Tim Blair responds to George Clooney's recent revelation that he is proud to be "denounced as unpatriotic" due to his desire to be on the "right side of history."
George, if you hadn’t won the genetic chin lottery, you’d be on the serving side of a McDonald’s drive-thru. You ain’t in the movies for your mind, boy.
All is not lost though. With any luck and the continued lack of success for Clooney's films, Blair may yet someday get to bang on a drive-thru window and ask a visor-clad Clooney how hard it is to remember the barbeque sauce with the Chicken McNuggets.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Were Armchair Liberals Wrong?
Those who have decided conclusively, from the comfort of their favorite armchair here in America, that WMD never existed, comes "Saddam Had WMD" from Investors Business Daily. It is the latest of many stunning revelations translated from tapes and documents of the Hussein regime.
Inconveniently for critics of the war, Saddam made tapes in his version of the Oval Office. These tapes landed in the hands of American intelligence and were recently aired publicly.
The first 12 hours of the tapes — there are hundreds more waiting to be translated — are damning, to say the least. They show conclusively that Bush didn't lie when he cited Saddam's WMD plans as one of the big reasons for taking the dictator out.
Nobody disputes the tapes' authenticity. On them, Saddam talks openly of programs involving biological, chemical and, yes, nuclear weapons.
War foes have long asserted that Saddam halted his WMD programs in the wake of his defeat in the first Gulf War in 1991. Saddam's abandonment of WMD programs was confirmed by subsequent U.N. inspections.
Again, not true.
Naturally, all of the revelations are being well covered, if not over-covered, by a main stream press desperate to make sure Americans are armed with the truth. Or not.
The more you doubt the existence of WMD, at odds with all common sense, the more necessary it is to read this entire article. Here's another excerpt:
Perhaps most chillingly, the tapes record Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz talking about how easy it would be to set off a WMD in Washington. The comments come shortly after Saddam muses about using "proxies" in a terror attack.
What is the left going to do when the "Bush lied" mantra falls apart? Given that the Bush administration has stated publicly that the intelligence regarding Iraq's WMD programs was in error, perhaps the new left mantra will be "Bush lied about lying."
Inconveniently for critics of the war, Saddam made tapes in his version of the Oval Office. These tapes landed in the hands of American intelligence and were recently aired publicly.
The first 12 hours of the tapes — there are hundreds more waiting to be translated — are damning, to say the least. They show conclusively that Bush didn't lie when he cited Saddam's WMD plans as one of the big reasons for taking the dictator out.
Nobody disputes the tapes' authenticity. On them, Saddam talks openly of programs involving biological, chemical and, yes, nuclear weapons.
War foes have long asserted that Saddam halted his WMD programs in the wake of his defeat in the first Gulf War in 1991. Saddam's abandonment of WMD programs was confirmed by subsequent U.N. inspections.
Again, not true.
Naturally, all of the revelations are being well covered, if not over-covered, by a main stream press desperate to make sure Americans are armed with the truth. Or not.
The more you doubt the existence of WMD, at odds with all common sense, the more necessary it is to read this entire article. Here's another excerpt:
Perhaps most chillingly, the tapes record Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz talking about how easy it would be to set off a WMD in Washington. The comments come shortly after Saddam muses about using "proxies" in a terror attack.
What is the left going to do when the "Bush lied" mantra falls apart? Given that the Bush administration has stated publicly that the intelligence regarding Iraq's WMD programs was in error, perhaps the new left mantra will be "Bush lied about lying."
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Greetings From Tall 'Afar
This is from a couple of weeks ago and some of you may have seen it already. It is a letter of thanks from the Mayor of Tall 'Afar.
In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful
To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.
To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.
Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.
I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.
The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.
God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.
Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.
NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Ninewa, Iraq
The mayor, like soldiers attacked by Brian Melendez of the Minnesota DFL, is offering reflections from ground zero of the GWOT. One would think that gives him some measure of moral authority. Instead it was largely ignored.
In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful
To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.
To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.
Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.
I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.
The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.
God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.
Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.
NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Ninewa, Iraq
The mayor, like soldiers attacked by Brian Melendez of the Minnesota DFL, is offering reflections from ground zero of the GWOT. One would think that gives him some measure of moral authority. Instead it was largely ignored.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Trailer Boy, Meet Liberal Larry
As is only appropriate, Liberal Larry gets the last word on Cheney's drunken murderous rampage.
Vice peeResident Dick Cheney offered a tearless, reptilian mea culpa today for a hunting “accident” in which he “accidentally” pounded a case of Lowenbrau and mistook a 78-year-old man for a tiny bird. However, he didn’t apologize to the quail he murdered, or to the New York Times for failing to immediately notify them of the “accident”, as he is required to do by the Living Breathing Constitution. Tragically, the Old Grey Lady was forced to obtain the scoop from some backwoods redneck fishwrapper rather than from the customary “anonymous sources”, or from “recently obtained classified documents” that strangely reek of Sandy Berger’s crotch.
Larry thinks Cheney's refusal to let his "friend" die with dignity will be so damaging as to usher in a new era free from...well...read the rest.
As well, Iowahawk has quotes from the great patriot Brian Melendez, whose efforts to foster free speech against free speech has brought a sentimental tear to the eye of all Minnesotans.
St. Paul, MN - Minnesota's Democratic Party today called for a ban on a series of television ads featuring Iraq War veterans urging support for U.S. war efforts, calling the spots "un-American."
"The First Amendment protects our cherished American right to dissent with America," said Minnesota DFL Chairman Brian Melendez. "By airing these subversive, un-American pro-American messages of assent, these Army guys are creating a virtual Guantamo where we will lose our patriotic American right to unopposed opposition to American policies, such as our cherished right to oppose the un-patriotic First Amendment."
Melendez warned that if the ads are not immediately banned, "it may lead down a slippery slope where un-American newspapers will feel free to print blasphemous cartoons of the prophet Mohammed."
We can't have that. Thank you Brian Melendez.
Vice peeResident Dick Cheney offered a tearless, reptilian mea culpa today for a hunting “accident” in which he “accidentally” pounded a case of Lowenbrau and mistook a 78-year-old man for a tiny bird. However, he didn’t apologize to the quail he murdered, or to the New York Times for failing to immediately notify them of the “accident”, as he is required to do by the Living Breathing Constitution. Tragically, the Old Grey Lady was forced to obtain the scoop from some backwoods redneck fishwrapper rather than from the customary “anonymous sources”, or from “recently obtained classified documents” that strangely reek of Sandy Berger’s crotch.
Larry thinks Cheney's refusal to let his "friend" die with dignity will be so damaging as to usher in a new era free from...well...read the rest.
As well, Iowahawk has quotes from the great patriot Brian Melendez, whose efforts to foster free speech against free speech has brought a sentimental tear to the eye of all Minnesotans.
St. Paul, MN - Minnesota's Democratic Party today called for a ban on a series of television ads featuring Iraq War veterans urging support for U.S. war efforts, calling the spots "un-American."
"The First Amendment protects our cherished American right to dissent with America," said Minnesota DFL Chairman Brian Melendez. "By airing these subversive, un-American pro-American messages of assent, these Army guys are creating a virtual Guantamo where we will lose our patriotic American right to unopposed opposition to American policies, such as our cherished right to oppose the un-patriotic First Amendment."
Melendez warned that if the ads are not immediately banned, "it may lead down a slippery slope where un-American newspapers will feel free to print blasphemous cartoons of the prophet Mohammed."
We can't have that. Thank you Brian Melendez.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Krauthammer's Grandmother Not a Terrorist
As usual, Krauthammer hits the nail right on the head.
If a citizen of the UAE walked into an airport in full burnoose and flowing robes, speaking only Arabic, Democrats would be deeply offended, and might even sue, if the security people were to give him any more scrutiny than they would to my sweet 84-year-old mother.
Democrats loudly denounce any thought of racial profiling. But when that same Arab, attired in business suit and MBA, and with a good record running ports in 15 countries, buys P&O, Democrats howl at the very idea of allowing Arabs to run our ports. (Republicans are howling too, but they don't grandstand on the issue of racial profiling.)
On this, the Democrats are rank hypocrites. But even hypocrites can be right.
What's so humorous about this is watching the left climb all over themselves to appear to the right of the administration on this issue. I wonder how that jibes with the constantly articulated notion that the nation has no stomach for the "radical right-wing agenda" of the Republican Party.
One can only hope for some consistency on the issue of profiling from here on out. If they have finally realized that Krauthammer's grandmother does not exactly fit the profile of a modern terrorist, they will have come a long way back to a realistic view of the world.
On the other hand, profiling a specific race of people who are overwhelmingly responsible for terrorist attacks makes good sense. But, giving a blanket statement that those of arab descent should never be allowed to compete for business contracts borders on racism.
If a citizen of the UAE walked into an airport in full burnoose and flowing robes, speaking only Arabic, Democrats would be deeply offended, and might even sue, if the security people were to give him any more scrutiny than they would to my sweet 84-year-old mother.
Democrats loudly denounce any thought of racial profiling. But when that same Arab, attired in business suit and MBA, and with a good record running ports in 15 countries, buys P&O, Democrats howl at the very idea of allowing Arabs to run our ports. (Republicans are howling too, but they don't grandstand on the issue of racial profiling.)
On this, the Democrats are rank hypocrites. But even hypocrites can be right.
What's so humorous about this is watching the left climb all over themselves to appear to the right of the administration on this issue. I wonder how that jibes with the constantly articulated notion that the nation has no stomach for the "radical right-wing agenda" of the Republican Party.
One can only hope for some consistency on the issue of profiling from here on out. If they have finally realized that Krauthammer's grandmother does not exactly fit the profile of a modern terrorist, they will have come a long way back to a realistic view of the world.
On the other hand, profiling a specific race of people who are overwhelmingly responsible for terrorist attacks makes good sense. But, giving a blanket statement that those of arab descent should never be allowed to compete for business contracts borders on racism.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
More From the "Un-American Liars"
Via Power Line, Katherine Kersten had a chat this week with 23-year Marine and "un-American liar" Lt. Col. Bob Stephenson and chairwoman of MFU, Merrilee Carlson. Carlson is the mother of fallen soldier Michael, and Stephenson was stationed in Iraq in 2004-2005.
Carlson began to seek a forum for her views after Cindy Sheehan, a war critic whose son died in Iraq, became the center of a media circus in Crawford, Texas, last August. "She was giving the impression that most families of fallen soldiers believed, like her, that our troops died for nothing," she says. "Mothers like me had to find a way to get our voices heard."
