George W. Bush is a moron

and so is John McCain. At least that's what I keep hearing. Every utterance from the President is scrutinized for any possible interpretation that makes him look stupid. McCain is derided for saying Shia when he meant Sunni.

What would the world say if either of them referred to the "57 States" they've visited? There would be unceasing howls from Berkley to Boston and rightfully so.

So what to make of Obama describing his visits to 57 states? Some in the audience laugh but it's clear he's not joking. He goes on to say that he wanted to visit Alaska and Hawaii but his staff couldn't justify it. The fact that this is not news anywhere on the MSM is proof positive that democrats and especially The One will never be subjected to the same cynical eye cast on republicans

Youtubery

This guy has brass ones.



and this guy is suicidal.



That's like biking through an 8,558 foot long cigarette. Seriously the air in that tunnel is so poor it probably takes an hour off your life each time you drive it let alone sprinting on a bike.

Daily Roundup

(An unpopular yet continuing feature)

First up, Obama's interview:

OBAMA: Well, I think there are a whole host of areas where Republicans in some cases may have a better idea.

WALLACE: Such as?

OBAMA: Well, on issues of regulation. I think that back in the '60s and '70s a lot of the way we regulated industry was top-down command and control, we're going to tell businesses exactly how to do things.

And you know, I think that the Republican Party and people who thought about the markets came up with the notion that, "You know what? If you simply set some guidelines, some rules and incentives, for businesses — let them figure out how they're going to, for example, reduce pollution," and a cap and trade system, for example is a smarter way of doing it, controlling pollution, than dictating every single rule that a company has to abide by, which creates a lot of bureaucracy and red tape and oftentimes is less efficient.


I think that on issues of education, I've been very clear about the fact — and sometimes I've gotten in trouble with the teachers' union on this — that we should be experimenting with charter schools. We should be experimenting with different ways of compensating teachers that...

Wow. Markets work and we should be rewarding teachers by ability. Hmmm....is he triangulating because he knows Fox's audience or is he for real? I guess we'll find out one way or the other.

I've said nothing about Jose Calderon largely because he's not been in the news and I really know nothing of the man. I wasn't a fan of Vicente Fox but he wasn't all bad. It seems Calderon is doing much that needs to be done and at great cost.

Some 2,500 soldiers and federal police swept into Ciudad Juarez over the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas last month with heavy weaponry and helicopters to quell a surge in drug murders as gangs fight over smuggling routes into the United States.

Soldiers have taken over many security tasks from the often corrupt city police, making dozens of arrests and seizing arms and narcotics but the fight against common crime has apparently suffered.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? (In Iraq the IP's are unreliable but the Iraqi Army is not.) Kudos to Senor Calderon, I hope he succeeds.

The anti-war crowd frequently brays that there is no way that Al Qaeda would be in bed with Saddam as he was unislamic and that would make them natural enemies. Likewise they would never collaborate with Hezbollah or Hamas as they are Shia. Yet now we're getting word that Al Qaeda is teaming up with Mookie Sadr to fight the U.S. "But..but..but....how can that beeeeeeee?" I hear them sputter. "They hate each other." Yes but the old axiom of the enemy of my enemy is my friend always applies. People hold grudges and old hatreds do die hard but frequently interests, goals, objectives (call them what you will) usually trump those hatreds. I guarantee that if I offered you enough money you'd make peace with your enemies. This is, of course a losing deal for everybody. Despite Leftist crowing to the contrary, neither Sadr nor AQ is going to win this one. They aren't even going to be able to hold out much longer. Last time Sadr showed his hand he and his boys where crying Uncle inside a day and a half and he fled to Iran with his tail between his legs. The best part of this for us is that it unites the two opposing forces into one front. When we get inside their decision curve it will be on one front. When they have turncoats they will have a much more information to give. They may have the fervor of the righteous but they don't have the doctrine. Or the brains. Or the equipment.

