Jamie's missing the point of the last three words -- "on foreign soil." Obviously, it's not unprecedented for a president to criticize his political opponents. What's unprecedented is for a president to do so before the legislature of a foreign country."
Not just is it unprecedented, but it's really in bad taste. Can you imagine if Obama went to Germany or France and made a speech dissing Bush? The FOX News building would literally blow up from the power of their holier-than-thou indignation, and Bill O'Reilly...well we know what he would do:
"President Bush's thinly-veiled shot at Barack Obama was, in the words of Obama's spokesman, "an unprecedented political attack on foreign soil." Jamie objects, "Bush has every right to criticize" his political opponents. I think Jamie's missing the point of the last three words -- "on foreign soil." Obviously, it's not unprecedented for a president to criticize his political opponents. What's unprecedented is for a president to do so before the legislature of a foreign country."
Not just is it unprecedented, but it's really in bad taste. Can you imagine if Obama went to Germany or France and made a speech dissing Bush? The FOX News building would literally blow up from the power of their holier-than-thou indignation, and Bill O'Reilly...well we know what he would do:
Lovin Chris Matthews...
Yeah, yeah I know. He's not exactly professional, he makes very dubious statements, and he's got issues with women, but I'll be damned if occasionally he does get to the heart of the issue. This time around--do conservatives even know what the hell they're talking about? Apparently not:
By the way, the Nazi references got tiring 3 years ago from the left, and they're even more invalid from the right. But hey, when you're trying to demonize, you go to the biggest demon in the world.
By the way, the Nazi references got tiring 3 years ago from the left, and they're even more invalid from the right. But hey, when you're trying to demonize, you go to the biggest demon in the world.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
A Little Late I Know
But John Edwards just endorsed Obama yesterday.
Not for nothing but I sorta thought that this was a bigger story than it should have been. If you have been following the race it should be no surprise that Edwards' ideology was more in like with Obama than Clinton. The biggest impact of all this is going to be in the Veepstakes, and Edwards I think has now put himself into play.
PS: Also something to remember; thought they aren't obliged to, Edwards' delegates are now pretty much given to Obama. This takes the lead even farther out of Clinton's hands.
Not for nothing but I sorta thought that this was a bigger story than it should have been. If you have been following the race it should be no surprise that Edwards' ideology was more in like with Obama than Clinton. The biggest impact of all this is going to be in the Veepstakes, and Edwards I think has now put himself into play.
PS: Also something to remember; thought they aren't obliged to, Edwards' delegates are now pretty much given to Obama. This takes the lead even farther out of Clinton's hands.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Obama's Opposition
Just straight up lying:
"John Boehner's surrogate has still not retracted his bald-faced lie about Obama allegedly calling Israel a "sore." Now here's Mark Levin:
"Obama made a point of not wearing the flag pin, knowing that a point would be made of it, just as he makes a point of not placing his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem."
Obama did not make a point of the flag pin. His opponents did. Obama simply did what millions of others did: express their patriotism more intensely after 9/11, and return to less demonstrative gestures thereafter. As for the National Anthem, here's Snopes.com. The evidence is that Obama has placed his hand on his heart during the national anthem and not, depending on the occasion, as is the modern custom. He has never "made a point" about it.
These are lies, smears, untruths. Both Boehner and NRO need to issue corrections. And the Obama team needs to be more aggressive in countering these deliberate lies. "
"John Boehner's surrogate has still not retracted his bald-faced lie about Obama allegedly calling Israel a "sore." Now here's Mark Levin:
"Obama made a point of not wearing the flag pin, knowing that a point would be made of it, just as he makes a point of not placing his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem."
Obama did not make a point of the flag pin. His opponents did. Obama simply did what millions of others did: express their patriotism more intensely after 9/11, and return to less demonstrative gestures thereafter. As for the National Anthem, here's Snopes.com. The evidence is that Obama has placed his hand on his heart during the national anthem and not, depending on the occasion, as is the modern custom. He has never "made a point" about it.
These are lies, smears, untruths. Both Boehner and NRO need to issue corrections. And the Obama team needs to be more aggressive in countering these deliberate lies. "
59th Sign Of The Last Days
From Ben Smith, Chris Matthews on Hillary Clinton:
"I even hate saying things like 'white working-class voters.'"
Matthews, 21 seconds later:
"It's almost like she's the Al Sharpton of white people."
I...I just don't know what to say. Thanks?
"I even hate saying things like 'white working-class voters.'"
Matthews, 21 seconds later:
"It's almost like she's the Al Sharpton of white people."
I...I just don't know what to say. Thanks?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Guess No One's Immune...
