There is a Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and Stupid

h/t Wolf Howling

Pelosi Guarantees Coverup

Covering butts:

Further, according to House Oversight Committee staff, Emanuel has received assurances from Pelosi that she will not allow what he termed a "witch hunt" to take place during the next Congressional session over the role Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played in the economic crisis. Emanuel apparently is concerned the roles former Clinton Administration members may have played in the mortgage industry collapse could be politically -- or worse, if the Department of Justice had its way, legally -- treacherous for many.

While we need to get past this, we also need to know how it happened.

We must demand to hold people accountable, and expose those who, without knowledge or foresight, and at great personal gain, got us where we are today.

RC Doesn't Need To Drop Acid Anymore

…..because he has read the internal investigation of the Tallahassee Police Department’s handling of the Rachel Hoffman case:

"“Because like 50+ pages into this heavily blacked out piece of Keystone Cop vs. the Three Stooges, heavily censured chronicle of incompetence, violations of rules and procedures, systemic mismanagement leading all the way to the top, of freaking mail order certified cowboys playing cop (is this a run on sentence? Good, cause I ain't finished) like out of some episode of the "Shield" who still refer to people who use drugs with the "sixties" term "dopers" (oh Thank You Jesus I did not read the word "perp" yet) managing to lose a 23 year old college girl toting a heap of cash (all by herself we might add) within 30 minutes of leaving the freaking police station had me taking 3 blood pressure pills and 2 Klonipin while I sat on the couch going……”

If you don’t know who Rachel Hoffman is, then you should be ashamed of yourself. Search RC’s blog for “Rachel Hoffman”. And remind yourself what Delaware Libertarian said HERE and HERE.

RC is closest to the story and has been on it from the beginning. Read his entire rant HERE.

Sell Everything. Stash Your Cash. Seriously.

Delaware Libertarian said it first, which proves that DL is smarter than the Wall Street Journal:

Cut everything. Drop your cable package and TiVo. Say goodbye to Applebee's and Starbucks. Cancel the ski trip. Slash every single penny you possibly can from your household budgets and start building up cash.

Another Kind of Crash - House Web Servers Overwhelmed

It seems as though lately quite a few people have been using the "Write Your Representative" feature on the House website.

The volume of e-mails was so great over the past few days that the website had to limit the amount of e-mails. Another spike is expected as the future of any "bailout bill" is considered.

If all else fails, constitutents may have to rely on that tried-and-true standard, the telephone, especially if they receive this message:

"“The House of Representatives is currently experiencing an extraordinarily high amount of e-mail traffic. The Write Your Representative function is therefore intermittently available. While we realize communicating to your Members of Congress is critical, we suggest attempting to do so at a later time, when demand is not so high. System engineers are working to resolve this issue and we appreciate your patience.”

It is interesting to consider what the effects of our emerging "internet Republic" will be. Were we better off just being stupid? Or is this a good thing, allowing the people to have a more immediate voice in what is going on? Is this a good thing, or will it impede meaningful action?

It all remains to be seen, but I find it kind of fun to see that people are talking and, in some cases, legislators are listening.

Obama on the Bailout: "Present"

The pundits are saying that McCain’s actions in face of the bailout plan blew up in his face. He dramatically “suspended” (sort of) his campaign and put some doubt as to whether the debate would occur Friday.

Any histrionics that might have portrayed McCain as the hero (or villain, depending on where you stand) of the day failed to produce the intended result. The vote failed.

McCain worked the phones, and is said to have turned around 60 lawmakers, but in the end that was not enough. It didn’t help that Reid downplayed McCain’s significance. I thought this was a time to get together. Apparently not.

What did Obama do to help sway some of those tenuous Democratic votes? He didn’t make a single phone call. And although he said he was “inclined to support” the measure, he sure as heck didn’t want to invest any time or political capital in making it happen:

“Aides to Mr. Obama said he had not directly reached out to try to sway any House Democrats who opposed the measure.”

No matter what one might think of McCain’s actions, they were nothing compared to Obama’s inaction, which seems to be a matter of course for Obama. If there is no risk, he’ll cast a vote. If there is even a modicum of risk, he protects his political posterior, instead choosing to honorably “stay above the fray”.

It is one thing to try to appear statesmanlike, outside of the rough-and-tumble of tough political negotiations that affect the future of our country.

It is quite another thing to appear impotent.

Oh, and thank you Jesse Jackson and the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus for voting against the proposed bailout plan. I wonder, as does Jonathan Martin, as to whether or not Obama could have had an influence on Jackson or the CBC. Lord knows, Jackson owed him a favor and would have had a chance to get back in his good graces.

But nuts to that.

Since Obama only "tended" to favor the plan, which is not being for it or against it, why jeapordize any political capital? It just isn't safe. It just isn't prudent.

It's kind of like voting "Present".

Interesting Days Ahead

Tom Coburn:

“This bill does not represent a new and sudden departure from free market principles as much as it represents an emergency response to congressional actions that have ignored free market principles, and our Constitution, for decades. If anyone in Washington should offer their resignation it should be the members of Congress who peddled the fantasy of free home ownership without risk. No institution in our country is more responsible for the myth or borrowing without consequences than the United States Congress.”

Senator Coburn sounds suspiciously like this person:

As a matter of fact, the Chinese work hard, right now, and they save, and they're buying up the world. But we borrow and spend and consume, and now it's caught up to us and it's undermining our whole system. ... So this $700 billion is not going to do it.

So, where would the Treasury get $700 billion?

The US Treasury does not have $700 billion on hand with which to buy the troubled assets from the troubled institutions. The Treasury will have to borrow the $700 billion from abroad.

thus,

The world's largest communist state could become the borrower of last resort for the world's largest democracy.

But some form of a “plan” is still not out of the picture. Whether that is good or not, I don’t know. I just know that the stock market rallied a bit this morning (whatever that means). Both Presidential candidates seem to me to be a bit mealy-mouthed on the whole issue. Neither is showing much leadership, and neither seems to really know what they are talking about beyond rhetoric.

I am more and more convinced that we just need to let it go. The whole urgency of putting something out there, anything, even if it’s bad, leaves me with a bad feeling.

Should be interesting to watch.

In the meantime, my mattress is somewhat plumper than usual.

One Stock Gained Yesterday

Ahhhhh, comfort food:

"On Monday, Wall Street plunged, with the Dow posting its biggest one-day point drop ever, after U.S. lawmakers unexpectedly rejected a $700 billion financial bailout, spooking investors who saw it as essential to halting a global market meltdown. Campbell Soup's stock rose 0.3 percent, or 12 cents, to close at $37.75 on the New York Stock Exchange."

If you watch for sales, you can often catch Campbell's tomato soup for $1.00/can. It's great with macaroni.

I'm just sayin............

Who Is Herb Moses?

From Business & Media Institute:

"Moses was the assistant director for product initiatives at Fannie Mae and had been at the forefront of relaxing lending restrictions at the company for rural customers, according to the Feb. 23, 1998, issue of National Mortgage News (NMN).

And since Barney Frank has declared that a person’s family is fair game for campaign discussion, we find out a little more about Herb Moses:

"The July 3, 1998, Reliable Source column in The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his “spouse.” Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his “lover” and that the two were “still friends” after the breakup. While the relationship reportedly ended 10 years ago, Frank was serving on the House Banking Committee the entire 10 years they were together. The committee is the primary House body which along with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has jurisdiction over the government-sponsored enterprises. While Moses served at Fannie Mae and was Frank’s partner, Frank was actively working to support GSEs, according to several news outlets. According to an article by Kathleen Day in the Oct. 8, 2003, Washington Post, Frank opposed giving the Bush administration the right to approve or disapprove business activities that “could pose risk to the taxpayers.” He told the Post he worried the Treasury Department “would sacrifice activities that are good for consumers in the name of lowering the companies’ market risks.

Frank continues to deny any culpability in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac debacle. And while the government investigation currently underway is only going to address issues starting in 2007, the damage began long, long ago.

And Frank was right in bed with it.

Fannie Mae CEO calling Obama and the Dems the "Family" and "Conscience" of Fannie Mae

Unreal. Yeah, we got your back.

NC Senate Candidate Battles Safety Nanny Government

Press Release from the Jan MacKay for Senate Campaign

September 29, 2008

"On April 25th, Jan MacKay says she was nearly run down on Garner Rd, by a highway patrol truck driven by a state trooper, just down the street from Highway Patrol Headquarters. She received a ticket for not wearing a helmet, despite wearing one which she says meets the lawful requirements. Perhaps, it did not appear to conform. Perhaps, it did not meet with the troopers subjective approval. However, Ms MacKay says it was a manufacturer self-certified partial coverage helmet. As such, it is of a type compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standard, FMVSS 218, therefore lawful.

Since then, she has gone to district court four times. The first three times, the court was not ready to proceed. The trooper who is based in Surry and Yadkin counties has driven to Raleigh twice, a 5 hour round trip, and sat in court. The total amount of time the trooper has been away from patrol has been approximately 17 hours, over an infraction which carries a $25 fine. This seems like a travesty not wanted by the taxpayers. Some citizens might also see problems when consumers, rather than manufacturers, are held responsible for complying with federal requirements on motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and in the case of a helmet - what they wear.

On July 1st, Ms MacKay announced her candidacy for NC Senate representing Senate District 15 which is North Raleigh, Wake Forest, and unincorporated areas around Falls Lake, which she says should remain unincorporated despite annexation plans. She is getting lots of well-wishers from all over North Carolina and from other states as well. Her internet campaign is doing well, with a website is top-ranked on Google. "That's good because I do not have money from PAC's and lobbyists in order to support my campaign. I think the pathway to ending corruption in Raleigh is for legislators to stop taking money from special interests. Information, yes. Money, no. I will try to live on the meager $20,659 salary and do my best for the people rather than the well-financed."

On August 27th, she was found guilty in district court and immediately appealed to Superior Court. According to the judge, she was not found guilty due to the leather helmet she was wearing, but because the trooper testified the straps were not tightly cinched under her chin. It was exactly the type of decision she wanted, because an appeal to Superior Court is needed in order to overturn the NC helmet law and stop law enforcement from being overly aggressive in pulling over motorcyclists.

On September 26th, she served a copy of a 26 page legal brief on the Wake County District Attorney Office and filed it with the clerk of Superior Court. Jan is not a lawyer, and is defending herself. "I do not recommend anyone represent themselves pro se in major crimes, but if an intelligent person cannot represent herself in court against a minor infraction, and get a fair trial, then our judicial system has serious problems". If the law is overturned, people will still be able to wear helmets. They will be able to wear any helmet they want, rather than being forced to wear one that someone in China says is compliant, and perhaps they will not be forced to attach any device to their heads. This is all about individual liberties and the right to decide such important matters for themselves rather than rely on a safety nanny government to make all decisions for us. The date for the trial in Superior Court is November 10th, six days after the election.

Perhaps it will be the first of many rights and individual liberties "Senator" Jan MacKay will energetically fight for. "

Knappster Speaks

He writes his Senators and Representatives:

As a constituent, I have written to you on issues in the past, and want to first thank and congratulate you on your responsiveness. This issue is different, because it's one on which there's no room for give and take, explanations, compromise, etc. According to various press accounts, the House will vote tomorrow on a $700 billion "bailout" package for Wall Street's banking sector. If you vote "yes" on this bailout, or abstain, or miss the vote, or acquiesce in any "voice vote" gimmick or other trick to avoid disclosing your position on this taxpayer ripoff -- in other words, if you do anything but cast a "no" vote on the "bailout" -- I will dedicate the remainder of my political life to ensuring that you never hold public office again. I will also work hard to recruit others to the same task. Please do the right thing.