Stephenson knows that many DFLers don't share Minnesota Families United's perspective. "But the DFL is supposed to be the party of free speech, of diversity and tolerance," he said. "To demand that our ads be pulled off the air seems to contradict their fundamental principles. It leads me to suspect that their political agenda is so intense that they're willing to discard core beliefs to gain a partisan advantage."
If the situation were reversed and it was the Republican Party who held a press conference to, say, encourage news stations not to run interviews or soundbites of Cindy Sheehan, there is little doubt it would be a huge national story. The ACLU would be gearing up lawsuits to protect us all from the latest attempt to "silence" critics of the war.
But for some reason it's just not news when the Democratic Party does it. Oh well, it hasn't gone unnoticed here at least.
...if the DFL is trying to stop vets like Stephenson from speaking out, the effort has been counterproductive. Carlson says that more than 300 families have joined Minnesota Families United since the controversy arose.
Those lying, un-American bastards. How could they? Don't they know that these soldiers are just spewing right-wing propaganda?
It just goes to show how dangerous free speech can be. People would never have even thought to join this fringe group if they hadn't been exposed to their horrible lies. Our citizenry deserves to be protected from the irresponsible rantings of our nation's "finest."
Thank Gaia for the Democratic Party. For it is they with the courage to jack-boot this dangerous distortion of free speech.
Carlson began to seek a forum for her views after Cindy Sheehan, a war critic whose son died in Iraq, became the center of a media circus in Crawford, Texas, last August. "She was giving the impression that most families of fallen soldiers believed, like her, that our troops died for nothing," she says. "Mothers like me had to find a way to get our voices heard."
Stephenson knows that many DFLers don't share Minnesota Families United's perspective. "But the DFL is supposed to be the party of free speech, of diversity and tolerance," he said. "To demand that our ads be pulled off the air seems to contradict their fundamental principles. It leads me to suspect that their political agenda is so intense that they're willing to discard core beliefs to gain a partisan advantage."
If the situation were reversed and it was the Republican Party who held a press conference to, say, encourage news stations not to run interviews or soundbites of Cindy Sheehan, there is little doubt it would be a huge national story. The ACLU would be gearing up lawsuits to protect us all from the latest attempt to "silence" critics of the war.
But for some reason it's just not news when the Democratic Party does it. Oh well, it hasn't gone unnoticed here at least.
...if the DFL is trying to stop vets like Stephenson from speaking out, the effort has been counterproductive. Carlson says that more than 300 families have joined Minnesota Families United since the controversy arose.
Those lying, un-American bastards. How could they? Don't they know that these soldiers are just spewing right-wing propaganda?
It just goes to show how dangerous free speech can be. People would never have even thought to join this fringe group if they hadn't been exposed to their horrible lies. Our citizenry deserves to be protected from the irresponsible rantings of our nation's "finest."
Thank Gaia for the Democratic Party. For it is they with the courage to jack-boot this dangerous distortion of free speech.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
This Can't be Good
While most conservative commentators are decidedly against the Bush administration's plan to put a UAE company in charge of managing U.S. ports (Malkin has plenty of links to get you started), I have been too busy to read up on it thoroughly.
Drudge though, with the following headline, has pretty much made my mind up for me:
Jimmy Carter supports Bush White House on ports..
Yikes. That can't be good. If Carter is for it, it is absolutely, positively, without question, destined to be a bad idea for America. Carter's support alone should tip the president that he must be missing some detail somewhere.
Drudge though, with the following headline, has pretty much made my mind up for me:
Jimmy Carter supports Bush White House on ports..
Yikes. That can't be good. If Carter is for it, it is absolutely, positively, without question, destined to be a bad idea for America. Carter's support alone should tip the president that he must be missing some detail somewhere.
Monday, February 20, 2006
This One Time...at Media Camp
Poor David Gregory. The guy's tantrum in the press room last week have left him looking a little childish. At least though, he has a friend in Mark Steyn.
I know how he feels. I remember, like, four or five years ago -- early September, maybe second week -- there was this building collapse in New York and I had to learn about it from the TV because this notoriously secretive paranoid administration couldn't even e-mail me a timely press release.
Poor Mark. How exactly is he supposed to do his job if the fax machine doesn't ring?
I know how he feels. I remember, like, four or five years ago -- early September, maybe second week -- there was this building collapse in New York and I had to learn about it from the TV because this notoriously secretive paranoid administration couldn't even e-mail me a timely press release.
Poor Mark. How exactly is he supposed to do his job if the fax machine doesn't ring?
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Veterans Respond to Sleazy Attacks
Veterans are expressing their discontent over the Minnesota DFL's decision to characterize their words as "un-America" and "lies." This is a letter to WCCO's Pat Kessler from a Democrat veteran, in regards to Kessler's extrememly weak attempt to characterize veterans words as "partially true."
Dear Mr. Kessler:
I found my way to your "reality check" of the Midwestern Heroes' ads. You have misled your viewers and you should be ashamed of yourself.
You completely misrepresented the finding of the MRC study by taking the 61% figure out of context. In fact as you are no doubt aware the media coverage of the war in Iraq is overwhelmingly negative. In case you didn't bother to read the MRC report, the link is cited below. Also, there is a cite to a blogspot, now retired, with a daily roundup via Google of imbalanced media activity on Iraq that is shocking.
http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/2005/01/bad-news-from-iraq.html
http://www.mrc.org/SpecialReports/2005/sum/sum101405.asp
By the way, isn't there a difference between talk shows and the news media?
The links below are among those that reference the presence of al Zarqawi, hence al Qaeda, in Iraq before the invasion. Your "subsequently moved in there" statement is a media fabrication at odds with intelligence reports and a mass of evidence documenting the presence of al Qaeda in Iraq prior to the invasion. There is no credible evidence to the contrary!
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=5571
http://www.cpt-mi.org/Ansar%20al-Islam%20Final.pdf
I'm sure you don't need me to point out the other nuances you used to dupe your viewers into believing that the Iraq veterans lied to them, but I wanted you to know that there are folks out here who can see how you operate.
Incidentally, I am a retired, five-term elected Democrat who believes the invasion of Iraq was probably a mistake. And, I think the news media puts a negative spin on the war and dishonors our troops. and their families.
Steve Neely
Ashland, Oregon
Here's another, from our own Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya to Nick Coleman, who apparently believes putting step parents on the air is tantamount to a lie.
Dear Mr. Coleman:
I'm an active duty Army Officer who recently returned from Iraq and must respond to your columns attacking Iraqi War Veterans and Gold Star Parents. I'm troubled that you have been both dishonest and blatantly partisan. Let's start with last Sunday's column.
While attacking the honesty of Iraqi service veterans you "conveniently" failed to mention the truth about your major "nonpartisan" source, Paul Rieckhoff, of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Rieckhoff was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a state Chairman for Veterans for Kerry and in 2003 delivered the Democratic Party Saturday counter radio response for one of President Bush's radio addresses. You also mislabeled ex-Governor Jesse Ventura, an IAVA board advisor, as a "nonpartisan." Who do think you're kidding?
No, the war is not going "swimmingly," but most service members who have recently been in Iraq will tell you we are winning. I'm not sure what poll Mr. Rieckhoff was quoting in your column but the Military Times 2005 Iraq Poll of our service members (released January 2006) has some interesting results. The Poll found that 73% of the respondents believe it's likely the United States will succeed in Iraq. Four of every five respondents said they believe media reports often are "inaccurate." However you seem to feel the First Amendment freedom of speech does not apply to the very service people who fight for that freedom unless they support your agenda.
What angers me the most is how in your Friday column you turned really nasty with attacks on the Gold Star families in the second ad.
In your world stepparents -- some who actually raised the fallen service member -- have even less right to speak their minds than veterans. By implying that a fallen soldier's stepmother was not his "mom" is viciously ignorant and hateful on your part. Perhaps you should also stop using the radical Daily Kos for your material or identify them as your source.
Let's debunk your "Big Lie" while we are at it, that we went to war only because of WMD's. The Congressional authorization to use force in Iraq was a bipartisan vote of 77 Senators and 296 US House members listing 16 reasons they were approving military action. WMD's were only one of those 16. Many nations believed the same intelligence we did.
The bottom line is most of us in the military know what is at stake in the War on Terror and believe radical liberals like you can't be trusted with our National Defense. We in the military are proud to protect the rights guaranteed Americans by our Constitution, but both sides of the war argument share those rights. It is unfortunate that you feel that veterans and Gold Star parents have no right to voice their opinion unless it is against the War. This is the real disservice to our troops and our fallen heroes. Shame on you Mr. Coleman, you appear to be a very hateful person!
Respectfully,
Joe Repya
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
101ST Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell, KY
Finally, a letter from another soldier to Power Line, calling for the resignation of Brian Melendez, who, along with his media contact David Ruth, have acted despicably in this sordid, embarrassing episode. Incidentally, I spoke to Ruth before this issue blew up into a national story. He was rude, and instantly defensive of his very weak arguments. He was totally unable and unwilling to explain why his party's attack against veterans was not an attack on free speech itself. For even daring to question the wisdom of the attack, he called me unprofessional. I guess state leftists aren't used to having to answer tough questions.
Have you ever noticed that when Democrats dissent on the Iraqi campaign, and their criticism or dissent is rebutted, they quickly seek refuge with, "How dare you question my patriotism"?
Yet, here we have the head of the Minnesota DFL calling Iraqi veterans and their families "un-American" for stating their beliefs about the war. Republicans are often senseless when it comes to the cut-and-thrust of local politics, but here is a case where Minnesota Republicans, followed shortly thereafter by the national Republican Party, should 1) call for a written and public apology from Brain Melendez to the veterans and their families; 2) call for Melendez to resign as Chairman of the DFL, as he is unfit to head a reputable political outfit; 3) call on other prominent Democrat leaders to repudiate Melendez and his ugly statements.
More personally, I'm an Iraqi veteran twice over. I know we fight Al Qaeda, among others, in Iraq. I know Al Qaeda attacked us repeatedly in the 1990s, attacked the USS Cole in 2000, and attacked us again on 9-11-2001. Since I share the same knowledge and beliefs as the people in the "Midwest Heroes" ads, Melendez has also insulted me as an un-American liar. I want an apology from him and from his party.
By the way, I was also serving in the 101st until very recently, but unfortunately did not run into LTC Repya. I hope I can still serve at his age.
Rick Waddell
COL, US Army Reserve
MDE has a fact sheet supporting the opinions of the soldiers in the ads.