To the temptation of pandering:
"WASHINGTON — Barack Obama, who labeled discussion of whether he wears a flag pin in his lapel a false issue in a debate with Hillary Clinton, was wearing one Monday as he campaigned in West Virginia ahead of Tuesday's primary vote there.
Obama made no reference to the pin, which could be clearly seen in television images and through telephoto lenses as he spoke in Charleston, W. Va., about veterans issue. There was no public comment from his campaign."
Sanchez has this bit of snark for those who think the world of the pin:
"The group that’s supposed to be offended here are those so dull-witted that they (1) get bent out of shape over a lapel pin, and (2) couldn’t wrap their brains around Obama’s explanation for foregoing the pin. Which is to say… simpletons. The overlap between that group and those “clever enough” to regard the pin’s appearance as cynical pandering is probably pretty thin."
Oh damn he called people who are pin obsessed "simpletons" damn elitists! Well at least they won't know he's pandering to them. This leads us to an interesting question: if Obama panders in a forest and no one is there to hear him--is it a pander? Discuss.
"WASHINGTON — Barack Obama, who labeled discussion of whether he wears a flag pin in his lapel a false issue in a debate with Hillary Clinton, was wearing one Monday as he campaigned in West Virginia ahead of Tuesday's primary vote there.
Obama made no reference to the pin, which could be clearly seen in television images and through telephoto lenses as he spoke in Charleston, W. Va., about veterans issue. There was no public comment from his campaign."
Sanchez has this bit of snark for those who think the world of the pin:
"The group that’s supposed to be offended here are those so dull-witted that they (1) get bent out of shape over a lapel pin, and (2) couldn’t wrap their brains around Obama’s explanation for foregoing the pin. Which is to say… simpletons. The overlap between that group and those “clever enough” to regard the pin’s appearance as cynical pandering is probably pretty thin."
Oh damn he called people who are pin obsessed "simpletons" damn elitists! Well at least they won't know he's pandering to them. This leads us to an interesting question: if Obama panders in a forest and no one is there to hear him--is it a pander? Discuss.
Answering Old Questions With New Foolishness
An anonymous reader asked me the following question following this post:
"Do you think videos like Tisa's "Vote Obama" video ft. Chris Brown, Kanye WEst, and Jay-Z, are a help or a hindrance for Obama?"
Here's the video:
The obvious answer is, this is a hinderance, it does not help; not because of the celebrity endorsement but because the song and video is just plain wack. Unlike the somewhat elegent Will. I. Am video (Did I just use Will. I . Am. and the word 'elegant' in the same sentance?) the TI$A joint looks like something Boy George dreamed up in the 80s while tripping on 'Shrooms, and the song has the verbal skills of a PSA done by Vanilla Ice. "Be cool, be votin?" Really?
"Do you think videos like Tisa's "Vote Obama" video ft. Chris Brown, Kanye WEst, and Jay-Z, are a help or a hindrance for Obama?"
Here's the video:
The obvious answer is, this is a hinderance, it does not help; not because of the celebrity endorsement but because the song and video is just plain wack. Unlike the somewhat elegent Will. I. Am video (Did I just use Will. I . Am. and the word 'elegant' in the same sentance?) the TI$A joint looks like something Boy George dreamed up in the 80s while tripping on 'Shrooms, and the song has the verbal skills of a PSA done by Vanilla Ice. "Be cool, be votin?" Really?
But as bad as that is, this is even worse:
Believe it or not this came with an endorsement by Willamette Week. Who's that? Not sure, but they must really, really, REALLY like Obama. Wasn't this the cover of a Rick James album in the 70s? Earth, Wind, and Fire just got a fourth.
In Other News
I know for the last couple of months or so my blog's been dominated by presidential campaign politics. I'll be trying to extend my coverage in the future. Scout's honor.
New Obama Tactic
Over at Politico, Jonathan Martin claims Obama's now taken to 'repudiating boomers' to woo the older vote. But it just seems like he's talking sense:
"One of the saddest episodes in our history was the degree to which returning vets from Vietnam were shunned, demonized and neglected by some because they served in an unpopular war. Too many of those who opposed the war in Vietnam chose to blame not only the leaders who ordered the mission, but the young men who simply answered their country’s call. Four decades later, the sting of that injustice is a wound that has never fully healed, and one that should never be repeated."
One of the memes floating around Obama's canidacy from insiders is that Obama's adjusting his message to conform to weaknesses in his demographic, but for anyone who's read his book, or listened to the man for more than 10 seconds could see, the only adjustment is against the stereotypes of how 'liberals' are supposed to be talking. Not sure how many, if any, Democratic politicians ever went around 'demonizing' soliders. Sure some wack off anti-war protesters did it, but since when do wack offs become mainstream?
