Harry Reid convicts Blagojevich of corruption before trial even held

Perhaps if Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was an accused al-Qaeda terrorist, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would accord him the presumption of innocence. Instead, here's what Reid said on yesterday's "Meet the Press" --

"Blagojevich is obviously a corrupt individual. I think that's pretty clear."

This from a former trial lawyer, no less.

Buy now before we give it all away!

Dubious plug in commercial for skin care product Hydroxatone as heard on Air America Radio --

The results are so impressive, Hydroxatone was given away in the VIP gift bags at the Sundance Film Festival!

Sound familiar?

"Vietnam's Communist leaders are counting on a $6 billion stimulus program to inject some zip into the country's economy and help its privately owned exporters survive the global slump" -- from story in today's Wall Street Journal, Page A4

Maddow video for 12/24 NewsBusters post

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Come to think of it, Granholm does know what the White House is doing

Unintentionally funny moment yesterday on Ed Schultz's radio show when Schultz asked Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm about the Bush administration's role in possible bailout of the Big Three. Granholm's response --

"I'm not sure what the White House is doing. Actually, I mean, I just got off the phone with them. I know that they are looking at a wide variety of options and that they're going to present the president with the best option of all of those options."

Translation: Actually, I mean, I know what the White House is doing and I don't agree with it.

Outstanding documentary on C-SPAN

Or more accurately, a series of documentaries, all during White House Week -- rarely seen glimpses of the executive mansion, tours, archival footage -- great stuff!

Sign of the times

Hat tip to Ken Shepherd at NewsBusters --

Report: Caroline Kennedy mulling NY Senate seat

This according to The Note from ABC News --

Another Senator Kennedy? The crazy speculation about Hillary Clinton's Senate seat may not be so crazy after all. A Democrat who would know tells ABC News that New York governor David Paterson has talked to Caroline Kennedy about taking the seat, which was once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. It’s not exactly shocking that Paterson would reach out to one of the most highly respected public figures in New York, but this is: Sources say Kennedy is considering it, and has not ruled out coming to Washington to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

A few years ago, the famously private Caroline Kennedy would be the last Kennedy expected to serve in Congress, but of course, she took on a much more high-profile role during the presidential campaign and, if she does it, would be more than New York’s junior Senator; she’d have closer ties to the Obama White House than any of her colleagues, a direct line to the East Wing.

When Robert Kennedy, Jr. took himself out of the running for the seat earlier this week, he told Jonathan Hicks of the New York Times, “Caroline Kennedy would be the perfect choice if she would agree to it.” And one more thing: We hear that President-elect Obama has made it clear that he thinks Caroline Kennedy would be a great choice.

If this actually happens, I wouldn't be surprised. Caroline Kennedy is the Kennedys' last hope, at least when it comes to politics.

Golden Moonbat Award, #3

Liberal radio host Ed Schultz on his show today, describing the economic downturn and contemporary liberalism in the same breath --

"This is a global situation. We have to be Americans and we have to puck up and you know what? We all have to be risk-takers, not personally, we're going to have to be risk-takers through the government."

Economy Officially in Recession, Maddow Giddy in Response

... As described by me in a blog post earlier today at NewsBusters.

Looking good for Cape Wind

... according to a story in today's Boston Globe --

The Bush administration is expected to issue as early as Friday a favorable final environmental review of the nation's first offshore wind farm project, clearing the way for Cape Wind to obtain a federal lease to erect 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound.

Nicholas Pardi, a spokesman for the Minerals Management Service, said last week that the agency, part of the Interior Department, is planning to release its findings "by the end of the year." Supporters of the project who have been told of the agency's timetable said a favorable review should come in the next few weeks and possibly on Dec. 5. ...

I've written a bit about the Cape Wind project over the years, first as a reporter with the Cape Cod Times and then as blogger at Wind Farmer's Almanac and Renewable Energy Revolution, media adviser to the Clean Power Now non-profit advocacy group, op-ed contributor to the Providence Journal and freelance writer at CapeCodToday.com.

Ed Schultz on bailing out Detroit: Failure Is An Option

Having done his best to shill for the failed federal bailout of the financial sector, top-rated liberal radio talk show host Ed Schultz is doing the same for Big Three automakers seeking a $25 billion "loan" from Washington.

Here's what Schultz said about it on yesterday's show --

"And if we have to throw out a loan, even if it doesn't work, so what! It's only $25 billion, it's a drop in the bucket."

So much for the antiquated belief that failure is not an option.

The inevitable future bailout request

WASHINGTON -- Fierce debate continued in Congress today over whether federal lawmakers should approve a massive $900 bailout of the oil industry.