Dear Mr. Kessler:
I found my way to your "reality check" of the Midwestern Heroes' ads. You have misled your viewers and you should be ashamed of yourself.
You completely misrepresented the finding of the MRC study by taking the 61% figure out of context. In fact as you are no doubt aware the media coverage of the war in Iraq is overwhelmingly negative. In case you didn't bother to read the MRC report, the link is cited below. Also, there is a cite to a blogspot, now retired, with a daily roundup via Google of imbalanced media activity on Iraq that is shocking.
http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/2005/01/bad-news-from-iraq.html
http://www.mrc.org/SpecialReports/2005/sum/sum101405.asp
By the way, isn't there a difference between talk shows and the news media?
The links below are among those that reference the presence of al Zarqawi, hence al Qaeda, in Iraq before the invasion. Your "subsequently moved in there" statement is a media fabrication at odds with intelligence reports and a mass of evidence documenting the presence of al Qaeda in Iraq prior to the invasion. There is no credible evidence to the contrary!
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=5571
http://www.cpt-mi.org/Ansar%20al-Islam%20Final.pdf
I'm sure you don't need me to point out the other nuances you used to dupe your viewers into believing that the Iraq veterans lied to them, but I wanted you to know that there are folks out here who can see how you operate.
Incidentally, I am a retired, five-term elected Democrat who believes the invasion of Iraq was probably a mistake. And, I think the news media puts a negative spin on the war and dishonors our troops. and their families.
Steve Neely
Ashland, Oregon
Here's another, from our own Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya to Nick Coleman, who apparently believes putting step parents on the air is tantamount to a lie.
Dear Mr. Coleman:
I'm an active duty Army Officer who recently returned from Iraq and must respond to your columns attacking Iraqi War Veterans and Gold Star Parents. I'm troubled that you have been both dishonest and blatantly partisan. Let's start with last Sunday's column.
While attacking the honesty of Iraqi service veterans you "conveniently" failed to mention the truth about your major "nonpartisan" source, Paul Rieckhoff, of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Rieckhoff was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a state Chairman for Veterans for Kerry and in 2003 delivered the Democratic Party Saturday counter radio response for one of President Bush's radio addresses. You also mislabeled ex-Governor Jesse Ventura, an IAVA board advisor, as a "nonpartisan." Who do think you're kidding?
No, the war is not going "swimmingly," but most service members who have recently been in Iraq will tell you we are winning. I'm not sure what poll Mr. Rieckhoff was quoting in your column but the Military Times 2005 Iraq Poll of our service members (released January 2006) has some interesting results. The Poll found that 73% of the respondents believe it's likely the United States will succeed in Iraq. Four of every five respondents said they believe media reports often are "inaccurate." However you seem to feel the First Amendment freedom of speech does not apply to the very service people who fight for that freedom unless they support your agenda.
What angers me the most is how in your Friday column you turned really nasty with attacks on the Gold Star families in the second ad.
In your world stepparents -- some who actually raised the fallen service member -- have even less right to speak their minds than veterans. By implying that a fallen soldier's stepmother was not his "mom" is viciously ignorant and hateful on your part. Perhaps you should also stop using the radical Daily Kos for your material or identify them as your source.
Let's debunk your "Big Lie" while we are at it, that we went to war only because of WMD's. The Congressional authorization to use force in Iraq was a bipartisan vote of 77 Senators and 296 US House members listing 16 reasons they were approving military action. WMD's were only one of those 16. Many nations believed the same intelligence we did.
The bottom line is most of us in the military know what is at stake in the War on Terror and believe radical liberals like you can't be trusted with our National Defense. We in the military are proud to protect the rights guaranteed Americans by our Constitution, but both sides of the war argument share those rights. It is unfortunate that you feel that veterans and Gold Star parents have no right to voice their opinion unless it is against the War. This is the real disservice to our troops and our fallen heroes. Shame on you Mr. Coleman, you appear to be a very hateful person!
Respectfully,
Joe Repya
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
101ST Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell, KY
Finally, a letter from another soldier to Power Line, calling for the resignation of Brian Melendez, who, along with his media contact David Ruth, have acted despicably in this sordid, embarrassing episode. Incidentally, I spoke to Ruth before this issue blew up into a national story. He was rude, and instantly defensive of his very weak arguments. He was totally unable and unwilling to explain why his party's attack against veterans was not an attack on free speech itself. For even daring to question the wisdom of the attack, he called me unprofessional. I guess state leftists aren't used to having to answer tough questions.
Have you ever noticed that when Democrats dissent on the Iraqi campaign, and their criticism or dissent is rebutted, they quickly seek refuge with, "How dare you question my patriotism"?
Yet, here we have the head of the Minnesota DFL calling Iraqi veterans and their families "un-American" for stating their beliefs about the war. Republicans are often senseless when it comes to the cut-and-thrust of local politics, but here is a case where Minnesota Republicans, followed shortly thereafter by the national Republican Party, should 1) call for a written and public apology from Brain Melendez to the veterans and their families; 2) call for Melendez to resign as Chairman of the DFL, as he is unfit to head a reputable political outfit; 3) call on other prominent Democrat leaders to repudiate Melendez and his ugly statements.
More personally, I'm an Iraqi veteran twice over. I know we fight Al Qaeda, among others, in Iraq. I know Al Qaeda attacked us repeatedly in the 1990s, attacked the USS Cole in 2000, and attacked us again on 9-11-2001. Since I share the same knowledge and beliefs as the people in the "Midwest Heroes" ads, Melendez has also insulted me as an un-American liar. I want an apology from him and from his party.
By the way, I was also serving in the 101st until very recently, but unfortunately did not run into LTC Repya. I hope I can still serve at his age.
Rick Waddell
COL, US Army Reserve
MDE has a fact sheet supporting the opinions of the soldiers in the ads.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
It's Official: "Swift-boating"
Power Line has much more now on the Midwest Heroes controversy brewing here in Minnesota. It is interesting how the phrase "swiftboating" has gone from Kerry's lips to the whole of the land. Brian Melendez has it down:
"Minnesota has a chance to take a stand against this misleading and untruthful propaganda," he said. Referring to controversial ads that ran during the last presidential race, he said, "Minnesota TV stations should pull this ad and send a message that we will not tolerate this kind of 'swift-boating' anymore."
Frankly, the attack by the left is much more dishonest than the ads. The ads are soldiers and their families expressing their own thoughts. The Democratic Party has twisted those words to make false assertions about the ad, like this one from a DFL mass e-mail.
The ads erroneously make a connection between Iraq and the 9/11 terrorists attacks and suggest that the war in Iraq will prevent an attack by Al Queda in America.
What the ad actually says is:
[O]ur enemy in Iraq is al Qaeda--the same terrorists who killed three thousand Americans on 9/11, the same terrorists from the first World Trade Center bombing, the USS Cole, Madrid, London, and many more.
A soldier further asserts that he would prefer to fight al Qaeda in Iraq.
The Star Tribune reports on KSTP's decision not to run the ads, and the DFL press conference advocating the ads removal from the public discourse.
DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez called a news conference to call the ad "un-American, untruthful and a lie."
Imagine that. Soldiers. Expressing their opinions. un-American. Unthruthful. A lie.
What remains a mystery to me is why the DFL wants to fight this battle. It is not a state issue. The ads don't erode their platform one bit. There is no endorsement of the governor or any aspect of Minnesota politics in the ads.
To date the state party has stuck to talking points on state issues. Health care, education, and compliance with the Clean Water Act, which will be needed for many municipalities to upgrade waste water treatment facilities. While I disagree with their positions on most of the issues, they are good, solid state issues.
The war in Iraq and national security are the national party's weakest issues. Why would a state party on solid ground suddenly embrace the Howard Dean wing at the expense of the very citizens who have been fighting on the front lines of those battles?
It makes no sense.
"Minnesota has a chance to take a stand against this misleading and untruthful propaganda," he said. Referring to controversial ads that ran during the last presidential race, he said, "Minnesota TV stations should pull this ad and send a message that we will not tolerate this kind of 'swift-boating' anymore."
Frankly, the attack by the left is much more dishonest than the ads. The ads are soldiers and their families expressing their own thoughts. The Democratic Party has twisted those words to make false assertions about the ad, like this one from a DFL mass e-mail.
The ads erroneously make a connection between Iraq and the 9/11 terrorists attacks and suggest that the war in Iraq will prevent an attack by Al Queda in America.
What the ad actually says is:
[O]ur enemy in Iraq is al Qaeda--the same terrorists who killed three thousand Americans on 9/11, the same terrorists from the first World Trade Center bombing, the USS Cole, Madrid, London, and many more.
A soldier further asserts that he would prefer to fight al Qaeda in Iraq.
The Star Tribune reports on KSTP's decision not to run the ads, and the DFL press conference advocating the ads removal from the public discourse.
DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez called a news conference to call the ad "un-American, untruthful and a lie."
Imagine that. Soldiers. Expressing their opinions. un-American. Unthruthful. A lie.
What remains a mystery to me is why the DFL wants to fight this battle. It is not a state issue. The ads don't erode their platform one bit. There is no endorsement of the governor or any aspect of Minnesota politics in the ads.
To date the state party has stuck to talking points on state issues. Health care, education, and compliance with the Clean Water Act, which will be needed for many municipalities to upgrade waste water treatment facilities. While I disagree with their positions on most of the issues, they are good, solid state issues.
The war in Iraq and national security are the national party's weakest issues. Why would a state party on solid ground suddenly embrace the Howard Dean wing at the expense of the very citizens who have been fighting on the front lines of those battles?
It makes no sense.
The Party of Censorship?
I just got this press release in my inbox at work:
URGENT
DFL TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY; WILL CALL ON OTHER MINNESOTA TV STATIONS TO FOLLOW SUIT ON KSTP TV'S DECISION TO NOT AIR ADVERTISEMENT
ST. PAUL (2/16/06) - The Minnesota DFL Party will be holding a news conference today at 3:15 p.m. (immediately following Sen. Steve Kelly's news conference) Room 125 in the State Capitol.
The DFL will call on other Minnesota TV stations to follow KSTP-TV's decision NOT to run the divisive "Midwest Heroes" advertisements.
Unbelievable. If you are not familiar, the "Midwest Heroes" ads are soldiers and their families expressing support for the war in Iraq.
Aren't we told that because Cindy Sheehan is a military mom, she is above criticism? That her words count for more than others?
Why doesn't that apply in this case?
Obviously it is more important to Minnesota Democrats to silence opposing viewpoints than it is to hear from the soldiers and families fighting the war.
