Tuesday, June 03, 2008
CYA Leadership
For months Democrats have had the wherewithal to finally end their nominating process by simply having their superdelegates make up their mind.
For Superdelegates, 'Huge Relief' at End of Primary Season
“Several superdelegates contacted yesterday said they spent the past six months waiting, sometimes impatiently, for voters to reach a consensus before expressing opinions of their own.”
I think that is an excellent description of the problem for much of the Democratic Party’s leadership: the more inevitable Senator Obama became, the more the voters in most of the later primary states resisted him. So the elites among the Democrats are stuck between a Hillary Clinton they are convinced cannot win in November and a Barack Obama they’re (increasingly) not really sure of but still believe will do better than Sen. Clinton.
What they don’t want though is that inevitable Clinton I-told-you-so should Senator Obama lose the general election in November. Things will be so much easier if they can just lay it off as the choice of the rank-and-file.
For Superdelegates, 'Huge Relief' at End of Primary Season
“Several superdelegates contacted yesterday said they spent the past six months waiting, sometimes impatiently, for voters to reach a consensus before expressing opinions of their own.”
I think that is an excellent description of the problem for much of the Democratic Party’s leadership: the more inevitable Senator Obama became, the more the voters in most of the later primary states resisted him. So the elites among the Democrats are stuck between a Hillary Clinton they are convinced cannot win in November and a Barack Obama they’re (increasingly) not really sure of but still believe will do better than Sen. Clinton.
What they don’t want though is that inevitable Clinton I-told-you-so should Senator Obama lose the general election in November. Things will be so much easier if they can just lay it off as the choice of the rank-and-file.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Fruits of Appeasement
This is not good news: Lebanese Political Factions Reach Agreement
Our State Department, as usual, is clueless:
“The U.S.'s top diplomat for the region, David Welch, nevertheless welcomed the agreement as "a necessary and positive step" that will let the country's political process move forward, the Associated Press reported.
Hezbollah more or less got what it wanted; a significant presence in the government:
“According to the terms of the deal, Hezbollah will be given 11 seats in a 30-member cabinet -- enough to exercise an effective veto over government policies, as the group had demanded.”
Meanwhile, the government got jack:
“Significantly, the issue of Hezbollah's arsenal of weapons -- one of the most pressing matters for supporters of the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora -- was left to future negotiations.”
(Ed. Note: Washington Post writers like to use the stylistic tic of many lazy reporters and continually refer to the Lebanonese government as “U.S. backed”. No-one ever explains exactly what the level of our support entails.)
Somewhere, Jimmy Carter is smiling: for Syria and Iran, this is a “positive step” but for Israel, it no doubt means even more attention now needs to paid to southern Lebanon. Israeli PM Olmert’s failure to wage an appropriate war on Hezbollah back in 2006 has newfound significance as (and please don’t take this personally, Senator Obama) appeasement, cloaked as diplomacy, continues to demonstrate it is a failing policy.
Our State Department, as usual, is clueless:
“The U.S.'s top diplomat for the region, David Welch, nevertheless welcomed the agreement as "a necessary and positive step" that will let the country's political process move forward, the Associated Press reported.
Hezbollah more or less got what it wanted; a significant presence in the government:
“According to the terms of the deal, Hezbollah will be given 11 seats in a 30-member cabinet -- enough to exercise an effective veto over government policies, as the group had demanded.”
Meanwhile, the government got jack:
“Significantly, the issue of Hezbollah's arsenal of weapons -- one of the most pressing matters for supporters of the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora -- was left to future negotiations.”
(Ed. Note: Washington Post writers like to use the stylistic tic of many lazy reporters and continually refer to the Lebanonese government as “U.S. backed”. No-one ever explains exactly what the level of our support entails.)