The "Support Our Troops/Bring Them Home" crowd masks their anti-war stance as some sort of concern for the safety and well being of our troops. This one will test that theory. Many moons ago when my brother was stationed at Bragg he was giving me a tour of the base. He wryly pointed out that his office was in a building that had been condemned (due to structural concerns) and due to be demolished and replaced. When the requisite funding dried up the building was "uncondemned" and the structural deficiencies magically vanished. As an officer he was never required to live on post (aside from a short stay in BOQ while looking for a house). Yesterday I read this and today I saw this video:



I'll hold my breath while the anti-war crowd raises their voices in unison to right this wrong. That would be supporting the troops.

Changing the subject to sports...I read this story today which I really like to see. I've talked about sportsmanship before and how I think it's a benchmark to judge people. Stories like this are not seen on a professional level and to a degree I understand but even seeing this on a collegiate level is a welcome thing. More please.

Back to politics...

"Louis said 20 years ago that Zionism, not Judaism, was a gutter religion. He was talking about the same thing United Nations resolutions say, the same thing now that President Carter's being vilified for and Bishop Tutu's being vilified for. And everybody wants to paint me as if I'm anti-Semitic because of what Louis Farrakhan said 20 years ago. He is one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century; that's what I think about him. . . . Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn't make me this color." - Jeremiah Wright

Nota Bene:

1. You were never in chains
2. You were never in slavery
3. The melanin in your skin made you that color

What makes this statement so reprehensible is the implication that because Farrakhan is black he is not the enemy. Inversely that must mean that anyone who is white;

1. Put black people in chains or bears responsibility for same
2. Enslaved or is responsible for enslaving black people
3. Is somehow responsible for skin color

My family didn't get here until long after slavery ended. Before that they were in Europe scraping out an meager existence and in no position to employ anyone let alone enslave them. Wright's comments and frankly, ideas are disgusting. They are unAmerican, unChristian and deplorable. Obama was right to disavow him but it will not explain his close, personal relationship with him for over 20 years.

Too funny

It's not nice to pick on the Jets but I just can't help myself.

Nick...Nick....Nick

How Hillary can win

Daily Roundup

First up: George Soros' anti-Americanism in his own words:


"I'm not looking for a worldwide recession. I'm looking for a significant shift of power and influence away from the US in particular and a shift in favour of the developing world, particularly China." Game, set, match. He wants to see China ascendant and America pushed aside. Yes, China the bastion of freedom, liberty and meek foreign policy. I will no longer suffer any fool who tells me Soros is not anti-American. Further, anything he funds with his zillions is rightly labeled anti-American.

Second; Remember when Russia resumed it's air patrols off the coast of the US and some people blamed Bush ('natch). It was his reckless and aggressive foreign policy that started it all. Now we're seeing Russia making test bombing runs off the coast of Europe. Do we blame Sarkozy or Zapatero? Those warmongering French I suppose.

Up next, "Police stumbled upon a bomb-making factory Sunday in the home of a Columbia professor who specializes in the spread of infectious disease - and are investigating whether he and his roommate have terror ties." Head in the sand liberals will not be able to slough this one off as some ineffectual wannabe. He's a Columbia professor who had a bomb lab in his house.

When Spain was bombed by terrorists they folded like Superman on laundry day and gave in to the terrorists by pulling their troops out of Iraq. Why then are they still directing their energy toward Spain?

Proving they have no shame, a delegation of Mexican lawmakers are complaining about a new Arizona law.

"A delegation of nine state legislators from Sonora was in Tucson on Tuesday to say Arizona's new employer sanctions law will have a devastating effect on the Mexican state.
At a news conference, the legislators said Sonora - Arizona's southern neighbor, made up of mostly small towns - cannot handle the demand for housing, jobs and schools it will face as illegal Mexican workers here return to their hometowns without jobs or money." Cry me a river.

Hillary's craven scramble for power is now nakedly apparent even to Democrats. Sullivan has two items and one from Kos

Even Ed Schultz (sina qua non liberal) says Bill Clinton is a lying liar:



Things are getting testy. Taking Points Memo has a clip of just how ugly things are getting between Hillary and Obama. The look of fury mixed with contempt on her face when he challenges her illustrates well just how much she believes she's entitled to this job. It also gives an indication of how terrible her temper must be when she's challenged. I reiterate: This. Woman. Is. Dangerous.