I’ve downloaded the draft bill, but I have to say that this government gobbledy-gook is a little above my pay grade. My instinct is to go with the Knappster. Why? I am reminded of a quote by H.L. Mencken:

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed and hence clamorous to be led to safety by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

And I believe that are being led by the nose not to safety, but to damnation.

No Credit? No Problem....How It Happened

Watch and weep (10 minutes with great background music).

We were warned over and over and over again.

Also see Tyler Nixon's post on Delaware Libertarian.

17th Annual Apple Scrapple Festival

We’re hoping for some good weather so we can ride to the 17th Annual Apple Scrapple Festival on Saturday, 10/11 in Bridgeville:

“Apple Scrapple” has grown from 2500 visitors in 1992 to over 25,000 now and was incorporated in 2002. It has become a major fundraiser for local community organizations and helps elevate awareness of the agricultural profession in lower Delaware.

There will be over 250 crafters and vendors, not to mention the Redneck Olympics which begin at noon. There is a Mayor’s Scrapple Sling, which is open to all mayors or presidents of councils in Sussex County, and a Scrapple Chunkin’ Contest.

Of course, what most interests some of my biker friends is the Annual Pig-Out and ride-in bike show (including a tattoo contest). We hope to ride down with a few friends and spend the day. After that, we may spend a day or too tooling around Southern Delaware, maybe even camping out for a night if the weather holds.

If any of you Sussex County bloggers are there, come up and say hi ! I'm pretty sure The Mourning Constitution will be there. Put it on your calendar ! It sounds like it would be a great family day.

Who Said This?

Can you guess?

Any so-called "bailout" plan before Congress must:

1) Protect homeowners faced with foreclosure by restructuring mortgage rates to be in line with family income.

2) Create economic stimulus for working people and small business

3) Provide $100 billion in emergency relief to state and local governments wracked with budget cuts and diminished tax revenue

4) Bar CEO severance packages and cap the pay of executives receiving a bailout

5) Regulate banking and finance with transparent public oversight

6) Maintain public control over monopolies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that have a decisive role in the economy

7) Control speculation and increase revenues by taxing large financial transactions

8) Ban predatory lending and cap interest rates on all types of debts

9) End the war in Iraq, which is draining $700 million a day from public coffers

Click HERE for the answer, and give yourself a pat on the back if you were right.

What Campaign Ads Would Look Like If the Voting Age Was 6

At some point in the next 38 days, you're going to watch a campaign ad and ask yourself if these things could get any more stupid and immature. We decided to find out. What would the ads look like if they had to target 13 year-old girls? Or 10 year old boys? Or first-graders? How would they reach these new, powerful demographics?

read more | digg story

That Wacky Palin Family !

Her parents went to New York after 9/11 to help with the recovery effort:

[Palin’s] parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, worked at Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island in January and February of 2002 as part of a federal Department of Agriculture program. In a phone interview this evening, Mr. Heath said that he and his wife worked to keep sea gulls and rats from scavenging. Mr. Heath, who is a retired science teacher and is 70 now, and Mrs. Heath, 68, a retired secretary, have worked for the Agriculture Department for the last 15 years. They travel around the world dealing with “nuisance” animals like rats and bears. “A lot of people just didn’t like the job, it was kind of a morbid thing,” he said of the work at the Staten Island landfill. “But I thought it was part of history.” He said they worked alongside detectives and firefighters and enjoyed “rubbing elbows” with them and hearing their stories.

There’s something about “just doing it” that some people don’t understand.

Ron Paul - Suddenly, Not So Crazy

Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), who serves on the Joint Economic Committee, gave his assessment of the proposed federal bailout plan last Wednesday to Fox News. For the video, go here.

What I find interesting is not only what he says (which he has been saying for decades), but some of the comments to his remarks:

Comment by ron villella:
Unfortunately, Ron Paul is written off by most of these people without really listeningto him. he is generally right and much more credible than Paulson, Bernanke,Dodd,Pelosi,Reid,Obama and his fannie and freddi sidekicks, the senators from NY and Massuchusetts, et cetera.

Comment by Kevin:
Senator Paul is one of the few who makes any sense in this financial mess we are in. Without correcting the fundamental flaws of this economy and the federal reserve system, this is another band-aid that will cause more problems down the road. Lets take the short recession, lets these greedy companies fail, and rebuild a sound economy based on pure market forces not more regualtion.

Comment by Justin:
And Ron Paul is dead on. You may not like all of his views, but this is/was the only presidential candidate with a firm understanding of the economy

Comment by Steve C.
While I did not support Congressman Paul during the primarys, and I am now a McCain/Palin supporter, the Congressman is the only person I have listened to for the past several days that is making any sence [sic]

And probably the most telling:

Comment by KT:
Suddenly… Ron Paul does not seem so “crazy:.

What We Need Are a Few Hangings

Charles Krauthammer lays it out:

“What we need are a few exemplary hangings. Public hangings. On television. Pick a few failed investment firms, lead their CEOs in chains through the canyons of Manhattan and give the mob satisfaction. Better still, precede the auto-da-fe -- fire is highly telegenic -- with 24-hour reality-TV coverage of their recantations, lamentations and final visits with the soon-to-be widowed. The ratings would dwarf "American Idol," and the ad revenue alone would make the perfect down payment on the $700 billion.”

My reading of his article is that there is that is blame enough to share Congress, Alan Greenspan, Jimmy Carter, Wall Street, Fannie Mae, and yes, even ourselves. This is not Democrats-vs-Republicans. It is all of us in the same shit together, and only reinforces Ron Paul’s warnings and predictions. Gee, he seems to make so much sense now, doesn’t he?

Yup, we’re all pretty much screwed.

I say, hang ‘em high.

Tyler Nixon Website Updated

If you haven’t been to Tyler Nixon’s website recently, you should check it out HERE.

Tyler, an attorney, small business owner, public service activist and US Army combat veteran, is running for the House Representative District 4 seat.

Be sure to read his Issues/Agenda brief. He has clearly stated his plan for real change in the State of Delaware.

We attended his fundraiser last night at The Logan House in Trolley Square. A great time was had by all ! It was great to meet so many passionate and committed people. It was truly inspirational.

The donation page is HERE (hint). Look for announcements of future campaign activities both at this blog and on his website

Keeping It Classy

April, 2008:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that his party is unlikely to make Sen. John McCain's age an issue in the fall presidential election. The Arizona Republican will be 72 in August. "I doubt we will bring it up in the election," said Dean, dismissing the idea as a tactic Republicans might employ but Democrats never would. "There is somewhat of a higher ethical bar on what we do," Dean said. "We don't have any Lee Atwaters or Karl Roves on our side."

Fast forward to September, 2008:

Two liberal groups – one of them directed by a brother of the Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean – will begin running a graphic attack advertisement Thursday morning raising questions about Senator John McCain’s health. Showing vivid and unflattering images of the fresh scar that appeared on Senator McCain’s face immediately after his last operation for melanoma skin cancer eight years ago, the commercial ends with a screen headline that reads, “Why won’t John McCain release his medical records?” (Mr. McCain, 72, did invite a limited group of reporters to inspect more than 1,100 pages of his medical records in May, though he gave them only a three-hour window in which to review the documents.) The ad comes from the same two groups that recently released an advertisement questioning whether Mr. McCain’s time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam adversely affected his ability to lead. Brave New PAC is affiliated with California-based filmmaker Robert Greenwald, who runs several entities out of his “Brave New” office complex in Culver City; one of them, Brave New Foundation, a non-profit group that runs social issues campaigns, has as the chairman of its board Lawrence Lessig, a prominent Stanford Law School professor who has served as an informal adviser to Mr. Obama on technology policy issues.

Could it be because of this? Or this? No, the timing is off. It must have been in the works for awhile.

h/t Sister Toldjah

The Speech That George Bush Didn't Make

From scraps of paper found in the Oval Office trash can, here is a story about what we might have heard Bush say last night, but for some reason we didn’t:

By Scott Ott at ScrappleFace

(2008-09-24) — The foundation of the U.S. economy could crumble, President George Bush said today, if Congress fails to approve a U.S. Treasury plan to take over foundering financial firms, a proposal which the president called “a much-needed 21st-century civil rights act for stupid people.” “To sustain this shining city on a hill,” Mr. Bush said, “we need to rescue the ignorant, irresponsible folks — from Wall Street to Capitol Hill to Main Street — who got us to where we are today. We must guarantee that no American suffers the soft bigotry of being forced to live with the consequences of his bad decisions.” The president, in remarks to the news media clearly aimed at reluctant Republicans in Congress, said, “Our financial system rests on a foundation of huge banks, brokerage houses and quasi-governmental agencies that followed Washington’s lead by gambling on long-shot, poorly-collateralized investments. Now this glorious way of life is threatened, and we must act to preserve it.” “We need to guarantee that the structures, systems, people and products that got us to this point won’t be tossed on the ash heap of history,” said Mr. Bush. “If these giant companies fail, then America will be left with nothing but thousands of small to mid-sized financial firms that made prudent investment decisions during the past 15 years.” The president added that, “Americans value the liberty they have to buy homes they can’t afford, to invest in securities backed by nothing but hope, and to draw six- and seven-figure salaries based on the courage to risk taxpayer dollars on deals that even the dealmakers don’t understand.” “It is a moral imperative that we guard the civil rights of these idiots,” he said. “If we fail, then we face the specter of free market capitalism run amok, and millions of Americans will feel the painful lash of personal responsibility across their backs.”