Somewhere, Jimmy Carter is smiling: for Syria and Iran, this is a “positive step” but for Israel, it no doubt means even more attention now needs to paid to southern Lebanon. Israeli PM Olmert’s failure to wage an appropriate war on Hezbollah back in 2006 has newfound significance as (and please don’t take this personally, Senator Obama) appeasement, cloaked as diplomacy, continues to demonstrate it is a failing policy.
"...a friendly, light-hearted character..."
“Meet Petey P. Cup. The 6-foot-11, walking urine vial is being unveiled today as the mascot of HealthPartners' new website and advertising campaign.” MinnPost - HealthPartners unveils offbeat ad mascot
‘nuff said.
‘nuff said.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
"Bartender, I need 3 beers so I can play a video game"
From today’s Slate:
“—A Silver-winning interactive campaign designed to reduce drunken driving in Frankfurt. Called "The Piss-Screen," it placed monitors on the walls above urinals in bars. By aiming their pee from side to side, men could steer a car in a video driving game. The game would ultimately demonstrate that the pee-er was unfit to be driving, as he couldn't even manage to accurately aim his stream of urine. After the inevitable crash, the screen would ask, "Too pissed to drive?" Celebrating shameless hucksterism at the Clios
I think we can all easily imagine competitions among those standing side-by-side. This could be the long-awaited breakthrough in getting men to tune in to their feminine side…by going to the bathroom together.
“—A Silver-winning interactive campaign designed to reduce drunken driving in Frankfurt. Called "The Piss-Screen," it placed monitors on the walls above urinals in bars. By aiming their pee from side to side, men could steer a car in a video driving game. The game would ultimately demonstrate that the pee-er was unfit to be driving, as he couldn't even manage to accurately aim his stream of urine. After the inevitable crash, the screen would ask, "Too pissed to drive?" Celebrating shameless hucksterism at the Clios
I think we can all easily imagine competitions among those standing side-by-side. This could be the long-awaited breakthrough in getting men to tune in to their feminine side…by going to the bathroom together.
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Epidemic of Epidemics Continues...
As a kid, I wasn’t fat. Now I’m trying to remember how my family and I managed that without the federal government’s help. Today’s Washington Post has the following which is almost a parody of how many of us perceive the liberal thought process…except they’re serious here:
“Inertia at the Top
A belated and patchy response to an epidemic of childhood obesity is hamstrung by U.S. government's inadequate direction and funding.
Susan Levine and Lori Aratani” (from the Home page at washingtonpost.com)
The article notes favorably the national governments' approaches in the Nanny States of Europe and, of course, boils down the problem with our national government’s approach.
“Critics say the White House has not pushed the issue much beyond personal responsibility. They say the administration and lawmakers are not aggressively pressing for industry or food policy changes.”
Damn! Well, I’ve had some training in stochastic curves, variable equations and the like and when I crunch the numbers, there appears to be a direct correlation between the growth in federal government spending on social programs and the growth in kids’ waistlines.
“Inertia at the Top
A belated and patchy response to an epidemic of childhood obesity is hamstrung by U.S. government's inadequate direction and funding.
Susan Levine and Lori Aratani” (from the Home page at washingtonpost.com)
The article notes favorably the national governments' approaches in the Nanny States of Europe and, of course, boils down the problem with our national government’s approach.
“Critics say the White House has not pushed the issue much beyond personal responsibility. They say the administration and lawmakers are not aggressively pressing for industry or food policy changes.”
Damn! Well, I’ve had some training in stochastic curves, variable equations and the like and when I crunch the numbers, there appears to be a direct correlation between the growth in federal government spending on social programs and the growth in kids’ waistlines.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
"My client is not an appeaser..but if he is an appeaser, it's the right thing to do"
Matthew Mosk is in the tank for Barack Obama.
Now, as a paid member of the Washington Post reporting staff, that was a probably a foregone conclusion. But his piece today offers an excellent example of subtle but real bias in print:
Paragraph 1
“Sen. Barack Obama pushed back Friday against President Bush's implicit criticism of his approach to foreign policy ….”