This is an insult to free speech and a black eye for Minnesota. How embarrassing.
UPDATE: To their credit, at leasts two of the major news stations in Minnesota, KARE 11 and WCCO, have stated they have no intention of removing the ad from programming. I'm sure the rest will follow suit.
In fact, according to KARE 11, the above press release doesn't accurately describe KSTP's position. They have been running the ad in out state markets all along.
Here is a link to the ad.
How tacky that, on a day dominated by the news of a fallen Minnesota soldier, the state Democratic Party advocates removing soldiers' voices from the airwaves.
State Democrats are in much better shape than their national counterparts. And, there are certainly enough state issues to focus their attention. Why they would want to associate themselves with the national party's dismal national security track record and attack the one group of people with experience in Iraq is beyond me.
They could certainly have financed their own ad, or released a statement with their point of view, pointing out perceived factual errors. Instead, they call a press conference to beg television stations to pull ads they find damaging to their future election prospects.
If soldiers expressing their opinions about the war in Iraq is so damaging to their elections hopes, perhaps the state Democratic Party is in worse shape than I thought.
UPDATE: MDE has all kinds of coverage of today's effort to quash free speech, including this quote from Tim Walz:
"Freedom of speech has its limitations on this, and that that is one of them, that is you cannot just say whatever you think."
And the response from Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey, including this quote:
"Regardless of one's politics, those who have worn the uniform deserve to have their voices heard in the public square."
I couldn't agree more.
URGENT
DFL TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY; WILL CALL ON OTHER MINNESOTA TV STATIONS TO FOLLOW SUIT ON KSTP TV'S DECISION TO NOT AIR ADVERTISEMENT
ST. PAUL (2/16/06) - The Minnesota DFL Party will be holding a news conference today at 3:15 p.m. (immediately following Sen. Steve Kelly's news conference) Room 125 in the State Capitol.
The DFL will call on other Minnesota TV stations to follow KSTP-TV's decision NOT to run the divisive "Midwest Heroes" advertisements.
Unbelievable. If you are not familiar, the "Midwest Heroes" ads are soldiers and their families expressing support for the war in Iraq.
Aren't we told that because Cindy Sheehan is a military mom, she is above criticism? That her words count for more than others?
Why doesn't that apply in this case?
Obviously it is more important to Minnesota Democrats to silence opposing viewpoints than it is to hear from the soldiers and families fighting the war.
This is an insult to free speech and a black eye for Minnesota. How embarrassing.
UPDATE: To their credit, at leasts two of the major news stations in Minnesota, KARE 11 and WCCO, have stated they have no intention of removing the ad from programming. I'm sure the rest will follow suit.
In fact, according to KARE 11, the above press release doesn't accurately describe KSTP's position. They have been running the ad in out state markets all along.
Here is a link to the ad.
How tacky that, on a day dominated by the news of a fallen Minnesota soldier, the state Democratic Party advocates removing soldiers' voices from the airwaves.
State Democrats are in much better shape than their national counterparts. And, there are certainly enough state issues to focus their attention. Why they would want to associate themselves with the national party's dismal national security track record and attack the one group of people with experience in Iraq is beyond me.
They could certainly have financed their own ad, or released a statement with their point of view, pointing out perceived factual errors. Instead, they call a press conference to beg television stations to pull ads they find damaging to their future election prospects.
If soldiers expressing their opinions about the war in Iraq is so damaging to their elections hopes, perhaps the state Democratic Party is in worse shape than I thought.
UPDATE: MDE has all kinds of coverage of today's effort to quash free speech, including this quote from Tim Walz:
"Freedom of speech has its limitations on this, and that that is one of them, that is you cannot just say whatever you think."
And the response from Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey, including this quote:
"Regardless of one's politics, those who have worn the uniform deserve to have their voices heard in the public square."
I couldn't agree more.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
D.C. Media Hunting for Relevance
Events have been happening so fast in the Cheney affair that it is hard to catch one's breath. It has really been a stunning display of ego from the White House press corps.
What are they reporting anyway? There has certainly been no credible allegation that Cheney failed to notify the proper authorities. The Kennedy County Sheriff has affirmed that the law was followed, and I have yet to see any evidence that not calling David Gregory is against the law.
Basically, the WHPC is asserting that it is the authority in this case. In fact, that they are a higher authority than the...well...authorities. That not alerting them is Cheney's legal failure. Scandal! Secrecy! Eek!
I'm sure while Cheney was mulling over how he could make this up to his buddy, he never thought that having the WHPC descend on the hospital was the way to go. And I'm sure Harry Whittington's family feels real screwed out of their 15 minutes of fame.
Imagine. All of the press corps were diligently sitting by their fax machines just waiting for the administration to alert them to the news. Sitting. By their fax machines. Because they know instinctively that, no matter what else might be happening, the most important thing is that the fax machine spit out a fax telling them what to do next.
What a sorry bunch they are. America should be embarrassed by its media representation, which has finally decided once and for all that their job is a whole lot easier if they just make themselves the story all the time.
Unfortunately, this extremely obvious conclusion is lost on the Democratic Party, which once again proves there is no agenda like the New York Times agenda.
Harry Reid:
"I think the reason it took the vice president a day to talk about this is part of the secretive nature of this administration," the top Senate Democrat said. "They keep things pretty close to the chest."
It's an outrage! Harry Reid himself, in a feat of extraordinary deftness, was able to get word of his stroke to the media in only three days!
Hillary Clinton:
"A tendency of this administration -- from the top all the way to the bottom -- is to withhold information ... to refuse to be forthcoming about information that is of significance and relevance to the jobs that all of you do, and the interests of the American people," Clinton said.
Forget the shower of kumbayah sympathy for the poor WHPC for a moment. Does this mean we'll be getting the 100 withheld pages of the Cisneros report sometime soon?
Seriously. If the D.C. press jump off a bridge, does the Democratic Party have to follow? I guess any distraction from creating a platform is a welcome one right now.
Having grown up around hunting and bagged my share of upland birds, the description of events is that of a fairly run of the mill hunting accident. It is not at all uncommon to have to swing across your body in pursuit of a pheasant or quail. Most hunters try to be aware of others' presence because it does occasionally happen. Just ask this guy.
A Colorado man who laughed Monday when he first read Vice President Dick Cheney had shot a hunting companion was himself injured just hours later when he was accidentally blasted by his girlfriend in his own hunting mishap.
I personally know two people who have absorbed shot in very similar circumstances to Whittington's, as well as a few dogs.
Luckily, small game hunting is done with small firearms and light loads, and Cheney's gear was no exception. He was carrying a 28-gauge shotgun, which is a common gauge for teaching children gun safety as well as hunting upland game. Also, a very light load is used as to not render the bird unusable. Cheney was shooting loads in the 6 to 8 range, which are barely more than trap loads.
If Whittington had been hit elsewhere at the range that is being reported, he would have likely spewed a string of obscenities, spent the next half-hour picking shot out of his leg, and made Cheney clean his birds. Later, over a beer and some freshly cooked quail, Cheney would get the needle. Badly.
And, while that would have been a nice private scenario, Whittington was hit in the chest and the face and Cheney is vice president. And the very public scenario of a media bitterly asserting its fading relevance is probably more entertaining anyway.
On a final note and on behalf of all "local" newspapers everywhere, I would like to express my gratitude for Cheney's realization that media does exist outside the beltway. There are thousands of newspapers capable of reporting on a simple hunting accident, even if you have to get out of D.C. to find one.
What are they reporting anyway? There has certainly been no credible allegation that Cheney failed to notify the proper authorities. The Kennedy County Sheriff has affirmed that the law was followed, and I have yet to see any evidence that not calling David Gregory is against the law.
Basically, the WHPC is asserting that it is the authority in this case. In fact, that they are a higher authority than the...well...authorities. That not alerting them is Cheney's legal failure. Scandal! Secrecy! Eek!
I'm sure while Cheney was mulling over how he could make this up to his buddy, he never thought that having the WHPC descend on the hospital was the way to go. And I'm sure Harry Whittington's family feels real screwed out of their 15 minutes of fame.
Imagine. All of the press corps were diligently sitting by their fax machines just waiting for the administration to alert them to the news. Sitting. By their fax machines. Because they know instinctively that, no matter what else might be happening, the most important thing is that the fax machine spit out a fax telling them what to do next.
What a sorry bunch they are. America should be embarrassed by its media representation, which has finally decided once and for all that their job is a whole lot easier if they just make themselves the story all the time.
Unfortunately, this extremely obvious conclusion is lost on the Democratic Party, which once again proves there is no agenda like the New York Times agenda.
Harry Reid:
"I think the reason it took the vice president a day to talk about this is part of the secretive nature of this administration," the top Senate Democrat said. "They keep things pretty close to the chest."
It's an outrage! Harry Reid himself, in a feat of extraordinary deftness, was able to get word of his stroke to the media in only three days!
Hillary Clinton:
"A tendency of this administration -- from the top all the way to the bottom -- is to withhold information ... to refuse to be forthcoming about information that is of significance and relevance to the jobs that all of you do, and the interests of the American people," Clinton said.
Forget the shower of kumbayah sympathy for the poor WHPC for a moment. Does this mean we'll be getting the 100 withheld pages of the Cisneros report sometime soon?
Seriously. If the D.C. press jump off a bridge, does the Democratic Party have to follow? I guess any distraction from creating a platform is a welcome one right now.
Having grown up around hunting and bagged my share of upland birds, the description of events is that of a fairly run of the mill hunting accident. It is not at all uncommon to have to swing across your body in pursuit of a pheasant or quail. Most hunters try to be aware of others' presence because it does occasionally happen. Just ask this guy.
A Colorado man who laughed Monday when he first read Vice President Dick Cheney had shot a hunting companion was himself injured just hours later when he was accidentally blasted by his girlfriend in his own hunting mishap.
I personally know two people who have absorbed shot in very similar circumstances to Whittington's, as well as a few dogs.
Luckily, small game hunting is done with small firearms and light loads, and Cheney's gear was no exception. He was carrying a 28-gauge shotgun, which is a common gauge for teaching children gun safety as well as hunting upland game. Also, a very light load is used as to not render the bird unusable. Cheney was shooting loads in the 6 to 8 range, which are barely more than trap loads.
If Whittington had been hit elsewhere at the range that is being reported, he would have likely spewed a string of obscenities, spent the next half-hour picking shot out of his leg, and made Cheney clean his birds. Later, over a beer and some freshly cooked quail, Cheney would get the needle. Badly.