DC Examiner Endorses McCain-Palin

Here’s why:

America is at war overseas and in an economic crisis here at home. Many of her citizens believe the country is on the wrong track. It is for times such as these that men like John McCain are made, to put country first so that it can be put right in its time of need. For this reason, The Examiner endorses McCain for president and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for vice president. Cut through the high-toned speeches and campaign cut and thrust, and the pre-eminent issues of 2008 become strikingly clear. First, the next president must have the hard-earned experience, unrelenting toughness and uncompromising character to wage and win the war against al Qaeda and other terrorists who seek the destruction of America. Second, he must have an unshakable commitment to restoring honest taxing and spending by government at all levels, the essential first step of which is ridding Washington of pork-barrel "earmarks," the gateway drug to budget deficits and political corruption. Most importantly, the next president must be an inspirational leader who can restore for future generations of Middle Americans the enduring virtues – nurturing the energy and innovation inspired by individual liberty, preserving the life-giving bonds of faith, family and fellow citizens, raising up a new generation of public servants who will speak the truth to the American people, appointing judges bound by the actual words of the Constitution, and, finally, never forgetting that, for all her faults, America remains for billions of people around the world the light of freedom, the shining city on a hill that must be defended and preserved. McCain's adult life has been devoted to this nation's service, including five excruciatingly painful years in a North Vietnamese prison cell in which he provided his countrymen a stirring example of honor lived. He came home, completed his Navy career with distinction, and was elected to Congress - where, as he delicately puts it, he has "never been elected Miss Congeniality." He has since been an unwavering voice for strong national defense – from support of President Ronald Reagan's bold leadership in winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union to his courageous, early advocacy of the successful U.S. military surge in Iraq. Domestically, McCain is unique in never seeking an earmark to benefit a family member, political ally back home, or financial contributor. As president, he will veto all earmarks and other pork barrel spending. He believes Americans know better than government how best to spend their hard-earned money, and he promises – in words that make many of his colleagues in Congress swallow very hard – to make famous those in government who waste or steal tax dollars. Ever the maverick, McCain selected Palin because her record mirrors his own in courageously standing up to corrupt special interests regardless of party and cutting government waste. She has the instincts, temperament and backbone to help restore the Republican Party to its conservative principles and the country as a whole to those foundational ideals of individual freedom, equal justice and government that truly is of law, not of men. Some friendly closing advice: McCain must rein in his legendary temper and his tendency to personalize differences over policy. Presidential leadership requires a steady hand, always, and McCain must lead from his head, not from his heart. He should surround himself with the best appointees available, then demand their candid advice, especially when it hurts. Palin possesses magnificent political gifts now, but her limited experience in national and international affairs makes it incumbent on her to be extra diligent in mastering the realities of higher office. While no candidate is perfect, presidents like Harry Truman remind us that defending and enriching America's place in a dangerous world often requires the sometimes rough-hewn character of men and women who always put country first, no matter the cost to them personally. It is precisely for times like these that America needs John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Ummm, This Isn’t Exactly Giving Me A Lot of Confidence

And they have PhDs in Economics for WHAT reason?:

In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy. "It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

h/t The Agitator

In Lieu of the Debates, I Suggest.......

Scary.

The Politics Test

You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (61% permissive) You are best described as a: Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Fundraiser for Tyler Nixon Tomorrow !

Fundraiser for Delaware House of Representative Candidates Tyler Nixon and James McClain

When: Thursday, September 25, 2008

Where: Kelly's Logan House, Trolley Square, Wilmington

Time: 6:00 - 9:00 PM

$25 per person

Come out and support "The Blogosphere's Candidate" !

Heh.

If this isn’t true, it should be:

Wildman rocker Ted Nugent has offered his services to Paul McCartney - as a bodyguard. Nugent has offered to head up the former Beatle's personal security detail when McCartney performs in Israel on Thursday. And, despite the fact the "Stranglehold" hitmaker is an avid hunter and McCartney an animal rights activist, he urges the Brit to take his offer seriously after learning of death threats from Muslim extremists if the ex-Beatle plays the concert to mark Israel's 60th birthday. Nugent tells WENN, "Regardless that Paul and I have our obvious social, cultural, and culinary differences outside of music, I will not bend or waiver to voodoo religious whackjobs and neither should Paul." The American rocker and National Rifle Association official insists his training with military specialists and various law enforcement agencies make him the perfect security expert for rock stars like McCartney. He adds, "It would be my pleasure to keep this legendary musical hero safe from terrorists and mad men, and then buy him a nice dinner of tofu. I'm Dirty Harry with a ponytail, and I'm at Paul's service."

Slick Willie Ready to Hustle Up The Florida Cracker Vote (Right After the Holidays)

From Ben Smith at Politico:

"In an interview with CNN's Larry King airing tonight, Bill Clinton offered a slightly unusual reason for postponing his campaigning for Obama: The Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which he's not known to observe. Clinton said: “You know, they think that because of who I am and where my politic[al] base has traditionally been, they may want me to go sort of hustle up what Lawton Chiles used to call the 'cracker vote' there."

Biden: Barbarians Are At The Gate – What We Need Are More Lawyers !

So says our Joe to a group of lawyers attending a fundraiser hosted by the American Association of Justice last night:

“There are two people -- you've heard me say it before -- two groups that stand between us and the barbarians at the gate," Biden said. "It's you and organized labor. That's it. That is it. So, mark my words, mark my words, if we lose this election, you are going to continue to see a continuation of the onslaught on everything we care about. For real. For real. So, I'm not only thanking you for your help. I would think you're all absolutely brain-dead if you didn't help. And I mean it."

The more lawyers, the merrier ! You’d just be plain brain dead not to believe that.

But what, exactly is it that lawyers “care about”? I'm almost afraid to ask.

h/t Political Punch via Ace

Happy National Punctuation Day !

Today is the fifth annual National Punctuation Day, which is “a celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotes, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis.”

Hooray !

I struggle with semicolons, and fight myself to not overuse ellipses. It is a constant battle.

One of the most humorous (but perhaps telling) incorrect use of the apostrophe was uncovered by The Angry Grammarian last week:

“….until recently, the McCain campaign was selling on its official website—no joke—pens that read, “STUDENT’S FOR MCCAIN.”

Just one student? Well, then again maybe it wasn’t a typo after all.

John McCain to New York Times: Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

NYT is obviously in the tank:

Today the New York Times launched its latest attack on this campaign in its capacity as an Obama advocacy organization. Let us be clear about what this story alleges: The New York Times charges that McCain-Palin 2008 campaign manager Rick Davis was paid by Freddie Mac until last month, contrary to previous reporting, as well as statements by this campaign and by Mr. Davis himself. In fact, the allegation is demonstrably false. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis separated from his consulting firm, Davis Manafort, in 2006. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis -- weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual -- since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006. Further, and missing from the Times' reporting, Mr. Davis has never -- never -- been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mr. Davis has not served as a registered lobbyist since 2005. Though these facts are a matter of public record, the New York Times, in what can only be explained as a willful disregard of the truth, failed to research this story or present any semblance of a fairminded treatment of the facts closely at hand. The paper did manage to report one interesting but irrelevant fact: Mr. Davis did participate in a roundtable discussion on the political scene with...Paul Begala. Again, let us be clear: The New York Times -- in the absence of any supporting evidence -- has insinuated some kind of impropriety on the part of Senator McCain and Rick Davis. But entirely missing from the story is any significant mention of Senator McCain's long advocacy for, and co-sponsorship of legislation to enact, stricter oversight and regulation of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- dating back to 2006. Please see the attached floor statement on this issue by Senator McCain from 2006. To the central point our campaign has made in the last 48 hours: The New York Times has never published a single investigative piece, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Obama campaign chief strategist David Axelrod, his consulting and lobbying clients, and Senator Obama. Likewise, the New York Times never published an investigative report, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson and Senator Obama, who appointed Johnson head of his VP search committee, until the writing was on the wall and Johnson was under fire following reports from actual news organizations that he had received preferential loans from predatory mortgage lender Countrywide. Therefore this "report" from the New York Times must be evaluated in the context of its intent and purpose. It is a partisan attack falsely labeled as objective news. And its most serious allegations are based entirely on the claims of anonymous sources, a familiar yet regretful tactic for the paper. We all understand that partisan attacks are part of the political process in this country. The debate that stems from these grand and sometimes unruly conversations is what makes this country so exceptional. Indeed, our nation has a long and proud tradition of news organizations that are ideological and partisan in nature, the Huffington Post and the New York Times being two such publications. We celebrate their contribution to the political fabric of America. But while the Huffington Post is utterly transparent, the New York Times obscures its true intentions -- to undermine the candidacy of John McCain and boost the candidacy of Barack Obama -- under the cloak of objective journalism. The New York Times is trying to fill an ideological niche. It is a business decision, and one made under economic duress, as the New York Times is a failing business. But the paper's reporting on Senator McCain, his campaign, and his staff should be clearly understood by the American people for what it is: a partisan assault aimed at promoting that paper’s preferred candidate, Barack Obama.

The Ultimate in Hubris

It seems as though Barack Obama is not waiting for Americans to vote, and is starting to mint his Presidential coins now:

"The coins show Senator Obama’s face, along with a picture of the White House and the legend “President of the United States of America”."

Not only that, they are not even American-made:

“In order to maintain the lustre and unique quality finish of our merchandise, products are hand-finished by expert craftsman right here in the UK."

The contract is worth 100,000 British pounds, and if Obama is elected, is expected to bring the small English company millions. Not my idea of belt-tightening in these tough economic times.

Ah, the audacity of hope.

Or is it a creepy cult?

h/t Hot Air

Joe Biden Rewrites History

In an interview with Katie Couric last night, Joe Biden remarked:

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'" As Reason's Jesse Walker footnotes it: "And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, 'Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?'"

Can you imagine if Sarah Palin had said this? C’mon now, just imagine ! Leftist libtards would be chomping at the bit !

h/t Instapundit

How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis

Kevin Hassett at Bloomberg has an interesting piece on the financial meltdown:

“The economic history books will describe this episode in simple and understandable terms: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exploded, and many bystanders were injured in the blast, some fatally.” .

There were signs of trouble in 2005:

““Back in 2005, Fannie and Freddie were, after years of dominating Washington, on the ropes. They were enmeshed in accounting scandals that led to turnover at the top.”

Again in 2005, Alan Greenspan tried to warn us:

““…in 2005 Alan Greenspan told Congress how urgent it was for it to act in the clearest possible terms: If Fannie and Freddie ``continue to grow, continue to have the low capital that they have, continue to engage in the dynamic hedging of their portfolios, which they need to do for interest rate risk aversion, they potentially create ever-growing potential systemic risk down the road,'' he said. ``We are placing the total financial system of the future at a substantial risk.'”

The Republicans in the Senate Banking Committee tried to pass legislation to reform the two government-sponsored entities, but to no avail:

““…But the bill didn't become law, for a simple reason: Democrats opposed it on a party-line vote in the committee, signaling that this would be a partisan issue. Republicans, tied in knots by the tight Democratic opposition, couldn't even get the Senate to vote on the matter. “That such a reckless political stand could have been taken by the Democrats was obscene even then. Wallison wrote at the time: ``It is a classic case of socializing the risk while privatizing the profit. The Democrats and the few Republicans who oppose portfolio limitations could not possibly do so if their constituents understood what they were doing.''”

But Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had their protectors:

““But we now know that many of the senators who protected Fannie and Freddie, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, have received mind-boggling levels of financial support from them over the years.””

So, nothing was ever done, and Fannie and Freddie went on their own free-wheeling ways.

I wonder how our world would be different now if John McCain’s reform legislation had been passed?

Issues Too Much For You? Viral Attacks are Where It's At

The wackiness of the ObamaManiacs keep coming out of the wordwork. The below is an example from DailyKos. Totally lifted from and major kudos to ACE .

Viral attacks are where it's at in 2008. Emails, blogs, online news sources. Content flows upstream in today's media environment. We can be the gun. Indeed, if Barack can't or won't do the dirty work, then we have to do it for him. No excuses. No more hand-wringing. Let's get to work. How, you ask? Simple. It's all about finding really damaging stuff--news stories, YouTubes, informative blog posts. And then circulating those with the intent of having them work their way up the media stream. Email it to your friends. Email it to any journalists whose email you have. Post it in diaries or blog comments. Example, here is a devastating YouTube on Sarah Strangelove: [The Palin smear video was inserted here] You should email this to ten people. Or ten bloggers. Or both. Spread it far, spread it wide. If you would like to do this on a regular basis, I've set up a couple of Google Groups to help out with that process. One group, [group's name] is a gathering point for potentially damaging stories about the enemy. Folks who belong to that one can post whatever stories they find anonymously. Just post a link or create a page, and others will take it from there. That brings me to the other group, [other group's name]. This group is the actual action group--the one where the most damaging stories collected by folks at the VMP. It's real simple. You log in or get an email alert, you copy and paste, and you email it to various folks--either friends and family or content-based websites like blogs and online news sources. I am more than happy to add folks to either group or both. Just email me at: [redacted e-mail] and let me know which you'd like to join. Let's go out and expose these bastards for what they are. To the barricades. Note: If you don't believe in scorched-earth politics, no one is forcing you to join this effort, of course. We all contribute in our own way.