Implicit?
· Transcript: Obama Responds to Bush's Attack
Bush’s attack?
· Bush's Veiled Swipe at Obama
Veiled swipe?
Mr. Mosk’s language and tone reflects the spin of the Obama campaign and not the facts of the situation. Here is what the President said:
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.” Prepared Text of Bush's Knesset Speech - WSJ.com
Just why Senator Obama, the Democratic Party hierarchy and their acolytes in the press recognize the Illinois senator in those remarks is probably the more interesting story.
Now, as a paid member of the Washington Post reporting staff, that was a probably a foregone conclusion. But his piece today offers an excellent example of subtle but real bias in print:
Paragraph 1
“Sen. Barack Obama pushed back Friday against President Bush's implicit criticism of his approach to foreign policy ….”
Implicit?
· Transcript: Obama Responds to Bush's Attack
Bush’s attack?
· Bush's Veiled Swipe at Obama
Veiled swipe?
Mr. Mosk’s language and tone reflects the spin of the Obama campaign and not the facts of the situation. Here is what the President said:
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.” Prepared Text of Bush's Knesset Speech - WSJ.com
Just why Senator Obama, the Democratic Party hierarchy and their acolytes in the press recognize the Illinois senator in those remarks is probably the more interesting story.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
One of these people just doesn't belong...
From The New Republic: Maybe We Can't,which discusses one writer’s aversion to Barack Obama:
“You hear this kind of talk all the time. Never mind the dignified glories of Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Colin Powell, Kurt Schmoke, and others.”
Kurt Schmoke???
“You hear this kind of talk all the time. Never mind the dignified glories of Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Colin Powell, Kurt Schmoke, and others.”
Kurt Schmoke???
John Edwards, The Preakness and other matters...
In endorsing Senator Obama, John Edwards waited until AFTER Senator Clinton crushed the Illinois Senator in West Virginia to declare:
"… the voters have made their choice, and so have I."
“While the army was long considered neutral in the crisis…”
Their army is considered neutral in a fight against its government??? (sigh) Israel remains a singular bastion of common sense and civility over there. We should all celebrate its existence and pray for its continued success.
"… the voters have made their choice, and so have I."
Well, not ALL the voters….there are still a few primaries left as well as that disenfranchisement of Florida and Michigan Democratic primary voters. But the voters have chosen wisely in the past few years in not making John Edwards their choice.
…
What a contrast in the Mideast: Israel is celebrating their 60th anniversary as Lebanon threatens to descend into a civil war. However, the Washington Post reports today that there may be a calming in Lebanon – apparently the government there is backing off on some actions against Hezbollah. Here’s my favorite part of their reporting:
…
What a contrast in the Mideast: Israel is celebrating their 60th anniversary as Lebanon threatens to descend into a civil war. However, the Washington Post reports today that there may be a calming in Lebanon – apparently the government there is backing off on some actions against Hezbollah. Here’s my favorite part of their reporting:
“While the army was long considered neutral in the crisis…”
Their army is considered neutral in a fight against its government??? (sigh) Israel remains a singular bastion of common sense and civility over there. We should all celebrate its existence and pray for its continued success.
BTW: Yesterday, Soccer Dad sent me a link to a Q&A with Post writer Griff Witte about Israel’s 60th anniversary. Let me just publicly thank him then for such an utter waste of my time whereby, from Mr. Witte’s responses, I learned absolutely nothing new about Israel, the Palestinians or anything going on in the Mideast. The questioners as a whole came across as better informed. Soccer Dad and I share a general head-shaking, eye-rolling reaction to much of the coverage of Israel published in the Post of which Griff Witte is just the most recent exhibit. SD has more here: Soccer Dad: Half witte
…
The Preakness is this Saturday and I look to be there in plenty of time to bet the 1st race – Post Time 10:30AM. The Big Race has a field of 13 horses – only two of which raced in the Kentucky Derby. The remaining 11 horses COMBINED are $167,000 short of Derby winner Big Brown’s lifetime earnings of $2,114,500…which is why he is a deserved overwhelming favorite this weekend.