And, while that would have been a nice private scenario, Whittington was hit in the chest and the face and Cheney is vice president. And the very public scenario of a media bitterly asserting its fading relevance is probably more entertaining anyway.
On a final note and on behalf of all "local" newspapers everywhere, I would like to express my gratitude for Cheney's realization that media does exist outside the beltway. There are thousands of newspapers capable of reporting on a simple hunting accident, even if you have to get out of D.C. to find one.
Another Irrelevant Columnist
Of all the unhinged theories on the Cheney incident, this one takes the cake.
Barry Saunders thinks Cheney was sending an intentional message to Scooter Libby.
Just as surely as a fish wrapped in a bulletproof vest means "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes," that shotgun blast to Whittington's face was meant to convey that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby had better bite his tongue and forget about testifying against Cheney, his former boss, in the Valerie Plame spy case.
***
Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, recently told a grand jury that leaking Plame's identity as a spy was authorized by his superiors who were angered by Plame's husband's public criticism of the war in Iraq.
That revelation had many questioning how low this administration would go to quash dissent.
Now we know.
Yes. Now we know. Now we know that Barry Saunders is a complete idiot.
I'm going back to the Olympics. Somebody come get me when the left matters again.
Barry Saunders thinks Cheney was sending an intentional message to Scooter Libby.
Just as surely as a fish wrapped in a bulletproof vest means "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes," that shotgun blast to Whittington's face was meant to convey that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby had better bite his tongue and forget about testifying against Cheney, his former boss, in the Valerie Plame spy case.
***
Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, recently told a grand jury that leaking Plame's identity as a spy was authorized by his superiors who were angered by Plame's husband's public criticism of the war in Iraq.
That revelation had many questioning how low this administration would go to quash dissent.
Now we know.
Yes. Now we know. Now we know that Barry Saunders is a complete idiot.
I'm going back to the Olympics. Somebody come get me when the left matters again.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Addicted to Torino Snow
How does one solve the dilemna of Olympics versus blogging? Blog about the Olympics I guess.
It's hard to live in Minnesota and not be caught up in the games.
...the Gopher State has more athletes competing in the Winter Games than many countries. All told, Minnesota, which represents about 2 percent of the country's population, represents about 16 percent of the American roster. The state can lay claim to 34 athletes.
Even more amazing: Eight Olympians make their home in Bemidji, Minn., population: fewer than 13,000.
Having a monopoly on men's and women's Curling doesn't hurt. Minnesota also has three players in both men's and women's hockey, and a smattering of skiiers, including Lindsey Kildow, who may try to race the downhill tomorrow, despite her crash.
Then there's Tony Benshoof , who almost became the first American to medal in Luge, and many more.
Hat's off to Torino for hosting what has been a great games so far. America is in third place, with seven medals, and lead the field with five gold medals.
Our undefeated women's hockey team starts the medal round on Friday and the men start getting things geared up real soon. All those NHL players under one roof. If the 2002 games were a sneak preview, it will be the very best hockey you will see for about...four more years.
I couldn't possibly be more psyched.
If blogging is light for the next couple of weeks, I do apologize. We're main-lining Torino snow over here.
It's hard to live in Minnesota and not be caught up in the games.
...the Gopher State has more athletes competing in the Winter Games than many countries. All told, Minnesota, which represents about 2 percent of the country's population, represents about 16 percent of the American roster. The state can lay claim to 34 athletes.
Even more amazing: Eight Olympians make their home in Bemidji, Minn., population: fewer than 13,000.
Having a monopoly on men's and women's Curling doesn't hurt. Minnesota also has three players in both men's and women's hockey, and a smattering of skiiers, including Lindsey Kildow, who may try to race the downhill tomorrow, despite her crash.
Then there's Tony Benshoof , who almost became the first American to medal in Luge, and many more.
Hat's off to Torino for hosting what has been a great games so far. America is in third place, with seven medals, and lead the field with five gold medals.
Our undefeated women's hockey team starts the medal round on Friday and the men start getting things geared up real soon. All those NHL players under one roof. If the 2002 games were a sneak preview, it will be the very best hockey you will see for about...four more years.
I couldn't possibly be more psyched.
If blogging is light for the next couple of weeks, I do apologize. We're main-lining Torino snow over here.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Armand in the Hizzouse
Mil-blogger and all around righteous dude Armand is feet dry in another land. Catch his first post from Baghdad here.
Greetings from Al Faw Palace, where the two-room bathrooms (which are larger than most hotel bedrooms) have their own waiting rooms, where a brutal dictator can no longer call home, and where Coalition Forces invest their lives in returning a stable way of life to the citizens of Iraq. It's a privilege to finally be here.
Knowing Armand, he is sure to be an excellent source for anecdotal evidence from the Iraqi citizens he has contact with. Bookmark this one.
Greetings from Al Faw Palace, where the two-room bathrooms (which are larger than most hotel bedrooms) have their own waiting rooms, where a brutal dictator can no longer call home, and where Coalition Forces invest their lives in returning a stable way of life to the citizens of Iraq. It's a privilege to finally be here.
Knowing Armand, he is sure to be an excellent source for anecdotal evidence from the Iraqi citizens he has contact with. Bookmark this one.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
When Racism is Okay
Salena Zito has something to say about the sudden free pass to attack the race of black candidates when they happen to be Republican. The author could have been more specific with examples, as they are aplenty. Naturally, they go relatively unchallenged.
The superheros of the black movement -- Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton -- are noticeably absent when a black Republican is attacked.
They have no problem donning their race-card capes when a liberal black is attacked. But they had a hard time finding Maryland on the map when New York Sen. Chuck Schumer's henchmen did an illegal credit check on Michael Steele.
Where was their outrage? Their circus-like news conferences?
Oh, wait -- Steele isn't black, he's Republican.
Then again, does Steele, or any other minority conservative, really want Sharpton and Jackson to swoop in and save the day? Probably not.
The superheros of the black movement -- Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton -- are noticeably absent when a black Republican is attacked.
They have no problem donning their race-card capes when a liberal black is attacked. But they had a hard time finding Maryland on the map when New York Sen. Chuck Schumer's henchmen did an illegal credit check on Michael Steele.
Where was their outrage? Their circus-like news conferences?
Oh, wait -- Steele isn't black, he's Republican.
Then again, does Steele, or any other minority conservative, really want Sharpton and Jackson to swoop in and save the day? Probably not.
Friday, February 10, 2006
This Oughta Keep You Busy
Blogging will be light to non-existent over the next few days. I have a newspaper conference to go to for the next couple of days and Tom D. is scheduled to spend Sunday here excoriating liberals. It is sure to be a right-wing echo chamber of such proportion as to send any free-thinking members of the reality-based community into medical seizure.
In local news...
I had a chance to sit down with state Minority Leader and candidate for Attorney General Matt Entenza yesterday. He is about as tall as a Teaparty...stacked on top of a Teaparty. He summarized the Democratic legislative agenda for the upcoming session. My impression of him and his party's goals is that they have a far more cogent plan for the state than the national party has for the country.
Granted, it is a tax and spend plan, but at least it's a plan.
Entenza was low key on the partisanship, perhaps because people in the state are tired of a "do nothing" Congress. Or, perhaps it is because he is running for AG and wants to keep it moderate. Or, perhaps it is because he is under enough fire from his own side of the aisle.
I was hoping to talk to him more about his campaign but the topic of conversation stayed very much on the session.
Entenza isn't one of my favorite politicians. He vigorously defended Sara Jane Olson, which I thought was unforgivable. And, who could forget when he blamed the Governor for all the snow. But on a personal note, he seems a gracious man and was very open and attentive to issues that affect the outer ring. I wish him the best of luck with his run for AG.
(Here's an article I found on Olson from the Power Line crew before they were Powerline...I think.)
Here's a round robin to keep you busy for a few days.
Can you say: Bye bye Harry?
Reid...intervened on government matters at least five times in ways helpful to Abramoff's tribal clients, once opposing legislation on the Senate floor and four times sending letters pressing the Bush administration on tribal issues. Reid collected donations around the time of each action.
Read it all.
Can you say: Allah Akbar?
Dean: "All we ask is that we not turn into a country like Iran where the President can do anything he wants."
What kind of world can it be where Republicans are no longer welcome at the World Cup?
For hockey fans the Star and Sickle predicts the NCAA tournament will once again be dominated by the WCHA.
The four WCHA teams that reached the Frozen Four in 2005 -- Colorado College, Denver, North Dakota and the Gophers -- have a combined record of 25-10-3 in nonconference games this season.
All four teams are ranked in the top 15 of the USCHO.com poll, along with Wisconsin and St. Cloud State.
Further proof of the WCHA's dominance can be seen in its 10-4-1 record against nonconference teams ranked in the top 20. The CCHA's Michigan, ranked seventh, was outscored by a combined 15-6 in losses to Colorado College, Wisconsin and the Gophers.
Let's just say this isn't exactly Carnac type foreseeanceability. The author could have predicted a Gopher win. After all, they destroyed the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and split with the Badgers, who now have major distractions to contend with. Plus, they may get frostbite before the season is over. Still, unless Tanya Harding comes out of retirement to club Brian Elliot, the Badgers are still the team to beat in March.
Then there is the not-so-good hockey news of the day.
Finally, and on to the media, Hinderaker finds a tiny problem with AP's "Libby: White House 'Superiors' OK'd Leaks." Nothing major...just a fact check thing.
In local news...
I had a chance to sit down with state Minority Leader and candidate for Attorney General Matt Entenza yesterday. He is about as tall as a Teaparty...stacked on top of a Teaparty. He summarized the Democratic legislative agenda for the upcoming session. My impression of him and his party's goals is that they have a far more cogent plan for the state than the national party has for the country.
Granted, it is a tax and spend plan, but at least it's a plan.
Entenza was low key on the partisanship, perhaps because people in the state are tired of a "do nothing" Congress. Or, perhaps it is because he is running for AG and wants to keep it moderate. Or, perhaps it is because he is under enough fire from his own side of the aisle.
I was hoping to talk to him more about his campaign but the topic of conversation stayed very much on the session.
Entenza isn't one of my favorite politicians. He vigorously defended Sara Jane Olson, which I thought was unforgivable. And, who could forget when he blamed the Governor for all the snow. But on a personal note, he seems a gracious man and was very open and attentive to issues that affect the outer ring. I wish him the best of luck with his run for AG.
(Here's an article I found on Olson from the Power Line crew before they were Powerline...I think.)