Funny, even though I don't consider myself a stodgy old Republican, I'm not seeing the same tactics from them. The Dems want a mandate. Anything to win. Anything.

A sad commentary when hype and hysteria trumphs facts. Sad, sad, indeed.

Good Lawd-a-Mighty !

Double whammy today, and none of it is my fault ! EGAD !

I got two letters from the IRS today.

In 2004, my company switched from Merrill Lynch to John Hancock for our 401-K's. Just slide it on over, right? Well, the record of this transfer somehow ended up as a distribution, and I get this bill from the IRS saying I got all this money (what there is of it) and now owe taxes on it ! EGAD ! Freaking me out ! I heard this happen to others where I work and they got it all straightened out, but it is a huge hassle. They somehow recorded the transaction incorrectly, and now I'm whammied by the IRS.

On top of that, in 2006, my company double-reported my income. So, today, while I am taking a sick day from work, I get another letter saying I owe even more taxes ! This, too, I had heard that the Accounting Department somehow screwed up and the IRS thinks we all made twice as much as we did.

You should see the amounts of these friendly letters from the IRS ! Cripes it's more than I make in two years !

The Director of Accounting has since been fired, but holy cow it's enough to make me go ballistic !

So, I have a transfer of an IRA from one company to another reported as income, plus the double-reporting of income for 2006, so if all this was legit I would be heading for the poor house !!! I called the CIO (my boss), and he said no problem, it'll all be straightened out.

Yeah, meanwhile I am having a major heart attack.

I am stressed, big-time. I just didn't need this aggravation right now.

Shocker: No to Lo

In one of the smartest moves to date, the Obama campaign has said "Thanks, but no thanks" to Lindsay Lohan's offer for help:

Lohan ''is not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us," a top source on the Obama team told the paper.

Good move, Obama Team.

Oh, but Lohan's father feels dissed:

"For Barack Obama to condemn my daughter for past indiscretions when he admitted to the exact same himself is indicative of what kind of president he would be," Michael Lohan told Pop Tarts via e-mail on Wednesday night.

But wait .... I guess that means McCain now gets the wanna-be-lesbian-skank vote.

Hooray !

Guest Post from Jean Skibinski - USA Financial Status

We have two candidates for president using the mantra of ‘tax cuts’ to woo voters. By contrast we have a nation that is in horrendous national debt never before encountered in our history. The current fiscal year’s deficit prediction alone exceeds $400 billion, and it’s but a drop in the bucket.

Is it no longer American policy to face reality? Despite the mortgage crisis, loss of jobs to foreign countries, an ineffective and expensive health care system, and a serious trade imbalance, still the threat of national bankruptcy supercedes all other concerns. Our national assets are fast moving into the hands of the oil barons of the middle east and China. But how do our illustrious candidates react? With more tax cuts. Has common sense totally failed the citizenry of this once great nation? Can’t anyone see the handwriting on the wall?

We have been involved in an unnecessary war for six years, but have taxes been adjusted to cover the costs? No, instead Americans were instructed to go shopping. We are pouring billions into Iraq to rebuild their infrastructure, while ours deteriorates. Iraq’s oil windfalls accrue to their benefit, while we spend our dollars to rebuild their country. Is that logical? We even have a candidate who would not hesitate to go to war with Russia. Who pays for that?

Washington is a cesspool of corruption. Instead of legislators looking to the welfare and solvency of the United States, each one has his hand out to fund ridiculous projects in his own state, e.g., the bridge to nowhere. We cannot be all things to all people. We cannot be the savior of the world. Government service was never intended to provide special bonuses and exorbitant salaries. Just as families do in their own households, foregoing those things that they can’t afford, we need the same stance in Washington. And, if we are foolish enough to go into excessive debt, then we ultimately face bankruptcy. Expenditures must be balanced with income, a simple accounting rule

Corporations and Wall Street have demanded deregulation over the years, until there are no longer any rules that apply. They have demanded to operate as a free market, but when problems develop they go to the American taxpayer to bail them out.

If they demand to be independent, they should be required to provide for themselves. It’s not the citizen’s responsibility to pay for their mismanagement and corruption.

There is denial by the feds that we are in a recession. Yet, as I scan the financial pages of the Journal, I read that Lehman Brothers is in financial crisis, unemployment rates are going up each month, retail sales are slumping, commodity prices are escalating, and the automotive industry is slashing jobs. And this is just in one day’s publication!

Voters, face reality! In less than two months you will have to make a choice on the direction of this nation. The glowing tax cuts promised by both candidates are not going to save our country. It will take sacrifice on the part of all of us, but we must demand that these candidates also face reality and put their efforts into saving the solvency of the USA.

----Jean P. Skibinski

Pelosi BBF Rangel In the Tank With AIG

Oh, the irony !

Charles Rangel's monument to himself had some interesting contributors:

Last year, Rangel's office provided The Post with a list of some of the donations he had already helped secure for the project, which included $10 million from AIG; $500,000 from the Verizon Foundation; and $1 million from Eugene Isenberg, CEO of energy firm Nabors Industries.

In bed with the enemy? I'll get back to you on that.

h/t Ace

Son of Obama Supporter Gets in Palin’s Face: FBI Not Amused

Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama, 9-17-2008:

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face," he said.

It seems as though David Kernell, son of Tennessee Democratic state representative Mike Kernell was ahead of the curve:

The FBI is stepping up its investigation into the possibility that a University of Tennessee student hacked into the personal e-mail of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. A person who identified himself as a witness tells 10 News that agents with the FBI served a federal search warrant at the Fort Sanders residence of David Kernell early Sunday morning.

David Kernell, under the screen name “rubico 09” was on a mission. According to a thread at the infamous 4chan.org site:

I read though the emails… ALL OF THEM… before I posted, and what I concluded was anticlimactic, there was nothing there, nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped, all I saw was personal stuff, some clerical stuff from when she was governor…. And pictures of her family Earlier it was just some prank to me, I really wanted to get something incriminating which I was sure there would be, just like all of you anon out there that you think there was some missed opportunity of glory, well there WAS NOTHING, I read everything, every little blackberry confirmation… all the pictures, and there was nothing.

Perhaps the "glory" he was seeking was an anointment from the savior, a medal of honor, the ultimate “get in their face” tactic. These cowboy tactics are becoming the norm in the Democratic party, and Ace has more in a post titled:

Obama Connected PR Firm Uploads, Publicizes Lying Anti-Palin Ad on YouTube, Then Pushes it Virally as "Grassroots" Effort; PR Exec Sockpuppets Praise Video for "Getting the Truth Out;" Company Employee Uploads it to Obama Smear Clearinghouse Daily Kos and Urges Readers to Send it Out to Ten People Each

The mysteriously disappearing videos appear to be directly connected to the Obama campaign. These aren't 20-somethings looking for the evasive glory. These are the political heavyweights in the campaign. Ace is not one for grandstanding. He does his research, and documents the evidence.

How desperate is this campaign? Exactly how low will they go? I don’t think we’ve seen the end of it.

Leading Puerto Rican Democratic Activist Endorses McCain

From The Wall Street Journal:

In an interview Thursday, Miguel D. Lausell, a Puerto Rican businessman and longtime Democratic activist and fund-raiser, came out for Sen. McCain. While he said he doesn't agree with all the policy positions of the Republican candidate and his running mate, Sarah Palin, Mr. Lausell added: "I find McCain to be a sound person and a man with a track record. I know where he is coming from." Mr. Lausell said he feels Sen. Obama "doesn't really regard the Hispanic community as important."

And recently, New Hampshire Democratic legislator Doreen Howard also endorsed John McCain for the presidency, saying:

“John McCain and Sarah Palin are mavericks who have proven they can deliver real reform. As our nation faces challenges at home and abroad, Americans will benefit from their experience, judgment and strong leadership.”

And while we are left to wonder who exactly Bill Clinton is campaigning for, we must also wonder about those who remain silent, and what choice they will make when alone in that voting booth on election day.

Ahmadinejad to Obama: Let’s Get It On !

The FARK headline is just too precious:

Obama: "I'd be willing to meet with the President of Iran."

Ahmadinejad: "Let's do this."

Obama: "WHARRGARBL"

The story is here:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put Barack Obama on the spot Thursday, offering to debate with both U.S. presidential candidates when he arrives at the United Nations next week for its annual summit.

Er, ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, uh, "I'll let back to you that, Mahmoud."

Obamonopoly. Heh.

For those of you who are having a difficult time connecting the dots in the Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac-Obama-Raines conspiracy of ignorance and greed, Doug Ross has created a new game, “Obamonopoly: The hilarious game of legal theft in the name of fairness”, coming soon to a store near you.

For a preview, go here. You play the game by collecting “properties” such as “Clinton Court”, “Bubba Boulevard”, and “Zero Down Drive”.

It all seems so very simple now.

Americans are Willing to Sacrifice but Demand Trustworthy Leadership

The Concord Coalition is a non-partisan organization advocating responsible fiscal policy (and home to my favorite economist). This weekend, they will be releasing a new study which is a result of two years of research on Americans’ attitudes about the economy.

Their primary conclusion is that:

“…the main obstacle to building public support for the difficult choices we face is not public opposition to tax increases or program cuts, nor is it public lack of interest. The main obstacle is a deeply felt and pervasive mistrust of government.”

Further findings reveal that we as American citizens:

“……want leaders to provide an honest, straightforward assessment of the challenges facing the nation. They are increasingly suspicious of easy answers, and are more aware of when they are being pandered to; such tactics tend to reinforce mistrust. ….do not expect leaders to provide all the answers – but they do expect leaders to give people the chance to wrestle with the tough choices and take citizens’ viewpoints seriously. ….want to be challenged and play a role in problem solving; being asked to consider hard choices is not a poison pill.

It sounds to me that we are full of good old-fashioned common sense. If only our leaders had the same.

I encourage anyone interested in economic issues to visit The Concord Coalition website and look at the work they are doing. It is full of good information to help us understand how we got where we are, what is happening now, and how we can make our way out of it.

Palin Email Hacker Identified as Son of Dem Politician?

I need more facts before I can believe this. Too hyped for my taste.

If true, it is more sad than salacious.

I'm Sorry, I'm Just A Little Confused

Barack Obama, 2007:

“The one thing that I want to insist on is that, as I travel around the country, the American people are a decent people. Now they get confused sometimes. You know, they listen to the wrong talk radio shows or watch the wrong TV networks, um, but they’re, they’re basically decent, they’re basically sound.”"

Wow. No one told me I was listening to the wrong radio shows or watching the wrong networks. Does FX count as the wrong network? What about The Food Network? Tell me, please.

I must be shown The Way.

Rangel Basks, Economy Bombs

The House Committee on Ways and Means controls taxes. Any and all legislation regarding taxation must go through this committee.