…
No doubt many of you were wondering what Marie Cocco’s latest thoughts were. (I confess, I didn’t know who she was either but it says she is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group.) Anyway, here are her thoughts: Misogyny I Won't Miss
Fortunately, most of the people she cites for insensitivity on this matter are obvious Lefties. Here’s here ham-handed and predictable conclusion:
“But for all Clinton's political blemishes, the darker stain that has been exposed is the hatred of women that is accepted as a part of our culture.”
Puh-leez. Forget about men getting in touch with their feminine side; we need some of these women to get in touch with their masculine side.
And no, I’m not talking to you Mrs. Clinton; you’re doing fine…
…
I don’t regularly watch a lot of non-sports television but if I’m still up and watching weekdays at midnight, I’m likely to be tuned to WGN and Corner Gas. It’s a Canadian import and probably requires a few viewings to get a handle on the characters but it is genuinely funny.
…
The Preakness is this Saturday and I look to be there in plenty of time to bet the 1st race – Post Time 10:30AM. The Big Race has a field of 13 horses – only two of which raced in the Kentucky Derby. The remaining 11 horses COMBINED are $167,000 short of Derby winner Big Brown’s lifetime earnings of $2,114,500…which is why he is a deserved overwhelming favorite this weekend.
…
No doubt many of you were wondering what Marie Cocco’s latest thoughts were. (I confess, I didn’t know who she was either but it says she is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group.) Anyway, here are her thoughts: Misogyny I Won't Miss
Fortunately, most of the people she cites for insensitivity on this matter are obvious Lefties. Here’s here ham-handed and predictable conclusion:
“But for all Clinton's political blemishes, the darker stain that has been exposed is the hatred of women that is accepted as a part of our culture.”
Puh-leez. Forget about men getting in touch with their feminine side; we need some of these women to get in touch with their masculine side.
And no, I’m not talking to you Mrs. Clinton; you’re doing fine…
…
I don’t regularly watch a lot of non-sports television but if I’m still up and watching weekdays at midnight, I’m likely to be tuned to WGN and Corner Gas. It’s a Canadian import and probably requires a few viewings to get a handle on the characters but it is genuinely funny.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Alright! My Intersection is #3!!!
“If you drive on Great Seneca Highway near Muddy Branch Road in Gaithersburg, you have the dubious distinction of passing through Montgomery County's most clogged intersection….
“No. 3 is Route 355 at King Farm Boulevard…” Montgomery Traffic Fixes Are Ineffective, Study Says - washingtonpost.com
See, this is why we need to elect more Democrats…oh, wait…
“No. 3 is Route 355 at King Farm Boulevard…” Montgomery Traffic Fixes Are Ineffective, Study Says - washingtonpost.com
See, this is why we need to elect more Democrats…oh, wait…
Maybe Hamas is right after all...
In April, Hamas adviser Ahmed Yousef glowingly spoke of Senator Obama:
“We don’t mind–actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy…”
I’m reminded of that as I read what Byron York over at NRO describes as “Fun facts from the Democratic popular vote race”:
Obama's lead, including estimated vote totals in caucus states(which favors Obama) plus results from Florida (which favors Clinton),but nothing from Michigan: 411,915
Obama's margin of victory over Clinton in Cook County, Illinois: 429,052
Heh, heh.
“We don’t mind–actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy…”
I’m reminded of that as I read what Byron York over at NRO describes as “Fun facts from the Democratic popular vote race”:
Obama's lead, including estimated vote totals in caucus states(which favors Obama) plus results from Florida (which favors Clinton),but nothing from Michigan: 411,915
Obama's margin of victory over Clinton in Cook County, Illinois: 429,052
Heh, heh.