"One of the saddest episodes in our history was the degree to which returning vets from Vietnam were shunned, demonized and neglected by some because they served in an unpopular war. Too many of those who opposed the war in Vietnam chose to blame not only the leaders who ordered the mission, but the young men who simply answered their country’s call. Four decades later, the sting of that injustice is a wound that has never fully healed, and one that should never be repeated."
One of the memes floating around Obama's canidacy from insiders is that Obama's adjusting his message to conform to weaknesses in his demographic, but for anyone who's read his book, or listened to the man for more than 10 seconds could see, the only adjustment is against the stereotypes of how 'liberals' are supposed to be talking. Not sure how many, if any, Democratic politicians ever went around 'demonizing' soliders. Sure some wack off anti-war protesters did it, but since when do wack offs become mainstream?
Friday, May 09, 2008
Did I Say By Next Week?
My prediction over at AllHipHop.com said that Obama would take the lead in Superdelegates by next week, but according to ABC he did it in two days. Guess that's not too surprising when Clinton's saying stuff like this.
Eat Your Heart Out Farrakhan!
Screw the Million Man March, Obama's team predicts that by election day they'll have a million volunteers. Ambinder:
"On election day, Obama might have more than a million individuals volunteering on his behalf. That should scare the beejeesus out of the McCain campaign and the RNC."
Yglesias takes it to the next level:
"One incredibly interesting question is to what extent the organizing tools Obama has put to good use thus far in the campaign can be made to work as tools of governance that put pressure on congress and so forth."
Power to the People? Hummm.
"On election day, Obama might have more than a million individuals volunteering on his behalf. That should scare the beejeesus out of the McCain campaign and the RNC."
Yglesias takes it to the next level:
"One incredibly interesting question is to what extent the organizing tools Obama has put to good use thus far in the campaign can be made to work as tools of governance that put pressure on congress and so forth."
Power to the People? Hummm.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Back in Black
Sunni Lebanese and Shiite Hezbollah take their beef to the streets. Video here......
....ok, that was in bad taste.
....ok, that was in bad taste.
Compounding Your Problems
So you're a Congressman (Republican of course), and you're caught in a DWI. Not too bad, go to rehab, take a pic with a minister, you should be alright, right?
Then you get your mistress to bail you out of jail.
Media finds out about that. Now you have to confess to that and...the three year old daughter you have with your mistress.
Welcome to Fossella's world.
Then you get your mistress to bail you out of jail.
Media finds out about that. Now you have to confess to that and...the three year old daughter you have with your mistress.
Welcome to Fossella's world.
Don't Rush to Judgement
Latest in the line of BS from police departments:
What kills it to me is the cop on the right hand side. If you notice he actually goes from group to group kicking dudes, as if he was Goldielocks looking for the perfect bed.
Hat Tip: MY
What kills it to me is the cop on the right hand side. If you notice he actually goes from group to group kicking dudes, as if he was Goldielocks looking for the perfect bed.
Hat Tip: MY
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Primary Wrap-Up
Before it hits the pages of AllHipHop.com, you can check it out here. Long story short--it's not a good day to be Hillary.
About two months ago it seemed apparent that Sen. Hillary Clinton’s run for the Democratic nomination was finished. Sen. Barack Obama led in elected delegates, races won, and popular vote. But, as the pundits called it, she moved the goal post further and further back. By the time the Pennsylvania primary rolled around the goal post was in the parking lot.
So last night, as Obama took a decisive victory in North Carolina and Clinton squeaked by in Indiana, her refusal to quit and face reality has a certain Bush-like quality of schizophrenia. The Daily News’ front page today has the headline ‘Hil Needs A Miracle’ and the NY Post proclaims ‘Toast!’ Even the entire MSNBC crew and Matt Drudge says it’s over, but if her speech last night was any clue to her future plans, Clinton remains committed to seeing this thing out to what will undoubtedly be the bitter end, pleading with her supporters to send her more money to top off her second self-loan of 6.4 million dollars.
Regardless, last night seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. With six more primaries to go, all of which are much smaller than North Carolina (I believe Puerto Rico is the largest in the rest of the season, with around 50 delegates to be decided), Clinton has zero shot of over taking Obama in elected delegates and popular vote under the Democratic rules of delegates by proportion. Not only that but it seems that now Super delegates are rallying to Obama who, according to George Stephanopoulos, are ready to come over ‘three, four, five at a time’.