Here's a round robin to keep you busy for a few days.
Can you say: Bye bye Harry?
Reid...intervened on government matters at least five times in ways helpful to Abramoff's tribal clients, once opposing legislation on the Senate floor and four times sending letters pressing the Bush administration on tribal issues. Reid collected donations around the time of each action.
Read it all.
Can you say: Allah Akbar?
Dean: "All we ask is that we not turn into a country like Iran where the President can do anything he wants."
What kind of world can it be where Republicans are no longer welcome at the World Cup?
For hockey fans the Star and Sickle predicts the NCAA tournament will once again be dominated by the WCHA.
The four WCHA teams that reached the Frozen Four in 2005 -- Colorado College, Denver, North Dakota and the Gophers -- have a combined record of 25-10-3 in nonconference games this season.
All four teams are ranked in the top 15 of the USCHO.com poll, along with Wisconsin and St. Cloud State.
Further proof of the WCHA's dominance can be seen in its 10-4-1 record against nonconference teams ranked in the top 20. The CCHA's Michigan, ranked seventh, was outscored by a combined 15-6 in losses to Colorado College, Wisconsin and the Gophers.
Let's just say this isn't exactly Carnac type foreseeanceability. The author could have predicted a Gopher win. After all, they destroyed the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and split with the Badgers, who now have major distractions to contend with. Plus, they may get frostbite before the season is over. Still, unless Tanya Harding comes out of retirement to club Brian Elliot, the Badgers are still the team to beat in March.
Then there is the not-so-good hockey news of the day.
Finally, and on to the media, Hinderaker finds a tiny problem with AP's "Libby: White House 'Superiors' OK'd Leaks." Nothing major...just a fact check thing.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Wisconsin Worshippers Revolt
Try as I might I have not been able to find any stories about Christians rioting in the street, torching embassies or killing opposing clergy in response to the Osama Bin Christ. Apparently those Christians just don't care about their God as much as some other religion I could mention.
Luckily Iowahawk is back from wherever the hell he was and is exposing the response of truck driving, beer guzzling idiots in Wisconsin, to cartoons recently posted by a Texas newsletter.
It's hard to believe that Wisconsin was once a place of relative peace.
...outside of the Dells and a handful of violent outposts near its western Mississippi River border, Wisconsin remained a relatively calm exception to the Midwestern maelstrom surrounding it -- a fact that experts attribute to subtle differences in culture and religion.
"Unlike the ultra-extreme, radical Lutheran sectarians of Iowa and Minnesota, most ethnic Wisconsinites belong to the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod," said Joseph Killian, a Midwestern Studies professor at Emory University in Atlanta. "And if you add in three Super Bowl titles, easier access to beer, and walleye fishing, and you're going to have a much calmer and more stable culture."
Portrayals of the prophet Vince Lombardi in a cheese-bomb hat though, have perhaps changed things for good.
After the NFC Championship game in January, WTMJ radio in Milwaukee broadcast a newly surfaced audiotape of Duane Gunderson on the Wayne Larrivee Packer Report, in which he urged Packer faithful to "rise up against the mockers of the one and true coach."
"Those who sow the curds of blasphemy will reap the cheddar wheel of destruction,” he added cryptically.
This violent hate speech has led to a violent backlash by the most violent elements of Packer Jihad. Be sure to read it all. It is extremely important that the reality-based community be made aware that violent Americans, or at least violent Wisconsinites, are in no way superior to protesting Islamists. Except, of course, for the fact that the Islamists aren't our problem.
On the other hand, Wisconsinites and all diety worshippers in the vast empty space between New York and L.A. our very much our problem. Today they are exposed for what they really are. For that, we owe a Texas newsletter a debt of gratitude for having the courage to expose the seedy underbelly of Lombardi fundamentalism.
Thank Gaia for free speech. The Chimp has no chance in 2008. Not after this.
Luckily Iowahawk is back from wherever the hell he was and is exposing the response of truck driving, beer guzzling idiots in Wisconsin, to cartoons recently posted by a Texas newsletter.
It's hard to believe that Wisconsin was once a place of relative peace.
...outside of the Dells and a handful of violent outposts near its western Mississippi River border, Wisconsin remained a relatively calm exception to the Midwestern maelstrom surrounding it -- a fact that experts attribute to subtle differences in culture and religion.
"Unlike the ultra-extreme, radical Lutheran sectarians of Iowa and Minnesota, most ethnic Wisconsinites belong to the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod," said Joseph Killian, a Midwestern Studies professor at Emory University in Atlanta. "And if you add in three Super Bowl titles, easier access to beer, and walleye fishing, and you're going to have a much calmer and more stable culture."
Portrayals of the prophet Vince Lombardi in a cheese-bomb hat though, have perhaps changed things for good.
After the NFC Championship game in January, WTMJ radio in Milwaukee broadcast a newly surfaced audiotape of Duane Gunderson on the Wayne Larrivee Packer Report, in which he urged Packer faithful to "rise up against the mockers of the one and true coach."
"Those who sow the curds of blasphemy will reap the cheddar wheel of destruction,” he added cryptically.
This violent hate speech has led to a violent backlash by the most violent elements of Packer Jihad. Be sure to read it all. It is extremely important that the reality-based community be made aware that violent Americans, or at least violent Wisconsinites, are in no way superior to protesting Islamists. Except, of course, for the fact that the Islamists aren't our problem.
On the other hand, Wisconsinites and all diety worshippers in the vast empty space between New York and L.A. our very much our problem. Today they are exposed for what they really are. For that, we owe a Texas newsletter a debt of gratitude for having the courage to expose the seedy underbelly of Lombardi fundamentalism.
Thank Gaia for free speech. The Chimp has no chance in 2008. Not after this.
No Breath Holding
Here's Captain Ed on the News that John Bolton has been nominated for a Nobel Prize:
I guess that means that the Left will soon line up to insist that Bolton receive confirmation for UN ambassador, right? After all, a Nobel nomination convinced them that Stanley "Tookie" Williams was really a great guy who deserved not just commutation of his death sentence but also high praise for his humanity, or at least that was the argument they made. I'll just hold my breath until they start the picketing outside the DNC headquarters in support of Bolton.
The world needs you Cap'n. Don't hold your breath.
I guess that means that the Left will soon line up to insist that Bolton receive confirmation for UN ambassador, right? After all, a Nobel nomination convinced them that Stanley "Tookie" Williams was really a great guy who deserved not just commutation of his death sentence but also high praise for his humanity, or at least that was the argument they made. I'll just hold my breath until they start the picketing outside the DNC headquarters in support of Bolton.
The world needs you Cap'n. Don't hold your breath.
Blogger Tries To Steal My Livelihood
After months of relative peace, a man who is so obsessed with me that he literally cannot help himself from making lame attempts to defame me has returned. He does this on an imagined blogo-slight that he has never actually provided any evidence for. He does it through the use of vicious libel.
He has demonstrated an unhealthy emotional investment in my personal faliure, and never runs out of ways to link my employment and my blog together, thus revealing my identity and creating a web trail for my company's IT department to follow. Where, I guess, my employers will discover my political leanings, be instantly appalled, and fire me on the spot.
After all, it's not like they would have any idea of my political leanings.
In the latest in his imaginary ongoing effort to defame me personally, he once again links me with my career to hurl his pointless smears. Along the way, he attacks me as a hypocrite for not personally covering a story halfway around the world that is so saturating the media it is staggering.
Is it irony when someone who actually could do something about it, say, a Minnesota journalist, not only fails to do something, but instead, whines about the media shrinking in fear?
I wonder what, exactly, a Minnesota journalist "could do." Are the readers in my coverage area so underinformed that they need their local community paper to cover this international story?
As he is prone to do, MIdiot fails to understand the most basic concepts of coverage areas and "news beat." By his logic, his community newspaper would be a hypocrite for not covering my city council meeting.
It is a ludicruous argument anyway, to suggest that I can't be a critic of the media without covering every story of which I am critical. Were I to be interested in reducing the debate to that level, I could simply inquire as to why he isn't fighting alongside al Qeada.
But logic has never been Needledick's strong suit. He deals in slime and cheapshots. Like this one:
Hm. Maybe instead of whining about the fearful media, this "journalist" will actually cover the story himself. After he's done covering the local high school girls' basketball game, that is.
This guy is a stalker, so he already knows that I have been filling in for the sports department since our wonderful sporstwriter moved on to greener pastures. He also knows that I have done some work that I am rather proud of like this, this, this, and this. They are of no consequence to John though, when the opportunity arises to mock me as "just a sports journalist."
Those who actually know me, know that I became a journalist because I am a critic. I once had a pretty cushy, union gig that I chucked to attempt to become a journalist. Without a degree in the subject or any previous experience whatsoever, I started small, at a paper so small it doesn't even have a website. As my stalker knows intimately, a few months ago I parlayed that early sweat and tears into a great job, with a great company (founded by a liberal Minnesota governor).
My stalker can't stand that. So he has embarked on what appears to be an endless journey to find a way to screw it up for me.
Let it be a lesson to the blogosphere. There are parasites like this guy out there who have nothing better than to get personally involved with your lives. They might even try to crash your career.
For this guy it's nothing. Just another day's work for a fine example of modern, impotent, liberalism.
He has demonstrated an unhealthy emotional investment in my personal faliure, and never runs out of ways to link my employment and my blog together, thus revealing my identity and creating a web trail for my company's IT department to follow. Where, I guess, my employers will discover my political leanings, be instantly appalled, and fire me on the spot.
After all, it's not like they would have any idea of my political leanings.
In the latest in his imaginary ongoing effort to defame me personally, he once again links me with my career to hurl his pointless smears. Along the way, he attacks me as a hypocrite for not personally covering a story halfway around the world that is so saturating the media it is staggering.
Is it irony when someone who actually could do something about it, say, a Minnesota journalist, not only fails to do something, but instead, whines about the media shrinking in fear?
I wonder what, exactly, a Minnesota journalist "could do." Are the readers in my coverage area so underinformed that they need their local community paper to cover this international story?
As he is prone to do, MIdiot fails to understand the most basic concepts of coverage areas and "news beat." By his logic, his community newspaper would be a hypocrite for not covering my city council meeting.
It is a ludicruous argument anyway, to suggest that I can't be a critic of the media without covering every story of which I am critical. Were I to be interested in reducing the debate to that level, I could simply inquire as to why he isn't fighting alongside al Qeada.
But logic has never been Needledick's strong suit. He deals in slime and cheapshots. Like this one:
Hm. Maybe instead of whining about the fearful media, this "journalist" will actually cover the story himself. After he's done covering the local high school girls' basketball game, that is.