Clinton said the news media is much tougher on his wife than on Obama. At the end of the exchange, he told the CNN reporter, "Shame on you." Is he kidding me? Seriously, the man is a sociopath.


Up next, the Civil War in 4 minutes.



Der Furher is a Cowboys fan and he's not happy. (Salty language warning)



Read the whole thing on Why Mainstream Journalism Sucks.

Take a first person ride on a kick ass bike trail:



I know you've been wondering what the 5 most horrifying bugs in the world are. Wonder no more.

Now I present an exclusive look at the new Batman movie:



Here's a CEO who missed out on a job because he has scheduled time to be with his family and they wouldn't reschedule the interview. That alone make him my hero.



Our environmental irresponsibility has led to global warming on Jupiter! We have to act now before it's too late.

Latest campaign video

h/t: Sullivan

NOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!!!

Awesome.


Read the reviews and see if this product is right for you. Read them all carefully before buying.

YouTube of the Day

This is inspired:

A Tribute to Al Gore

h/t: American Digest

Hilarious Indian Music Video with English Interpretation

Gotta love Bollywood

YouTube of the Day

DV: This one's for you.

Irony overload

Reporter Who Called Bush ‘Idiot’ for Segway Fall Cracks Ribs in Fall from Contraption

I wonder if he'll write an editorial about his own idiocy.

For your consideration

LiveLeak.com - Dick Cheney on why America shouldn't invade Iraq (1994)

Granted that things were different in 1994 this is, in my view, damning. I would love to hear his rationale as to why things are different. I have my own thoughts which I've beaten to a bloody pulp so I won't rehash here. However, this is why politics is changing so much. It was one thing in the past to see a quote from someone saying the exact opposite of what they're saying now. It's entirely different to see it in video. Add to that the dispersal possible with viral video and the seismic changes are massive.

Daily Roundup

Sex is a private matter unless you're a democrat. There's a bit of snark there. I happen to agree that the Senator should resign. His acts were criminal and made him subject to blackmail. Not to mention I happen to believe that people of low character in one area of their life do not confine their perfidity there. If you are willing to lie to your wife about infidelity, you're much more likely to use your Senatorial position to enrich yourself illegally or at least game the system to skirt the law.

Rod Dreher is losing his religion. I confess that I too, stood on that precipice and looked into the abyss. Ultimately after a great deal of soul searching I stayed but it was, by no means, an easy decision.

In other news, here's the paleocon view on how to end the war successfully.

Should there be a Jihad Sedition law
. I find this argument not only persuasive but compelling. Advocating sharia is no different than any other form of theocracy. I would add that to the list. Any preacher of any stripe that openly calls for a theocratic state by overthrow (presumably violent) of our current government is seditious.

Hitchens skewers Galloway yet again and this time, Galloway cannot bluster his way through. Somewhere, Norm Coleman is laughing.

Here's compilation of UK MOD recruiting videos I find it very interesting. Note some of the imagery used. Also note that not once, is patriotism or country mentioned.

Business news: Is Blackstone going private? This will be of interest to no one except me but it's interesting so read it anyway. I surmise the author is correct but they'll wait for a further dip of 200 or so basis points.

Biden screws himself again. He really can't help himself.



Here's a tough question for Democrats. Note some people actually posit the theory that Bush has low poll numbers for involvement in Iraq and Congress's poll numbers are due to their refusal to quit and go home immediately leave Iraq. There's no evidence for this mind you so the reverse might well be true. Bush's numbers are low because he refuses to prosecute the war fully and the Democrat Congress numbers are low because they want to quit.

One blogger has his perspective of the Dem. Youtube debates. As I haven't seen them, I cannot comment.

Are there terrorism dry runs taking place around the nation? The upside of this is that the screeners found this stuff in the luggage.

Republicans always said the Leftists, despite their posturing, don't actually support the troops. They just say that because to admit otherwise would just be too odious.