Really though the story of last night, and ultimately, this Democratic nominating season is that, as Andrew Sullivan pointed out, the end of the Clintons came at the hands of black voters. While Hillary just narrowly picked up Indiana, Obama’s huge victory in NC is what shut the door for his opponent and that couldn’t have been possible save for the commanding turn out of black voters there. By the numbers blacks routed Clinton, giving Obama 91 percent of their vote compared to 6 percent for Clinton. Add that to the fact that whites voted by a much smaller margin for Clinton—59 to 36—and what you get is blacks, in a rare, rare event actually deciding on the Democratic nominee for President and maybe the President of the United States. Obviously, Obama historically had black support, but I think that Hillary’s complete lack of respect for blacks as shown in her interview with O’Reilly really brought out the black vote for Obama and on this end she tactically shot herself in the foot. Among all of the mistakes that a person makes, it’s always the last one that hurts the most and this time she’s going to look back and realize that when she gave away the black vote to Obama in NC, when she completely ignored that part of the Democratic constituency, she set herself up to lose. It’s a poetic end to what has been a miserably racially polarizing race. Hopefully we’ll get something of more substance in the general election…but then again, don’t bet on it.
About two months ago it seemed apparent that Sen. Hillary Clinton’s run for the Democratic nomination was finished. Sen. Barack Obama led in elected delegates, races won, and popular vote. But, as the pundits called it, she moved the goal post further and further back. By the time the Pennsylvania primary rolled around the goal post was in the parking lot.
So last night, as Obama took a decisive victory in North Carolina and Clinton squeaked by in Indiana, her refusal to quit and face reality has a certain Bush-like quality of schizophrenia. The Daily News’ front page today has the headline ‘Hil Needs A Miracle’ and the NY Post proclaims ‘Toast!’ Even the entire MSNBC crew and Matt Drudge says it’s over, but if her speech last night was any clue to her future plans, Clinton remains committed to seeing this thing out to what will undoubtedly be the bitter end, pleading with her supporters to send her more money to top off her second self-loan of 6.4 million dollars.
Regardless, last night seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. With six more primaries to go, all of which are much smaller than North Carolina (I believe Puerto Rico is the largest in the rest of the season, with around 50 delegates to be decided), Clinton has zero shot of over taking Obama in elected delegates and popular vote under the Democratic rules of delegates by proportion. Not only that but it seems that now Super delegates are rallying to Obama who, according to George Stephanopoulos, are ready to come over ‘three, four, five at a time’.
Really though the story of last night, and ultimately, this Democratic nominating season is that, as Andrew Sullivan pointed out, the end of the Clintons came at the hands of black voters. While Hillary just narrowly picked up Indiana, Obama’s huge victory in NC is what shut the door for his opponent and that couldn’t have been possible save for the commanding turn out of black voters there. By the numbers blacks routed Clinton, giving Obama 91 percent of their vote compared to 6 percent for Clinton. Add that to the fact that whites voted by a much smaller margin for Clinton—59 to 36—and what you get is blacks, in a rare, rare event actually deciding on the Democratic nominee for President and maybe the President of the United States. Obviously, Obama historically had black support, but I think that Hillary’s complete lack of respect for blacks as shown in her interview with O’Reilly really brought out the black vote for Obama and on this end she tactically shot herself in the foot. Among all of the mistakes that a person makes, it’s always the last one that hurts the most and this time she’s going to look back and realize that when she gave away the black vote to Obama in NC, when she completely ignored that part of the Democratic constituency, she set herself up to lose. It’s a poetic end to what has been a miserably racially polarizing race. Hopefully we’ll get something of more substance in the general election…but then again, don’t bet on it.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
How to Win Hearts and Minds: Lesson #342
Bomb hospitals:
"BAGHDAD - The U.S. military on Saturday fired missiles at a target about 50 yards away from the general hospital in Baghdad's Sadr City district, wounding more than 20 people and destroying ambulances, hospital officials said."
If there was only some way to tie this to Rev. Wright...
"BAGHDAD - The U.S. military on Saturday fired missiles at a target about 50 yards away from the general hospital in Baghdad's Sadr City district, wounding more than 20 people and destroying ambulances, hospital officials said."
If there was only some way to tie this to Rev. Wright...
Iron Man
Saw it last night. I think there's only one question that needs to be asked, Best Marvel movie ever? Discuss.
Big spoiler below...............................................
What's up with the dude at the end of the clip? "YEEESSSS!" Simmer down there blue chip.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Hillary on O'Reilly
My thoughts can be found over at AllHipHop.com. Long story short, it was a slap in the face to black America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