With oil profits plummeting in parallel with the steep decline in the price of petroleum, oil company CEOs requested an "extended, no-interest loan with no strings attached" based on previous bailouts of the financial sector, auto industry, airlines, major newspapers and half of American homeowners.

In a related matter, the Congressional Budget Office projects a $3 trillion federal deficit for fiscal 2010, with 80 percent of all tax revenue now spent on debt service.

"I don't see how Congress can in good conscience turn its back on such an integral part of our economy," said an oil company exec who asked not to be identified. "If we fail, the whole country goes down the drain. You keep hearing how other industries are too big to fail. We're even bigger than that."

In other news, China will soon complete its purchase of the second half of Manhattan, having finished acquisition of the first half last year after yet another rescue package approved by Congress ...

Maddow perpetuates hoary Great Depression myth

... as described in a blog post I wrote this afternoon at NewsBusters...

Obama's more unhinged supporters, as seen by The Onion

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Obama victory not without silver linings for conservatives

First one that comes to mind -- it kills the hoary myth that conservatives steal elections and undermines what little credibility the claim has for elections in the past.

Secondly, that a man of color named Barack Hussein Obama was elected says something magnificent about America, how this truly is a land of opportunity, a meritocracy where talent and the ability to articulate a vision of hope matter to a great many people.

If I had to pinpoint the main reason McCain lost, it was his hopeless incoherence, especially after the financial panic hit in September and we were hungry for steadiness and clarity. Obama projected both; McCain, neither.

Third silver lining -- many people on the Left would have refused to accept a McCain victory, regardless of whether it was disputed. What followed may well have been '68 redux.

Lastly, I doubt we would have gotten three consecutive terms of Reagan/Bush without the disastrous four years of Carter that preceded them.

McCain vs. Obama, an earlier version ...

The horror ... the horror ...

... By way of the inimitable Sam Ryskind at The Ryskind Notebook.

Maddow glibly disparages countries that prefer McCain

.... as I describe in a blog post today at NewsBusters ...

Alaskan Legislator Tells Maddow: 'What Good Does It Do' to Fire a 'Dangerous' Cop?

Hard to believe, but Alaska state senator Hollis French actually said this on Rachel Maddow's cable show on MSNBC, as I describe in a post for NewsBusters today ...

Silver lining to Powell endorsing Obama?

It led at least one lefty radio talk show host to make an unexpected admission about Bush and company's pre-war belief that Iraq possessed WMD, as described here in a blog post I wrote today for NewsBusters.org.

Enjoy your flight, Mr. Atta

Jeffrey Goldberg, national security correspondent for The Atlantic, describing his article in current issue on airport security to Air America host Rachel Maddow on Monday --

"Once a terrorist plot is about to be executed and the terrorists are in the airport already, it's a bit late to try to stop it."

Unhinged radio host Ed Schultz claims Republicans want "civil war"

Over-the-top rhetoric and rage from lefty talker Ed Schultz yesterday in responding to McCain robocalls criticizing Barack Obama's ties to '60s radical William Ayers, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's call to investigate members of Congress who are not "pro-American" and Congressman Robin Hayes saying "liberals hate real Americans." Here's what Schultz had to say, referring to Republicans --

SCHULTZ: They hate Democrats. They hate liberals. They actually, I think they want a civil war. I really do, I think they want a civil war.

Not surprisingly, one of Schultz's listeners challenged him on this within the hour, a man named "Rodney" from Marshall, N.C., who described himself as liberal and an Obama supporter. Schultz, having spent most of yesterday's show condemning what he perceived as "vile" Republican rhetoric, was volcanic in his angry intolerance of the caller's criticism. What follows is a transcript of the exchange --

CALLER: I'm going to have to call you out on what your response was to Congressman (Robin) Hayes, who I do not know. I live in western North Carolina
close to Asheville, I hope to see you next Wednesday night. But we cannot accomplish getting Barack Obama elected in this coming election by stooping to the level of some of the other talk show hosts. And when you came back with your comment concerning Representative Hayes a while ago and making fun of his accent, talking about that you think they want to start a civil war, I think you're taking a chance of alienating a lot of folks that are still on the fence down here in North Carolina and Obama needs North Carolina. We can't stoop to their level.

SCHULTZ: Well, first of all, Rodney, you have your opinion and I have mine. The conservative movement in this country, in my opinion, completely out of material and now in the arena of being vile. For a United States congressman to claim that there actually is a political movement in this country known as liberals that hate real Americans, now Rodney, if you want to let that go, fine.

CALLER: (crosstalk) No, I don't want to let it go, Ed, I did not say that at all. I am a liberal, I am a supporter, but there are a lot of people that are going to respond to your ...