This guy is a stalker, so he already knows that I have been filling in for the sports department since our wonderful sporstwriter moved on to greener pastures. He also knows that I have done some work that I am rather proud of like this, this, this, and this. They are of no consequence to John though, when the opportunity arises to mock me as "just a sports journalist."
Those who actually know me, know that I became a journalist because I am a critic. I once had a pretty cushy, union gig that I chucked to attempt to become a journalist. Without a degree in the subject or any previous experience whatsoever, I started small, at a paper so small it doesn't even have a website. As my stalker knows intimately, a few months ago I parlayed that early sweat and tears into a great job, with a great company (founded by a liberal Minnesota governor).
My stalker can't stand that. So he has embarked on what appears to be an endless journey to find a way to screw it up for me.
Let it be a lesson to the blogosphere. There are parasites like this guy out there who have nothing better than to get personally involved with your lives. They might even try to crash your career.
For this guy it's nothing. Just another day's work for a fine example of modern, impotent, liberalism.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Never Met A Podium They Didn't Like
I've heard the audio from Coretta Scott King's funeral today, and it was more than a bit familiar. The blogosphere is covered by now with comparisons to the Paul Wellstone memorial held here in Minnesota over three years ago.
The comparison is certainly apt, and the left proves once again that there isn't a podium in the country that is deserving of a level of respect higher than that of the floor of the Senate. Frankly I thought the King funeral was worse than the Wellstone affair.
One might instinctively assume that the funeral for a national icon, attended in a bi-partisan fashion by representatives of a grateful nation, might rise above petty rhetoric and empty leftist propaganda. Of course, that assumes that some things are sacred. To the Democrats, nothing is more sacred than whatever it takes to gain power.
No solution to terror, no money, no social security plan, no credibility on national security, and now...no decorum. What an embarassment. I'm grateful that Republican representatives, at least, celebrated the life of Coretta Scott King, which after all, was the point. My personal thanks to President Bush and former President Bush for treating the day with the respect it deserved.
Frankly, Bush the latter comes out pretty well in the whole thing if you ask me. He's the only one who risked anything to be there. He's the one who sat through endless diatribes of innuendo and flat out lies in order to pay his respects to an amazing woman. His sincerity is not in doubt.
It is unclear if Rowley and Carter were there for the woman or the podium.
Interesting to note that, before Wellstone's memorial Walter Mondale, beloved by state Democrats and moderates alike, was well ahead of Norm Coleman before the Wellstone memorial. Following the memorial, it was all downhill for the left as the moderates jumped off the train. Norm Coleman is now the UN-inator.
If Democrats can't show restraint even in the context of a funeral, how can the American elctorate trust them to behave properly in any other situation?
The comparison is certainly apt, and the left proves once again that there isn't a podium in the country that is deserving of a level of respect higher than that of the floor of the Senate. Frankly I thought the King funeral was worse than the Wellstone affair.
One might instinctively assume that the funeral for a national icon, attended in a bi-partisan fashion by representatives of a grateful nation, might rise above petty rhetoric and empty leftist propaganda. Of course, that assumes that some things are sacred. To the Democrats, nothing is more sacred than whatever it takes to gain power.
No solution to terror, no money, no social security plan, no credibility on national security, and now...no decorum. What an embarassment. I'm grateful that Republican representatives, at least, celebrated the life of Coretta Scott King, which after all, was the point. My personal thanks to President Bush and former President Bush for treating the day with the respect it deserved.
Frankly, Bush the latter comes out pretty well in the whole thing if you ask me. He's the only one who risked anything to be there. He's the one who sat through endless diatribes of innuendo and flat out lies in order to pay his respects to an amazing woman. His sincerity is not in doubt.
It is unclear if Rowley and Carter were there for the woman or the podium.
Interesting to note that, before Wellstone's memorial Walter Mondale, beloved by state Democrats and moderates alike, was well ahead of Norm Coleman before the Wellstone memorial. Following the memorial, it was all downhill for the left as the moderates jumped off the train. Norm Coleman is now the UN-inator.
If Democrats can't show restraint even in the context of a funeral, how can the American elctorate trust them to behave properly in any other situation?
Monday, February 06, 2006
Welfare for Democrats
James Carville and Paul Begala's editorial in Washington Monthly is titled "Abramoff Proof Politics." Republicans can only hope that this is a glimpse of the mysterious Democratic 2006 platform. "Cutting off the encumbent" is one such idea from Begala and Carville. (Ed. - Dennis Miller recently described Carville as looking like a muppet washed in hot water. Now that he mentions it...)
First, we raise congressional pay big time. Pay 'em what we pay the president: $400,000. That's a huge increase from the $162,000 congressmen and senators currently make. Paul, especially, has been a critic of congressional pay increases. But he is willing to more than double politicians' pay in order to get some of the corrupt campaign money out of the system. You see, the pay raise comes with a catch. In return, we get a simple piece of legislation that says members of Congress cannot take anything of value from anyone other than a family member. No lunches, no taxi rides. No charter flights. No golf games. No ski trips. No nothing.
In other words, the way to get rid of lobbying money is to make it mandatory, through taxation. This could more precisely be described as the "Surrender Platform." Just take the money and give it to the Congress.
It is truly reform written for Congress, by Congress.
And when it is campaign time, incumbents would be under a complete ban on raising money. You read that right. No president or member of Congress could accept a single red cent from individuals, corporations, or special interests. Period.
I don't see how the American electorate could see this as anything but a minority party trying to change the rules with a direct assault on the free speech of the electorate. It gets better though...
Challengers, on the other hand, would be allowed to raise money in any amount from any individual American citizen or political action committee. No limits, just as the free-market conservatives have always wanted. But here is the catch: Within 24 hours of receiving a contribution, the challenger would have to report it electronically to the Federal Election Commission, which would post it for the public to see. That way, if you want to accept a million dollars from, say, Paris Hilton, go for it. But be prepared for voters and reporters to ask what you promised her in exchange.
The treasury, not surprisingly, would also credit the incumbent's account with 80% of the million dollars. The federal government would also match any funds spent by a candidate spending their own money.
When it is all said and done, Begala and Carville's idea of reform is to completely eliminate the marketplace of ideas from elections. All ideas and all candidates become equal. It is a money pit for candidates and ideas that can't survive the scrutiny of an open marketplace.
With party coffers woefully low, a trend of losses at the ballot box, and no attention to any kind of party platform, Carville and Begala introduce an election reform package that boldly tries to correct what the free market and the electorate have cast aside.
In the immediate sense, it isn't reform at all. It's election welfare for the Democratic Party, and frankly, a free pass for the party to move well beyond the level of liberalism that the American public have deemed palatable.
Kudos to Carville and Begala for at least trying, but if padding the salaries of the already rich and socializing the federal election system is what the left intends to champion, they are even more woefully out of touch than even I gave them credit for.
First, we raise congressional pay big time. Pay 'em what we pay the president: $400,000. That's a huge increase from the $162,000 congressmen and senators currently make. Paul, especially, has been a critic of congressional pay increases. But he is willing to more than double politicians' pay in order to get some of the corrupt campaign money out of the system. You see, the pay raise comes with a catch. In return, we get a simple piece of legislation that says members of Congress cannot take anything of value from anyone other than a family member. No lunches, no taxi rides. No charter flights. No golf games. No ski trips. No nothing.
In other words, the way to get rid of lobbying money is to make it mandatory, through taxation. This could more precisely be described as the "Surrender Platform." Just take the money and give it to the Congress.
It is truly reform written for Congress, by Congress.
And when it is campaign time, incumbents would be under a complete ban on raising money. You read that right. No president or member of Congress could accept a single red cent from individuals, corporations, or special interests. Period.
I don't see how the American electorate could see this as anything but a minority party trying to change the rules with a direct assault on the free speech of the electorate. It gets better though...
Challengers, on the other hand, would be allowed to raise money in any amount from any individual American citizen or political action committee. No limits, just as the free-market conservatives have always wanted. But here is the catch: Within 24 hours of receiving a contribution, the challenger would have to report it electronically to the Federal Election Commission, which would post it for the public to see. That way, if you want to accept a million dollars from, say, Paris Hilton, go for it. But be prepared for voters and reporters to ask what you promised her in exchange.
The treasury, not surprisingly, would also credit the incumbent's account with 80% of the million dollars. The federal government would also match any funds spent by a candidate spending their own money.
When it is all said and done, Begala and Carville's idea of reform is to completely eliminate the marketplace of ideas from elections. All ideas and all candidates become equal. It is a money pit for candidates and ideas that can't survive the scrutiny of an open marketplace.
With party coffers woefully low, a trend of losses at the ballot box, and no attention to any kind of party platform, Carville and Begala introduce an election reform package that boldly tries to correct what the free market and the electorate have cast aside.
In the immediate sense, it isn't reform at all. It's election welfare for the Democratic Party, and frankly, a free pass for the party to move well beyond the level of liberalism that the American public have deemed palatable.
Kudos to Carville and Begala for at least trying, but if padding the salaries of the already rich and socializing the federal election system is what the left intends to champion, they are even more woefully out of touch than even I gave them credit for.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Is There WMD News On the Horizon?
Personally, I couldn't give two shiites about WMD in Iraq, except for the nagging idea that the left may have jumped the gun. That WMD existed is a fact and it was never our duty to prove they existed in the first place. Rather, the UN demanded that Hussein prove they no longer existed.
Jack Kelly lists the authorities who continue to claim that WMD were moved in the weeks leading up to the invasion.
Last month Moshe Yaalon, who was Israel's top general at the time, said Iraq transported WMD to Syria six weeks before Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
Last March, John A. Shaw, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said Russian Spetsnaz units moved WMD to Syria and Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
"While in Iraq I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives," Mr. Shaw told NewsMax reporter Charles Smith.
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong was deputy commander of Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2004, he told WABC radio that "I do know for a fact that some of those weapons went into Syria, Lebanon and Iran."
In January 2004, David Kay, the first head of the Iraq Survey Group which conducted the search for Saddam's WMD, told a British newspaper there was evidence unspecified materials had been moved to Syria from Iraq shortly before the war.
"We know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD program," Mr. Kay told the Sunday Telegraph.
Also that month, Nizar Nayuf, a Syrian journalist who defected to an undisclosed European country, told a Dutch newspaper he knew of three sites where Iraq's WMD was being kept. They were the town of al Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria; the Syrian air force base near the village of Tal Snan, and the city of Sjinsar on the border with Lebanon.