You would think that the Chairman of such a powerful committee would have a grasp of taxes, finances, social security, and unemployment benefits. At least a passing knowledge that these things exist would be helpful on the chairman’s resume.

Apparently not.

Since January of 2007, Democrat Charles Rangel has chaired the Committee on Ways and Means. He has publicly admitted that he failed to disclose $75,000 in rental income on a property in the Dominican Republic. Other charges against him include misrepresenting property sales, illegally renting four rent-stabilized apartments, and using congressional stationery for a personal fund-raising project.

This guy is essentially the go-to man as far as the US Tax Code. Yet, he made what Nancy Pelosi called “inadvertent errors” in regard to his own personal finances. And there could be more:

He also may have to account for why he didn't properly disclose the sale of a Washington, DC, home in 2000, the various values he placed on his former Sunny Isles, Fla., condo, and the wild fluctuations he recorded for his personal investments.

And he:

“….now admits his own tax records are in such disarray, he's had to bring in a forensic accountant to find out just what he owes on items like unreported income on the building he and his wife once owned.”

Now, some say that calls for Rangel to step aside as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee is overkill. And admittedly, people can make “inadvertent errors” on their taxes. But while he is sunning himself, whether in the Dominican Republic or in Florida, he is still in charge of the tax code of the entire United States of America. If he can’t handle a property sale, how is he handling this committee?

Sloppily?

And that, my friends, is scary.

Pelosi is standing by her man, in no small part no doubt because:

“….the Democrats are caught between getting rid of a problem that could come up in debates versus not wanting to alienate black voters.”

Which sort of belies her promise in November of 2006 when she said:

“The Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.''

Uh, Nancy: Care to rephrase that?

Hackers Break Into Palin's Private E-mail

As reported by Libertarian Republican, with h/t The Peter Rost Blog:

"At around midnight last night the group gained access to governor Palin's email account "sarah.gov@yahoo.com" and handed over the contents to the government sunshine site Wikileaks.org. Governor Palin has come under media criticism in the past week for using pseudo-private email accounts to avoid Alaskan freedom of information laws."

They are even releasing personal family photos. How low can one go?

Tech blogger Dave Wilson comments:

"I wouldn’t wish this treatment on anyone. There is activism and then there is just down right improper behaviour. I’m not a fan of Palin but, I don’t think it was fair for this information to be posted."

I have a feeling this will backfire pretty fast.

With Friends Like These.......

Profile: Valerie Jarrett

Experience: Jarrett is the chief executive of Habitat Co., which developed and managed large housing projects in and around Chicago -- and in Obama's state legislative district -- that were subsidized by federal and state housing dollars, and which were ultimately seized by federal authorities for what were unlivable conditions. While overseeing the company that managed these housing facilities, Jarrett also worked with long-time Obama friend and convicted felon Tony Rezko in raising money for Obama's political career.

Current side-job: Senior Advisor to the Obama campaign, and “family friend”

Strengths: "She knows where are all the bodies have been buried in the past 30 or so years of Chicago politics and she knows all the tricks," says one longtime Democrat political consultant in Chicago. "If Obama had a political and financial godmother, it would be Valerie."

Weaknesses: Obama campaign advisers have sought to have Jarrett fully vetted by the campaign to prepare for opposition research from the McCain campaign, fearing that she may have deeper and longstanding ties to financial entities associated with the subprime mortgage scandal.

Profile: Penny Pritzker

Experience: See strengths.

Current job: Obama campaign finance chairman

Strengths: Hyatt Hotel fortune heiress (she’s real rich).

Weaknesses: She and her family were central to the innovation known as "Mortgage Backed Securities," which are now at the center of the financial crisis and real estate melt down. She was a former board member of the failed Superior Bank S&L that engaged in irresponsible subprime mortgage lending during the 1990s. At the time of this seizure, it was determined that Penny Pritzker and her family owed $460,000,000 to the Federal Government

Obama on Troop Withdrawal: Wait For Me !

I hesitated to write anything about this story when it first broke on Monday, as I was not entirely confident of the source. But time has passed, independent verification has occurred and more details are coming out by the hour.

New York Post reporter Amir Taheri posted the account at 4:02 AM Monday, 9/15/2008:

While campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

Can this possibly be true? Obama wants to delay any withdrawal agreement with Iraq? I thought he wanted us out of there as soon as possible. At least, that is what he has been promising. Or maybe he just meant, “Don’t negotiate with Bush. Let me do it.”

The Obama campaign’s national security spokesperson Wendy Morigi actually confirmed the story, saying that Obama told the Iraqis that “they should not rush through a "Strategic Framework Agreement" governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office.”

Um, that’s pretty much what Taheri said he said.

American Spectator explains the non-denial denial:

The three problems, according to campaign sources: The report was true, there were at least three other people in the room with Obama and Zebari to confirm the conversation, and there was concern that there were enough aggressive reporters based in Baghdad with the sources to confirm the conversation that to deny the comments would create a bigger problem.

The beleagured New York Post reporter, who today states that he has been “threatened with death and worse” by Obama’s “battalions of sympathizers”, updated his story today. You will have to read the entire article, but his conclusion is:

This confirms precisely what I suggested in my article: Obama preferred to have no agreement on US troop withdrawals until a new administration took office in Washington.

While some are calling for charges under the Logan Act, however NRO’s Peter Kirsanow advises against it. However, he does say that:

“…Obama's actions are of sufficient gravity that more formal, albeit still political, actions are indicated. At minimum, the Senate should consider investigating the allegations, not with an eye toward impeachment…or even censure, but to 1) verify the claims, 2) determine the extent to which U.S. interests may have been compromised, and 3) suggest appropriate remedial action.”

The McCain camp is approaching this with caution, saying only that:

“…If news reports are accurate, this is an egregious act of political interference by a presidential candidate seeking political advantage overseas….The charge that he sought to delay the withdrawal of Americans from Iraq raises serious questions about Senator Obama’s judgment and it demands an explanation.”

Is there more? Is this an egregious act, or simply an audacity-slip? If the latter, on what other matters is Obama working in the shadows on? As soon as I run down the tanning bed scandal, I’ll get back to you on this.

Even I have my priorities.

Who Said This?

Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac. The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform. For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay. I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation..

Answer: John McCain, May 25th, 2006.

Oh, and the former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines mentioned by John McCain? He stepped down four years ago amidst a $6.3 million accounting scandal within the organization. I wonder what he’s been up to lately?

Oh, I see. Advising the Obama campaign on mortgage and housing policy matters.

Glad to see you’re surrounding yourself with people of experience, Obama.

"In Montana, We Like Our Guns"

2nd Amendment may be wedge issue in Montana:

"In Montana, we like our guns. We like big guns. We like little guns. We like shotguns. We like pistols. Most of us own two or three guns. Gun control is hitting what you shoot at," the state's Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer told the New York Times in April. When asked why he thought the Democratic nominee would not win his state, he replied, "guns."

Uh, I think they like their guns.

Press Release from McCain Camp on So-Called "Troopergate" (with e-mail excerpts)

via Ace of Spades HQ (emphasis added):

Today, evidence was revealed that clearly demonstrates Governor Palin's decision to replace the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Walter Monegan was based entirely on his repeated refusal to execute her administration's policy on fiscal and budget matters. After months of swirling rumors and partisan politics, this evidence confirms what the Palin Administration has stated from Day One: the decision to replace Walt Monegan had nothing to do with concerns about the continued employment of state trooper Mike Wooten. Government emails made public today show a pattern, from late 2007 through the middle of 2008, of Mr. Monegan's refusal to comply with Administration policy. Despite repeated calls for budget discipline in the major state agencies, Mr. Monegan continued to press his own agenda without regard for either the formal budgeting process or the Governor’s clear policy priorities. Government staffers responsible for budget issues, and who had nothing to do with Mike Wooten, prevailed upon the governor to have Monegan replaced with someone who would not undermine the Palin administration’s budget goals. As detailed below, insubordination and disputes over budget priorities – not Michael Wooten's continued employment – led to Walt Monegan's dismissal. Mr. Monegan’s refusal to pursue Governor Palin’s policy objectives in the Department of Public Safety surfaced as early as October 2007, when DPS was involved in formulating a 10-year strategic plan. That planning process was intended to be closely integrated with other statewide planning and budgeting processes coordinated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). From the beginning, however, Mr. Monegan made clear that “[r]ather than plan to a budget, we want to budget to a plan.” Mr. Monegan seemed to acknowledge that his approach was at odds with the Governor’s budget priorities and protocol, but he continued to move forward with his efforts. In response, OMB Director Karen Rehfeld made very clear that the Governor “does not want to increase the budget/position count -- this is going to be a real balancing act.” Governor Palin viewed filling the existing vacancies in the Alaska State Troopers a higher priority than increasing the position count to create more vacancies. But Mr. Monegan refused to follow through. And, with that, the stage was set for an internal disagreement over budget priorities that would escalate throughout the next eight months. By early January 2008, Mr. Monegan’s vision for expanding the DPS and its operating budget came into more direct conflict with that of the Administration. Increasingly dissatisfied with the Administration’s budget priorities and the formal interdepartmental budgeting process, Mr. Monegan struck out on his own. On January 29, 2008, Randy Ruaro, then-special assistant to the Governor, reported to Ms. Rehfeld that Mr. Monegan was circumventing the normal interdepartmental channels for making budget requests. Ms. Rehfeld instructed Mr. Monegan to submit formal estimates to OMB. Sensing that his actions were at odds with Administration objectives, Mr. Monegan asked Ms. Rehfeld if he or DPS was causing "concern” to members of the Governor's office. Rehfeld responded, “yes,” and pointedly asked: “What can we reasonably do to tackle some of these very difficult issues and still maintain the budget discipline the governor is committed to?” Mr. Monegan instead struck out on his own. Despite the Administration’s repeated calls for budget discipline in the major state agencies, Mr. Monegan continued to press his own expansive agenda without regard for either the formal budgeting process or the Governor’s clear policy priorities. In February 2008, for example, Mr. Monegan publicly released a letter to the Governor supporting a $1.8 million increase in the state budget for the Anchorage Community Land Trust, a line item the Governor previously had vetoed – an act of public rebuke that is almost unbelievable coming from a political appointee. Ms. Rehfeld subsequently admonished Monegan for sending the letter, explaining that this type of public statement by a sitting cabinet member would likely frustrate the Administration’s efforts to achieve its budget objectives with the Legislature. As Ms. Rehfeld explained: “I expect we will see your letter appear as justification for funding to be included in the capital budget as the legislature makes changes to our budget, which is a bit awkward. Bottom line is, let’s talk about this rather than writing letters to the governor.” Nevertheless problems continued; in March 2008, Mr. Ruaro complained to Ms. Rehfeld that the Department of Public Safety refused to work out disputes internally before going public: “I have spoken to Walt, [DPS Deputy Commissioner] John Glass, and Audie [Holloway] about working through issues internally first several times. Mike Nizich has spoken with them, and COS [Tibbles] has spoken directly with . . . Commissioner [Monegan]. … They seem to just not want to accept that concept.” In other emails, Mr. Ruaro complains that Monegan acting unilaterally had been “the problem for the last 6 months” and that “I have told them 4-5 times to work with OMB first. Mike [Nizich] talked to them as well.” In June 2008, Mr. Ruaro reported that Mr. Monegan wanted to make a trip to Washington, D.C. to lobby the Alaska Congressional Delegation for funding for a new statewide sexual assault initiative run by his Department of Public Safety at an estimated cost of $10 million to $20 million dollars per year—even though it would only handle about thirty cases. Governor Palin, while supportive of the policy objectives, had previously made clear that she did not wish this proposal to move forward until DPS provided a detailed plan for the program's costs and funding streams. Problems with Mr. Monegan's planned trip to DC continued to arise. First, Mr. Monegan had still not received OMB's approval to pursue his plan. Second, Governor Palin's office in Washington, D.C. was concerned about the lack of "internal agreement" over Mr. Monegan's proposal. By July 2008, these twin problems had become synonymous with Mr. Monegan’s work at the Department. Yet Mr. Monegan persisted in planning to make the unauthorized lobbying trip to D.C. as late as July 7, 2008, and it was this which proved to be the last straw. On July 11, 2008, following eight months of insubordination on the budget issue and hard on the heels of his planned unauthorized trip to Washington, Mr. Monegan was terminated. At the end of the day, even Mr. Monegan himself recognized that his rogue mentality ultimately prevented him from fully integrating into the Governor’s cabinet. In a farewell email following his dismissal, Monegan encouraged his colleagues to pursue more productive behaviors in their continued service of Alaska and the Governor: “All relationships are based upon communications; I have known and said this for years, yet I stood back because I hadn't wanted to add to her concerns. For anyone to lead effectively they must have the support of their team, and I had waited too long outside her door for her to believe that I supported her. Please, choose a different path.” As a political appointee, Mr. Monegan served at the pleasure of the Governor and was duty-bound to execute the Governor’s policy objectives. After eight months of repeatedly ignoring the Governor’s budget priorities, making public statements that directly challenged the Governor’s policy agenda and taking numerous unilateral actions in conflict with the Governor in support of his own policy agenda, his replacement in July 2008 should have come as no surprise and cannot now seriously be questioned.