They're finally admitting they don't support the troops. Flatly stated, they don't. I think they've been edging themselves out on this ledge further and further until they're there now and ready to jump. Kos is backpedaling like crazy and deleting those posts but it's too late. Screengrabs exist. There's more here

How is the surge going? This article:

"While the terrorists make a big deal out of every American killed, they know that most of their attacks were not only failures, but got a lot of their buddies killed. On average, 10-20 terrorists die for every American killed. This has been going on for years, and an increasing number of Iraqi fighters are demoralized and quitting. Many either become informers, or surrender and speak freely. This is resulting in fresher intelligence, and raids that are catching terrorist cells preparing for operations, and in possession of weapons, bombs and incriminating documents.

Independent reporter Michael Totten writes:

“Most of what we’re doing doesn’t get reported in the media,” he said. “We’re not fighting a war here anymore, not in this area. We’ve moved way beyond that stage. We built a soccer field for the kids, bought all kinds of equipment, bought them school books and even chalk. Soon we’re installing 1,500 solar street lamps so they have light at night and can take some of the load off the power grid. The media only covers the gruesome stuff. We go to the sheiks and say hey man, what kind of projects do you want in this area? They give us a list and we submit the paperwork. When the projects get approved, we give them the money and help them buy stuff.”

Not everything they do is humanitarian work, unless you consider counter-terrorism humanitarian work. In my view, you should. Few Westerners think of personal security as a human right, but if you show up in Baghdad I’ll bet you will. Personal security may, in fact, be the most important human right. Without it the others mean little. People aren’t free if they have to hide in their homes from death squads and car bombs.

(snip)

“We have tight relationships with some of the people whose sons are detainees,” Lieutenant Colonel Wilson A. Shoffner had told me earlier. “They don’t approve of their children joining Al Qaeda or the Mahdi Army. The support for these groups really isn’t that high.”

There's more here

Unions hire scabs to protest for them surprising no one.


Will GPS solve air delays? Let's hope so.

Life is a musical thing


Gonzales won't answer a simple question.


This one made me bonkers. His flat refusal to answer a simple question makes him a weasel. For all the complaining about the parsing bullshit word games Clinton played when he was deposed, this is no better. It's a very simple question: Who asked you to go? The answer "on behalf of" isn't an answer. To think that he had to go back and check if he can answer is crap. He's the AG! He damn well knows if he can answer. I didn't know anything about the man when he was appointed so I didn't see what the fuss was about. He was (and is) well qualified but he's a purely partisan political animal putting party and President ahead of law. This clip alone has me gravely concerned.

Hard choices

Al Gore is going on about "hard choices" required to save the planet. Apparently, you're the one that's going to be making them, not him. He was asked directly by Inhofe if he would change his habits to use no more energy than the average American household and he changed the subject to talking about paying more for "green energy". That is, he gets a pass because he can afford it and the energy he buys is somehow zero emissions. Poppycock. Even if we believe his claim of zero emissions, that means only that he is using much more available green energy than the normal user. That leaves less available for others to use which forces them to use non-green energy sources. In effect, he forces others to pollute in order to keep his lifestyle. Ignore the portion of the video talking about the Bush ranch and it's environmentally friendliness. Take this issue on it's own. It is absurd on it's face to talk to me about conserving energy and making hard choices when your daughter drives a Maserati and you're spending $30,000 on electricity per year. That's before we even get to the air travel. Am I to believe Gore is tooling around in a Prius? Please. He's in a limo or SUV when he goes anywhere.

Liberals always freak out at any real or imagined hypocrisy by religious figures or Republicans who propound family values. Sometimes they're even right. Their overweening silence on Gore and DiCaprio et al is very illuminating (if you'll pardon the pun).

Title Of The Song

NYT Takes Hit at Thompson’s Wife

NYT Takes Hit at Thompson’s Wife. They must be worried about this guy. Tammy Bruce nails it in the first salvo. Where are the feminists decrying the attacks on this woman? Where are the liberals calling for an end to the "politics of personal destruction"?