In an addendum to his final report last April, Charles Duelfer, who succeeded David Kay as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said he couldn't rule out a transfer of WMD from Iraq to Syria.
"There was evidence of a discussion of possible WMD collaboration initiated by a Syrian security officer, and ISG received information about movement of material out of Iraq, including the possibility that WMD was involved. In the judgment of the working group, these reports were sufficiently credible to merit further investigation," Mr. Duelfer said.
In a briefing for reporters in October 2003, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper Jr., who was head of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency when the Iraq war began, said satellite imagery showed a heavy flow of traffic from Iraq into Syria just before the American invasion.
"I think the people below Saddam Hussein and his sons' level saw what was coming and decided the best thing to do was to destroy and disperse," Lt. Gen. Clapper said.
According to Kelly, audiotapes of Iraq discussing it's WMD are about to be released. What will they tell us about Iraq's actions leading up to invasion? I don't know, but one analyst calls them a "smoking cannon." We shall see.
Imagine how much we might learn if the fed's made a concerted effort to translate the warehouses full of documents from the Hussein regime.
Jack Kelly lists the authorities who continue to claim that WMD were moved in the weeks leading up to the invasion.
Last month Moshe Yaalon, who was Israel's top general at the time, said Iraq transported WMD to Syria six weeks before Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
Last March, John A. Shaw, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said Russian Spetsnaz units moved WMD to Syria and Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
"While in Iraq I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives," Mr. Shaw told NewsMax reporter Charles Smith.
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong was deputy commander of Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2004, he told WABC radio that "I do know for a fact that some of those weapons went into Syria, Lebanon and Iran."
In January 2004, David Kay, the first head of the Iraq Survey Group which conducted the search for Saddam's WMD, told a British newspaper there was evidence unspecified materials had been moved to Syria from Iraq shortly before the war.
"We know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD program," Mr. Kay told the Sunday Telegraph.
Also that month, Nizar Nayuf, a Syrian journalist who defected to an undisclosed European country, told a Dutch newspaper he knew of three sites where Iraq's WMD was being kept. They were the town of al Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria; the Syrian air force base near the village of Tal Snan, and the city of Sjinsar on the border with Lebanon.
In an addendum to his final report last April, Charles Duelfer, who succeeded David Kay as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said he couldn't rule out a transfer of WMD from Iraq to Syria.
"There was evidence of a discussion of possible WMD collaboration initiated by a Syrian security officer, and ISG received information about movement of material out of Iraq, including the possibility that WMD was involved. In the judgment of the working group, these reports were sufficiently credible to merit further investigation," Mr. Duelfer said.
In a briefing for reporters in October 2003, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper Jr., who was head of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency when the Iraq war began, said satellite imagery showed a heavy flow of traffic from Iraq into Syria just before the American invasion.
"I think the people below Saddam Hussein and his sons' level saw what was coming and decided the best thing to do was to destroy and disperse," Lt. Gen. Clapper said.
According to Kelly, audiotapes of Iraq discussing it's WMD are about to be released. What will they tell us about Iraq's actions leading up to invasion? I don't know, but one analyst calls them a "smoking cannon." We shall see.
Imagine how much we might learn if the fed's made a concerted effort to translate the warehouses full of documents from the Hussein regime.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Media Shrinks in Fear
Even while the intellectual elite celebrate the denigration of Christianity, the American media shrinks from offending radical Islam.
Tim Blair has the best line regarding the media's suddenly pantywaist attitude towards giving offense:
They won’t publish cartoons, but they will run anything they can get out of Abu Ghraib. Both sets of images provoke Islamic anger; note how the media behaves when that anger is directed at them.
On a side note, I still await the first reports of Christian violence over Osama bin Christ. It is possible that the Dangerous Believers are already out shooting up art supply depots, but Rove's Monkey Media has chosen to ignore yet another example of Jesus Jihad.
It is also possible that the far left has intentionally demogogued Christians unfairly to score cheap political points.
The answer may be hours away.
Tim Blair has the best line regarding the media's suddenly pantywaist attitude towards giving offense:
They won’t publish cartoons, but they will run anything they can get out of Abu Ghraib. Both sets of images provoke Islamic anger; note how the media behaves when that anger is directed at them.
On a side note, I still await the first reports of Christian violence over Osama bin Christ. It is possible that the Dangerous Believers are already out shooting up art supply depots, but Rove's Monkey Media has chosen to ignore yet another example of Jesus Jihad.
It is also possible that the far left has intentionally demogogued Christians unfairly to score cheap political points.
The answer may be hours away.
Is Rockefeller the Leak?
Free Republic is reporting that Jed Babbin flat out accused Jay Rockefeller of being the leak on the NSA program.
That would explain the senator's strange comments this week.
Rockefeller, of course, is the same guy who admittedly leaked are intentions in Iraq to Middle Eastern nations.
The good senator can clear all of this up by submitting to a polygraph. If he is the leak, he should be indicted immediately. Given the Democratic Party's recent "stand" on national security leaks, Rockefeller's indictment should enjoy strong bipartisan support.
Ya right.
That would explain the senator's strange comments this week.
Rockefeller, of course, is the same guy who admittedly leaked are intentions in Iraq to Middle Eastern nations.
The good senator can clear all of this up by submitting to a polygraph. If he is the leak, he should be indicted immediately. Given the Democratic Party's recent "stand" on national security leaks, Rockefeller's indictment should enjoy strong bipartisan support.
Ya right.
Christians to Revolt...Any Time Now
An interesting irony today. Of course, everyone is aware of the violence on display by the Islamic community over some cartoons.Malikin documents the reaction of the American media, including this Hall of Shame moment from CNN...
Muslims consider it sacrilegious to produce a likeness of the Prophet Mohammad. CNN has chosen to not show the cartoons in respect for Islam.
...pictures of protesters warning us to prepare for the real holocaust, and this wonderful juxtaposition.
There are no reports of Christians lobbing pipe bombs, kidnapping civilians, or calling for a Jesus Jihad in response the Osama bin Christ.
The left has gone to great pains over the last two years portraying "right-wing Christianity" as the rough equivilent of radical Islam. In fact, Osama bin Christ is that very message on canvas.
With such an impressive track record over the last five years, is it even conceivable that the Yammers were wrong about Christians? Not likely.
I promise to update this blog with every report of violent Christian backlash as they, no doubt, begin to roll in any hour now.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Cue the Clown Music
Via Powerline is Tony Blankley's take on the Democratic Party's class clown status, from a historical perspective. This line made me think of something:
That is the trouble with being a rotten tomato-throwing member of the bleacher crowd. One may develop a small following amongst one's fellow complainers, but no large group of people are going to ask you to come out and lead the team.
Now I remember:
Civil rights activist and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond delivered a blistering partisan speech at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina last night, equating the Republican Party with the Nazi Party and characterizing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, as "tokens."
"The Republican Party would have the American flag and the swastika flying side by side," he charged.
This kind of drivel always makes me wonder if...in the far away time...all of this will end in a full blown Yammer rebellion. I mean...if the Republican Party is really a modern incarnation of the Nazi Party, its removal from power is worth any cost.
What if their Comprehensive Vision for America, wherever it may be, isn't enough to make significant gains in 2006. What if, after 2008, Republicans still have control of the House, the Senate, and the executive. That would mean essentially 12 years of "Nazi" rule in America. Are we to believe that the Yammers have no intention of rising up after a decade of living under these unspeakably oppressive conditions?
It's already been six long years. If we don't see armed insurrection by...say...2009, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start doubting the courage of their convictions.
That is the trouble with being a rotten tomato-throwing member of the bleacher crowd. One may develop a small following amongst one's fellow complainers, but no large group of people are going to ask you to come out and lead the team.
Now I remember:
Civil rights activist and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond delivered a blistering partisan speech at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina last night, equating the Republican Party with the Nazi Party and characterizing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, as "tokens."
"The Republican Party would have the American flag and the swastika flying side by side," he charged.
This kind of drivel always makes me wonder if...in the far away time...all of this will end in a full blown Yammer rebellion. I mean...if the Republican Party is really a modern incarnation of the Nazi Party, its removal from power is worth any cost.
What if their Comprehensive Vision for America, wherever it may be, isn't enough to make significant gains in 2006. What if, after 2008, Republicans still have control of the House, the Senate, and the executive. That would mean essentially 12 years of "Nazi" rule in America. Are we to believe that the Yammers have no intention of rising up after a decade of living under these unspeakably oppressive conditions?
It's already been six long years. If we don't see armed insurrection by...say...2009, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start doubting the courage of their convictions.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
SOTU: The Day After
I love the day after any Bush SOTU. Everyone on the left goes into spin superfreak and they can't get up early enough to start sweating out the aftermath.
John Kerry got it started this moring with his total and utter ignorance of graduation rates in the U.S. He was only off by about 32% though, so Kerry is well positioned for a "that doesn't change the fact that America could do better...like France," fake but true type defense.
Then there's this:
“Comments like that are unrealistic. Everyone knows the world will continue to depend on Middle East imports...”
...he said while sweating profusely under his restrictive Arab garb.
Interestingly enough, the PATRIOT Act has been extended suddenly.
Finally, Expose the left has the image of Hillary snearing about national security. Very presidential.
I hope nobody drank themselves to death over the use of such partisan and inflammatory words as "liberty" and "freedom," or referencing the worst attack on American soil ever. Those with hangovers have my sympathy. The pursuit of freedom and liberty is hard work, and requires that we approach the problem with a different approach in the wake of 9/11. It will take courage to defeat the terrorists and governments pursuing nukulear weapons, and insure our security.
John Kerry got it started this moring with his total and utter ignorance of graduation rates in the U.S. He was only off by about 32% though, so Kerry is well positioned for a "that doesn't change the fact that America could do better...like France," fake but true type defense.
Then there's this:
“Comments like that are unrealistic. Everyone knows the world will continue to depend on Middle East imports...”
...he said while sweating profusely under his restrictive Arab garb.
Interestingly enough, the PATRIOT Act has been extended suddenly.
Finally, Expose the left has the image of Hillary snearing about national security. Very presidential.
I hope nobody drank themselves to death over the use of such partisan and inflammatory words as "liberty" and "freedom," or referencing the worst attack on American soil ever. Those with hangovers have my sympathy. The pursuit of freedom and liberty is hard work, and requires that we approach the problem with a different approach in the wake of 9/11. It will take courage to defeat the terrorists and governments pursuing nukulear weapons, and insure our security.
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