What You've Been Waiting For: The Sarah Palin Sex Tape

As RightPundits says, it was bound to happen:




So, if there are any NutRoots in the Atlanta area looking for work, here's you're opportunity.

Libertarian Candidate Jan MacKay Says: Don’t Send Me Money !

Jan MacKay, Libertarian candidate for State Senate, District 15, Wake County North Carolina says:

I'm actually all set. Thanks to everyone I was able to pay the filing fee, and with the money left over I paid for LP membership. I think I will have enough money left to make a few t-shirts and some other things. No more money contributions needed, but thanks so very much. I know I won't be able to afford any commercials or signs so I'm taking advantage of free press and forums and telling everyone that if they want to help to please spread the word to their neighbors. I have a few speaking engagements coming up and will be working on getting more. Today I was backstage of the auditorium during Kids Voting at a Raleigh museum with a lot of the top political candidates in NC such as Elizabeth Dole (who used so much hairspray we now know how she was able to keep her hair so nice in the Raleigh parade when she rode lidless), Bev Purdue, Pat McRory, candidates for US House, and candidates for the legislature. I told Elizabeth Dole about my getting the ticket on the same weekend when she rode lidless. In my speech, I said the reason I am running for state senate is because I cannot sit idly by and watch the government take any more rights and liberties while taking more power and taxes for the government.....and ended the speech with "vote for me and we will take back our government!". It went very well. When it was my turn, instead of staying in my seat I stood up, grabbed the cordless microphone which was better amplified and went over to where all the main speakers stood earlier. Even if I don't get elected, when I go visit the legislature next year a lot more people will know me. I told several of them that if they are elected or re-elected, and I am not, I will be coming by to visit with them. I also got another candidate, Paul Terrell GOP 33 East Raleigh, (running against Dan Blue long-term incumbent DEM) to vow for helmet repeal if he's elected. I got one of the kids who is a grapevine leader of the kids, and will be of voting age in November, to pass the word to other kids his age to vote for me.

And her campaign website wonders, “The annual salary for NC state senator and NC state house representative is only $20,659. Why would a Senator spend tens of thousands to campaign for this low-paying job?”

Why, indeed?

Jan MacKay eschews politicking as usual and is going straight to the people of her District, even ones not old enough to vote yet ! Here is an someone who cares about the future of her State and her country. Here is someone who sticks her nose up at the good-old-boys-and-girls network and will work hard based solely on her conscience and her heart.

The citizens of Wake County have an awesome opportunity here. But whatever the results of the election, you can be sure that Jan MacKay is not going away.

A Biker’s View on Voting

Bruce Arnold at LongDistanceRider admonishes that you should not “call yourself a Freedom Fighter unless you actually get out and vote”:

The November elections are only a few weeks away. Soon we will finally get a merciful reprieve from the disappointing back-and-forth "lipstick politics" polluting our myopic media, and at long last we will know whether the mess We the People made by voting for Dubya twice will be inherited by "Oblabla and the Mouth" or "McSame and the Milf". And before you vote, I encourage you to get familiar with the real, substantive issues--not just what the cable TV talking heads are blathering about--and the political candidates' positions on those issues. Do not assume that all Democrats are liberals or anti-biker, or that all Republicans are conservatives or biker-friendly. It was, after all... ...A DEMOCRAT (U.S. Congressman Rob Andrews, NJ) who allied himself with ABATE of the Garden State in this year's noble if unsuccessful attempt to unseat Frank Lautenberg, saying "I fully support the effort to preserve the rights of the motorcycle community by opposing unnecessary federal laws that seek to constrain the liberty of riders."; and it was ...A REPUBLICAN (State Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera, FL) who solicited the aid of ABATE of Florida's president and paid lobbyist James "Doc" Reichenbach II in sponsoring HB-137, legislation authorizing the seizure of motorcycles, threatening us with "They'll lose their bike... Their motorcycle license will be revoked for 10 years, and it's a mandatory arrest so they will go to jail."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Markets In The Tank: Here's Why

Investors Business Daily has the scoop on the real reason for the market freefall. This didn’t happen overnight:

Barack Obama and Democrats blame the historic financial turmoil on the market. But if it's dysfunctional, Democrats during the Clinton years are a prime reason for it. And it was the Clinton administration that mismanaged the quasi-governmental agencies that over the decades have come to manage the real estate market in America.

And The Heritage Foundation concurs:

"When President Bill Clinton took office, Fannie and Freddie were viewed as “key” to Clinton’s plans to expand home ownership. The Washington Post reports: “The result was a period of unrestrained growth for the companies. … The companies increasingly were seen as the engine of the housing boom.” As the companies grew, conservatives repeatedly warned that their size posed a systemic risk to the financial system. As Sarah Palin put it, thanks to the implicit federal guarantee of their debt, Fannie and Freddie had become too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. But Fannie and Freddie pushed back hard, turning to friends on the left for protection. Former Walter Mondale and Barack Obama campaign adviser James Johnson led a fierce lobbying campaign to fight reform of Freddie and Fannie. Clinton administration OMB director Franklin Raines told investors when he was Fannie Mae CEO in 1999: “We manage our political risk with the same intensity that we manage our credit and interest rate risks.” Fannie and Freddie’s lobbying power over the left continues to be strong to this day. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the top three recipients of campaign donations from Freddie and Fannie’s PACs and employees are all Democrats. From 1989 through today, Sen. Chris Dodd received $165,400, Barack Obama $126,349, and John Kerry $111,000. The Washington Post concludes: “Blessed with the advantages of a government agency and a private company at the same time, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used their windfall profits to co-opt the politicians who were supposed to control them.”

Palin and the Media

You have to admit, these good old boys rock:

Bipartisanship in the Senate: Who's Got the Record?

Legislative records reveal that John McCain is much more of a bi-partisan leader than Barack Obama. In the last two Congresses, McCain has reached across the aisle to work with the Democrats on difficult issues such as campaign finance and global warming.

The Washington Times reports that since 2005 McCain was the lead sponsor of 82 bills, where 55% of his co-signors were Democrats. In contrast, Obama sponsored 120 bills, where his average Republican co-sponsorship was only 13%, and most of these were on such hard-hitting and inflammatory subjects such as issuing a postage stamp in honor of Rosa Parks. Guess that took a lot of arm-twisting and hard-nosed negotiation, eh?

If we are to get this country to work again, we have to consult and compromise on the issues.

John McCain is only one with the record in this regard.

Please, Just Spare Me This

Whatever may happen in this year's Presidential race, all I ask is to spare me this. I just don't think I could take it:

Biden’s Foreign and Domestic Policies: Slumber Parties !

From CBS News:

"When telling the story of how his granddaughters had a slumber party with Barack Obama’s daughters during the week of the Democratic National Convention, Biden equated it to what he says Americans want. “I believe that's a metaphor, a metaphor for what the country is looking for. They're looking for a sleepover with people they like!”

The country is looking for a sleepover with people they like? Kinky. One big cosmic love-in with a little kumbaya and some s’mores and everything will be hunky-dory.

But, then again, a slumber party doesn't have all the nuances of the Bush doctrine. Maybe it will be easier for everyone to understand.

The Speechmaker and the Politican

Gerard Baker of the UK Times tells us why we should have grave doubts about Obama:

The essential problem coming to light is a profound disconnect between the Barack Obama of the candidate's speeches, and the Barack Obama who has actually been in politics for the past decade or so. Speechmaker Obama has built his campaign on the promise of reform, the need to change the culture of American political life, to take on the special interests that undermine government's effectiveness and erode trust in the system itself, Politician Obama rose through a Chicago machine that is notoriously the most corrupt in the country. As David Freddoso writes in a brilliantly cogent and measured book, The Case Against Barack Obama, the angel of deliverance from the old politics functioned like an old-time Democratic pol in Illinois. He refused repeatedly to side with those lonely voices that sought to challenge the old corrupt ways of the ruling party. Speechmaker Obama talks about an era of bipartisanship, He speaks powerfully about the destructive politics of red and blue states. Politician Obama has toed his party's line more reliably than almost any other Democrat in US politics. He has a near-perfect record of voting with his side. He has the most solidly left-wing voting history in the Senate. His one act of bipartisanship, a transparency bill co-sponsored with a Republican senator, was backed by everybody on both sides of the aisle. He has never challenged his party's line on any issue of substance. Speechmaker Obama talks a lot about finding ways to move beyond the bloody battlegrounds of the “culture wars” in America; the urgent need to establish consensus on the emotive issue of abortion. Politician Obama's support for abortion rights is the most extreme of any Democratic senator. In the Illinois legislature he refused to join Democrats and Republicans in supporting a Bill that would require doctors to provide medical care for babies who survived abortions. No one in the Senate - not the arch feminist Hillary Clinton nor the superliberal Edward Kennedy - opposed this same humane measure.

Read the entire article HERE.

Calling Doctor Freud ! John Roberts Comes Out of the Closet

Mona Charen at NRO caught it:

John Roberts interviewing Paul Begala on CNN just now slipped and said "we" when asking how Democrats should respond to Republican attacks.

CNN's John Roberts? The one who declared a “Wright-Free Zone” for an Obama interview? The one who called Sarah Palin too young and inexperienced and asked if she might neglect her disabled infant? The one who is on a first-name basis with Democrat Congressman Emanuel?

So, who is this “we” he is referring to?

Ace ponders:

"Two possibilities: 1) John Roberts is asking what he, as a Democrat, must do to win. 2) John Roberts is actually just soliciting the media's marching orders from the DNC right on television now, without the discretion and pretense of doing it via email or at a bar. Most likely possibility? Both, of course.

CNN News. No Bull, indeed.

Oh, Baby to Have a Government Job !

I want to work for the Minerals Management Service (MMS). Hopefully, some positions may be opening up soon, especially in the RIK (Royalty In Kind) department.

Excerpts from a 9/9/2008 OIG Memorandum to MMS Secretary Kempthorne, “OIG Investigations of MMS Employees”:

“….one e-mail from Shell Pipeline Company representative to RIK employee Crystal Elder, regarding attending ‘tailgating festivities’ at a Houston Texans game stated, ‘You’re invited … have you and the girls meet at my place at 6am for bubble baths and final prep. Just kidding.”

Oh, but the employees in the RIK Program insisted that they were merely “developing business relationships”.

“The Shell Pipeline Company representative’s previous e-mail inviting people to the event was laden with sexual innuendo such as ‘We’ve always provided the patrons with beer on demand, but the ever-depleting supplies have dwindled beer storage to dangerously low volumes on occasion … Although it’s a given that the horsemen will indeed ‘bring the meat to the table’.”

...and there is even more fun. At least these are industry dollars, not the taxpayers':

"“During the course of our investigation, we learned that some RIK employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relations with oil and gas company representatives.”

MMS employee Stacy Leyshon “also told investigators she had intimate relationships with two oil company representatives”, and admintted to a ‘one night stand’ with an employee of Shell Oil. Ms. Leyshon also owned a sex-toy business as a side job and “bragged that she made more money with this business than her salary at MMS”.

The gifts ! The golf and ski outings ! The parties ! Drugs, sex and rock and roll ! It’s all here in that presumably staid little department of geeks and scientists and (gasp!) middle-level marketing types with job titles like “Revenue Specialist”.

Who knew gooberment work could be such fun?

Palin Too Smart For Gibson - Next?

I wonder what ABC’s version of “The Bush Doctrine” is? It seems as though there are many interpretations, and if you ask three different people you will get three different answers.

Ace has it:

A common misconception is that the Bush Doctrine states that America has the right to preventively attack any country that it believes in the future will be a threat to America, as Charlie Gibson seems to believe. This is simply not true. Rather it is part of the Bush Doctrine. The Bush Doctrine, which was laid out largely in the National Security Strategy of the United States in 2002 ( http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/national/nss-020920.htm) has many less controversial aspects to it including that any nation harboring terrorists should be treated as a terrorist state, and that the United States should remain the sole superpower in the world. So, therefore, when Palin said that the Bush doctrine was Bush's world view, one can argue she was techincally correct, in that the Bush doctrine is a collection of Bush's policies. Gibson, however, is undoubtably wrong. Even the top of the wikipedia article has got it right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Doctrine. If Charlie Gibson wants to turn an interview into a quiz, he should at least have a correct answer key.."

And National Review has more:

Gibson homed in on preemptive attacks — in the tone of "Oh, you didn't know the Bush Doctrine was all about the right to attack preemptively." I would dispute the premise that the Bush Doctrine is necessarily about preemptive attacks. The right of preemptive attack is an element of the right of self-defense, which is a natural right of states and was a bedrock of international law before there ever was a Bush Doctrine. News Flash for you Democrats and media types out there: About 40 years before there was a Bush Doctrine, JFK was relying on the self-defense right of preemptive attack during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Bush Doctrine, technically, is not asserting a right of preemptive attack. It is saying that if Country A facilitates terror, it is responsible for that terrorist organization's strikes, and therefore we can attack Country A. That is not preemptive; it is retributive. It was utterly reasonable for Gov. Palin to press Charlie Gibson on what Gibson meant by the Bush Doctrine. Everyone does not mean the same thing by the term, there is lots of good faith argument about what it means, and — because the administration itself has only half-heartedly adhered to it — there is also the confusion between theory and practice..

Good on ya, Ms. Palin for not falling into the sound-byte trap. It was there waiting for you, yawning with its jagged jaws and you didn’t fall for it, instead demanding that your interviewer at least know as much as you do.

What Song Do You Want Played At Your Funeral?

I was asked this question recently. This song immediately came to mind.



Have the time of your life, brothers and sisters. That's all that matters.

Palin Scandal of the Hour Debunked

Without a shred of proof, the illustrious DemocraticUnderground as well as that time-honored institution the National Enquirer have been pushing rumors that Palin’s son Track was involved in a school vandalism incident in 2005, including breaking mirrors and deflating tires.

While this does not carry the juiciness of a full-fledged sex scandal, the NutRoots are grasping at straws and here is yet another one that has slipped out of their hands.

One of the actual participants in this shocking incident was one Deryck Harris:

Track wasn't with me. Track had nothing to do with it," participant Deryck Harris, 20, said Wednesday in an exclusive interview. "I was friends with him. We hung out. But he wasn't there," Harris said, describing the incident as a senior prank gone awry. "It was my high school mistake. It was a really bad choice. I've paid my restitution."

And the rumors that Track was forced to join the Army?

“I talked to him before he joined, and he was trying to decide between the Marines and the Army. It was totally his decision," Harris, who now lives in Anchorage, said.

What is even more revealing about the desperation the Nutroots are feeling is found in this comment by “KzooDem” on DemocraticUnderground:

In case you can't read it, "KzooDem" says:

"But it's pure and simple.

What part of THIS WOMAN MUST BE STOPPED AT ANY COST don't YOU understand.?

If we have to publicly humiliate her family to save the country, so be it, it IS that important...you DO understand that, right?"

You know, I wouldn't even care if the rumors were true. This is just silly and shows again that some (certainly not all, just a radical fringe) can't find an actual issue to deal with. They are out there. Why not read and try to understand a little bit instead of harping on childish, meaningless, crap?

After all, this isn't American Idol.

Is it?

Meet Obama's Chief Campaign Strategist

David Axelrod:

From the same River North address, Axelrod operates a second business, ASK Public Strategies, that discreetly plots strategy and advertising campaigns for corporate clients to tilt public opinion their way. He and his partners consider virtually everything about ASK to be top secret, from its client roster and revenue to even the number of its employees. But customers and public records confirm that it has quarterbacked campaigns for the Chicago Children's Museum, ComEd, Cablevision, and AT&T. ASK's predilection for operating in the shadows shows up in its work. On behalf of ComEd and Comcast, the firm helped set up front organizations that were listed as sponsors of public-issue ads. Industry insiders call such practices "Astroturfing," a reference to manufacturing grassroots support.

Operating in the shadows? Not much hope. Campaigning for ComEd? Not much change.

Picture of the Day

Look for the little red dot:

Desperate Dems in Montana

I’ve never been to Montana, but I have some friends there. It seems as though the Democratic leadership in the Gold and Silver State don’t trust the voters to decide the elections. They need to push things along just a bit.

In a July speech, ironically made before the American Association for Justice, Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer said that he:

"“…designed a plan to threaten poll watchers on Indian reservations, personally applied pressure to the elections officer in Butte/Silver Bow while votes were being tabulated and manipulated the media for purposes of diminishing a call for a recount.

As to how to handle known Republican poll watchers, he suggested intimidation:

"Then they said to them, 'People matching your description have been reported as having stolen a pickup about 30 miles (away). We only have one jail here and we don't have a phone here, and we've already got 11 people in the jail. Sometimes it takes two or three days to work these things out. So you either come with us in the back seat of our car or you can both get in the front seat of your car and we'll lead you off the reservation, and if we never see you again, you won't go to jail.' We didn't lose one single vote there."

Schweitzer has apologized for his remarks, saying that he was just “joking around” and “making it colorful”. Somewhat disconcerting to be so flippant with the democratic process, isn’t it?

Election Day shenanigans are nothing new, but this kind of “joking around” isn’t funny, and is an insult to voters of every stripe in every state. I hope that a full investigation occurs.

(LINK)

Biden Speaks

On Barack Obama:

Assessing Obama’s Iraq plan on September 13, 2007: “My impression is [Obama] thinks that if we leave, somehow the Iraqis are going to have an epiphany” of peaceful coexistence among warring sects. “I’ve seen zero evidence of that.”

Also from that Observer interview: “But — and the ‘but’ was clearly inevitable — he doubts whether American voters are going to elect ‘a one-term, a guy who has served for four years in the Senate,’ and added: ‘I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.’”

Biden in an interview with the Huffington Post, he assessed Obama and Hillary Clinton: “The more people learn about them (Obama and Hillary) and how they handle the pressure, the more their support will evaporate.”

December 11, 2007 campaign ad: “When this campaign is over, political slogans like ‘experience’ and ‘change’ will mean absolutely nothing. The next president has to act.”

September 26, 2007: Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro said, “Sen. Obama said he would do everything possible to end the war in Iraq and emphasized the need for a political solution yet he failed to show up to vote for Sen. Biden’s critical amendment to provide a political solution in Iraq.

On John McCain:

On a post-debate appearance on MSNBC, October 30, 2007: “The only guy on the other side who’s qualified is John McCain.”

On Meet the Press, November 27, 2005: “I’ve been calling for more troops for over two years, along with John McCain and others subsequent to my saying that.”

h/t Jim Geraghty

Obama is Jesus, Palin is Pontius Pilate

Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) used his one minute of fame on the floor of the House of Representatives to say:

I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, um, that the parties have differences, but if you want Change, but if you want change, you want the Democratic party, uh, Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus who our, uh, minister prayed about, uh, Pontius Pilate was a governor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Will the Audacity of Hype never end?

Strategy Advice for the Republican National Committee

Here’s two pieces of advice, and if you are as smart as my significant other you will be well-advised to heed what I say.

The Lipstick/Pig Thing – Let it go. There is no sense in heaving self-righteous harrumphs. It makes you seem silly, and is more in tune with the left-wing-nutroots-handwringing over perceived slights. The best thing to do here is, with a wink and a smirk, and a look of ”There he goes again”, keep on track with the issues. Nobody but political addicts care about this stuff. Rise above it, and go on.

Sarah Palin Needs Some New Material – Over the past few days, she has essentially been giving the same speech with the same oft-quoted lines. Let her go. The nutroots are salivating in near orgasmic anticipation for her moment to crash and burn. Let it happen, then move on.

That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.

The Truth on the Bridge to Nowhere

From WSJ:

Mrs. Palin used her veto pen to slash more local projects than any other governor in the state's history. She cut nearly 10% of Alaska's budget this year, saving state residents $268 million. This included vetoing a $30,000 van for Campfire USA and $200,000 for a tennis court irrigation system. She succinctly justified these cuts by saying they were "not a state responsibility." Meanwhile in Washington, Mr. Obama voted for numerous wasteful earmarks last year, including: $12 million for bicycle paths, $450,000 for the International Peace Museum, $500,000 for a baseball stadium and $392,000 for a visitor's center in Louisiana. Mrs. Palin cut Alaska's federal earmark requests in half last year, one of the strongest moves against earmarks by any governor. It took real leadership to buck Alaska's decades-long earmark addiction. Mr. Obama delivered over $100 million in earmarks to Illinois last year and has requested nearly a billion dollars in pet projects since 2005. His running mate, Joe Biden, is still indulging in earmarks, securing over $90 million worth this year. Mrs. Palin also killed the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in her own state. Yes, she once supported the project: But after witnessing the problems created by earmarks for her state and for the nation's budget, she did what others like me have done: She changed her position and saved taxpayers millions. Even the Alaska Democratic Party credits her with killing the bridge. When the Senate had its chance to stop the Bridge to Nowhere and transfer the money to Katrina rebuilding, Messrs. Obama and Biden voted for the $223 million earmark, siding with the old boys' club in the Senate. And to date, they still have not publicly renounced their support for the infamous earmark. Mrs. Palin has proven courageous by taking on big spenders in her own party. In March of this year, the Anchorage Daily News reported that, "Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is aggravated about what he sees as Gov. Sarah Palin's antagonism toward the earmarks he uses to steer federal money to the state."

DNC Disses National Motorcycle Rights Group – RNC Responsive

From a Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) news release, September 9th, 2008:

Regrettably, despite many attempts by us, our efforts to meet and establish a relationship with the Democratic National Committee have not been successful. We have shifted gears and have been in touch with several influential Democratic operatives. Hopefully, they can help us set-up a meeting with Senator Obama’s campaign staff in Chicago. We would like to meet with senior strategist David Axelrod. We will issue a statement should that take place.

Yet:

The MRF has established a good relationship with the Republican National Committee. We have been in contact with Senator McCain’s campaign staff and have begun a dialog with them.

Perhaps this is part of the reason why there is a Bikers for McCain group? To join Bikers for McCain-Palin 2008, click here.

Who Am I ?

I am under 45 years old,

I love the outdoors,

I hunt,

I am a Republican reformer,

I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,

I have many children,

I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.

Have you ever heard of me before now?

I am Teddy Roosevelt.

h/t Atlas Shrugs

Fraternal Order of Police Endorses McCain

The Fraternal Order of Police, with more than 327,000 members, has officially endorsed John McCain for President.

"The FOP carefully considered the records and the responses of both candidates and, in our evaluation, Senator McCain will provide greater leadership for our country and for our nation's law enforcement officers," Canterbury said. "We will be proud to stand behind him this November, and to stand with him for the next four years."

Biden Fails to File Timely Expense Reports – Over Three Months Late !

Biden Fails to File Timely Expense Reports – Over Three Months Late !

Joe Biden is not just the Number Two man on the Democratic ticket, he is also Number Two in the entire Senate as being most delinquent in filing his disclosure forms for privately-funded trips.

Members of the House and Senate are required to file disclosure forms within thirty (30) days after their return. As seen by the chart below, not everyone adheres to the thirty-day rule, and Joe Biden is the Number Two offender between 2005 and 2007:

Rank	Member of Congress	Avg Days Late	Number of Trips
2	Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del)	122	18

Not a big deal? Perhaps not. But it tells me something about how well his staff is organized and how seriously the requirement is taken. This is typical of most entrenched government staffs: since they know there are no consequences, they simply ignore the rules.

Would this be allowed in your organization? I think not. What’s good for the government is not good enough for the private sector, and only the sloppiest and the laziest take the most advantage of it.

Source: OpenSecrets

The Latest Non-Scandal: Palin Billed the State For Expenses She Was Allowed to Bill For (and Neglected to Bill for Others She Was Entitled To)

Keep trying, folks. You may find something yet. This just ain’t it.

What the report reveals, (if you can read it) via The Volokh Conspiracy is:

a) billed the state for most expenses allowed by law, including per diem when she stayed in her own home (her "duty station" was the state capitol of Juneau) in Wasilla (b) didn't bill the state for other expenses, when she could have done so lawfully, such as per diems for her children; and (c) spent a lot less money on expenses than did her predecessor, especially on travel and by ridding herself of the state's personal chef. [FWIW, she apparently maintained two residences, the governor's mansion in Juneau, which by state law is her official work "base" and where assumedly she didn't get a per diem (but where her predecessor had a personal chef whom she let go), and Wasilla, from where she commuted to Anchorage for work when the legislature wasn't in session. Saintly to take the per diem she was legally entitled to when in the second residence? No. Worthy of the lead headline on Washingtonpost.com? Please! Not illegal, not unethical, and not a scandal.]

Obama Supporters Vandalizing Palin's Wikipedia Entry

Courtesy of Delmarva Dealings:

According to Blog PI and Instapundit, Obama supporters appear to be vandalizing GOP V.P. nominee Sarah Palin’s entry on Wikipedia.

Quite an interesting read, tracking down the source and his possible motives.

Keepin' it classy, folks.

Ted Nugent Says: "Sarah Is My Girl"

Excerpt from Ted Nugent’s column in Human Events:

Gov. Palin is a true outsider, a real maverick. She lacks Washington, D.C. political experience. That’s good. No, that’s excellent. It is her lack of D.C. political experience that is the refreshing outsider change America so desperately needs and wants. Palin made it clear that she is like the rest of us, noting how Fedzilla is bloated, broken, ineffective, and wasteful. Our professional politicians no longer work for us, but instead represent K Street bandit lobbyists. These scoundrels deserve our scorn, anger and contempt, and, quite honestly, a big, old pink slip, and Sarah appears to be the tough leader we seek to get the job done. The level of disgust and distrust across America is appalling and, I believe, unprecedented. A recent poll indicated the Nancy Pelosi-led Congress’ approval rating is at an abysmal record low of nine percent. That it is even that high shows how clueless and disconnected the lunatic fringe is. America needs more outsiders in Washington, D.C. now more than ever. We need more tough, standup hockey moms like Governor Sarah Palin. We need more ordinary Americans to springboard from small city councils to the halls of congress and beyond. We need welders, cops, teachers, ditch diggers, business people, construction workers, secretaries, auto mechanics, and guitar slingers to come to Washington, D.C. and replant the good old "We the People" tree. Americans need to replace the professional politicians who have rigged and ruined the system to exclude ordinary citizens from participating in this experiment in self-government. My advice is to get angry and vote them all out. The professional punk politicians are the problem, not the solution.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Rally for the Republic - Offsite at the RNC

Uh, Joe, We Said to Keep It Short and Simple

We get this report on native son Joe Biden’s appearance at a recent town hall meeting in Florida from Political Punch:

At a town hall meeting at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del, ignored pleas from his staff to wrap up, and riffed for an hour and 15 minutes.

The evening was full of Biden-isms, including the inevitable Obama/Osama slip, made when Biden was discussing the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border "where Obama, Osama Bin Laden lives, and Obama wants to go to get him."

Get your rest, Joe.

h/t Poor and Stupid

Why Harvey Is Giggling Uncontrollably

Poster “Harvey” at IMAO explains why he just loves the Palin choice:

"Because (from a recent MorOn.Org email) it makes Democrats say things like this:

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

Let's do some subtle re-writing so that you can see why this makes me giggle so:

I think he's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for an African-American in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other African-Americans who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on the Democratic Party's part - and insulting to African-Americans everywhere that they would assume they'll get our vote by putting "An African-American" in that position."

Personal Views and Government Intervention: The Palin Philosophy

There is no doubt that Sarah Palin holds socially conservative views. But how do her private views affect her mode of governing?

In September of 2006, she was presented with a bill that would prohibit the state from granting employee benefits such as health insurance to same-sex couples.

She vetoed it on the basis that it was unconstitutional:

"Signing this bill would be in direct violation of my oath of office."

In her campaign for the Governorship, she supported the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in public schools, but also made a pledge not to push it:

“I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."

And while she personally supports abstinence-only sex education, it does not appear to be a driving issue in her administration:

“…she hasn't been a particularly disruptive advocate of Alaska's sex-ed programs, which says something (a very little something) about her lack of enthusiasm for abstinence-only programs.”

Palin appears to have a “hands-off” approach to mixing government and social issues. Her personal beliefs are not mandates, and her governorship was not a stage for promoting them. That is how it should be.

I can live with that.

Another Wacko Distortion: The "Slashing" of the Budget for Teen Pregnancy Programs

Much wailing has occurred with headlines such as “Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms”.

As usual, such hyperbole generates from those who cannot read a balance sheet. Here are the facts.

Covenant House Alaska requested $5.0 million from the state of Alaska. Governor Palin reduced this amount to $3.9 million.

Heartless? Let’s look at the Covenant House balance sheet for 2006. At the end of the calendar year, they reported $4.3 million in assets and $212,887 in liabilities. Wow, pretty healthy, huh? Even their own financial report says, “an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.”

The organization’s IRS Form 990 shows that the funds described as being “slashed” was over a threefold increase from the government funds they received from all sources in 2006.

Heartless? Cruel? I don’t think so.

I’d say: Smart.

Welcome Home, Marine Eric Gunlefinger

Last Saturday, we welcomed home Marine Eric Gunlefinger.

You can read the Warriors’ Watch summary here.

Besides the fact that he just looked so damn young, Eric, who has completed two tours in Iraq, doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet. Weird, huh? It is also kind of cool that he was wearing a t-shirt with the good old peace sign on it.

And check out some groovy photos here.

On the Equal Pay for Equal Work Issue

Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal reported on Obama’s comments on Sarah Palin concerning “equal pay for equal work.”

She “seems like a very nice person,” he began, repeating remarks he’s made often since McCain announced her selection on Friday. “But I’ve got to say she’s opposed, like John McCain is, to equal pay for equal work. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

A spokesperson later backed off of the statement somewhat saying something to the effect that while he couldn’t state specifically anything that would support Obama’s statement, the alleged “fact” that the McCain has a “clear record opposing equal pay” and that Palin is charged with promoting with this position makes the statement true.

Both Obama and his spokesperson should have checked their facts first. Or, maybe they were relying on the laziness of the people to accept a sound byte as fact.

Ace of Spades HQ calls the charge an obvious smear:

It all comes back to Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., an employment discrimination case which was decided by the Supreme Court in May 2007. The case went against Ledbetter and the Democrats have been trying to make hay ever since. They went so far as to have Lilly Ledbetter speak at their convention, but they're still not getting much traction out of it. They would like to be able to claim that the conservative Supreme Court justices (and Republicans in general) are opposed to "equal pay for equal work."

Unfortunately, the case wasn't even about that. Rather, it turned on a very dry, very procedural question: "Should Lilly Ledbetter get to sue for employment discrimination even after the statute of limitations had run?" The conservative justices (and Kennedy) said "no." Statutes of limitation exist for a reason and are set by Congress. If Ledbetter wants relief, she should get the statute changed, not come whining to the courts.

You either have a statute of limitations or you do not. Ledbetter was trying to bend the rules.

As commenter jmflynny says:

Furthermore, the law the Obamamessiah and the rest of the deranged Left want passed would a) eliminate the statute of limitations on pay claims completely and b) allow such claims to be made, not just by the actual person being paid, but by any "interested party" -- also known as, "filing endless class-action lawsuits".

What this makes obvious is that the Democrat Party hates businesses, given that they want to give any employee the right to file, without proof, class-action lawsuits for something that may or may not have happened decades ago. This is clearly nothing more than an attempt to enrich their philandering trial-lawyer base.

However you may feel about the decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear, the decision was a procedural one, not a constitutional one.

To make the statement that McCain and by default Palin are against “equal pay for equal work” is disingenuous and frankly dishonest.