SCHULTZ: Well let 'em freakin' respond to it! Rodney, Rodney, let them respond to it! Let 'em respond to it! Come to the freakin' town hall meeting and respond to it! I'm not apologizing!

CALLER: I'm not, well, I guess ..

SCHULTZ: God! I mean, it amazes me, it absolutely amazes me how many experts there are out there in talk radio! You can't say this because this might happen. You can't say that because that might happen. You can't do any of that because that might happen. You know what something, Rodney? You don't know your ass from third base!

CALLER: Wait a minute now, Ed ...

SCHULTZ: No, no, no, wait a minute, you don't! How do you, what do you know what to talk about?!

CALLER: What do I know what to talk about ...?

SCHULTZ: What do you, how do you know what to talk about?! How do you know what strikes the passion of the people? Have you traveled the country? Have you talked to people in market after market? Have you looked in their eyes and seen the frustration with the conservative movement in this country?

CALLER: OK, but when you start doing things that take away from ...

SCHULTZ: That's your freakin' opinion!

CALLER: Well, and evidently you have a very strong one, but I'm concerned about your ...

SCHULTZ: Well, you shouldn't be concerned about it, Rodney! Why don't you just get off your ass and start working!

CALLER: (crosstalk) ... in North Carolina for the first time in a presidential race, it could be a very important part of this campaign, and the success of this campaign. That's my concern. It's not defending Robin Hayes. It's despicable what he said, I'm embarrassed by it.

SCHULTZ: Well, why didn't you start out with that? But instead it's an attack on me (crosstalk) I mean, you started this, Rodney, I can't deal with you, you don't want a conversation. You don't want a conversation. You want to be put on automatic pilot, so I tell you what I'm going to do, I'm going to turn the show over to you for a minute and you'll have the final word.

CALLER: OK. Well then I'll say, I'll probably speak to you on Wednesday night in Ashville (N.C., where Schultz will moderate town hall forum) and in the meantime, I hope that everybody will take a deep breath, walk slowly, drink plenty of ice water and be careful when they're responding to a negative comment so that we don't do more damage than we do good. We've got a chance to win North Carolina for Obama. There are a lot of conservatives, evangelicals, Southern Baptists, Democrats in this state that for the first time are ready to vote for a Democrat and give Obama a chance to win North Carolina. And I want us all to be careful that we don't ruin it by responding to one person's very stupid comments, of Rep. Hayes who I don't know ...

SCHULTZ: Now Rodney, now I've given you a minute, I've given you a minute. Now is it OK if I talk now?

CALLER: Yeah, Ed.

SCHULTZ: OK, goodbye. We're right back on the Ed Schultz show (cut to commercials).

What's most amusing about the bellicose Schultz is that he petulantly walked off the set of Fox News on Friday morning. Why? Because, as he described it on Monday's show, "I don't want to be interrupted." Kinda like Schultz did repeatedly with a caller possessing the gall to criticize "Big Ed."

Report: Former NY Times reporter Judith Miller joining Fox News

... as reported this morning by Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz --

"Fox News is expected to announce today the hiring of a new contributor, a veteran national security correspondent who has shared a Pulitzer Prize.

"Her name is Judith Miller, and she is nothing if not controversial. Miller left the New York Times in 2005 after testifying in the trial of former White House aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby that he had leaked her information about a CIA operative. Miller's conduct in the case, which led to her serving 85 days in jail for initially refusing to testify, drew rebukes from the Times executive editor and some of her colleagues.

"In the run-up to the Iraq war, Miller reported stories on the search for Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction that turned out to be untrue, some of which were cited in a Times editor's note acknowledging the flawed coverage.

"Miller, now with the conservative Manhattan Institute, wrote when she left the paper that she had 'become a lightning rod for public fury over the intelligence failures that helped lead our country to war.. ..."

Ed Schultz's alleged disdain for 'vile' rhetoric

Lefty radio host Ed Schultz wasted little time demonstrating rank hypocrisy during Friday's show. In the first hour, Schultz condemned criticism of Obama from McCain-Palin supporters as seen in a video posted at blogger interrupted from a Palin rally in Ohio.

Here's what Schultz had to say --

"But it's the hate in their heart that is so disturbing. It's the vile attitude that they would have towards an already elected American official. It's as if, you know, Barack Obama is coming out of the sewer, as Lucifer himself. (Schultz lowers voice for emphasis) He's a United States senator. He's been elected to a very elite body of representatives that guide this country in some very tough times of decision making, whether you like the body or not."

All of 10 minutes later Schultz makes what might be construed as a "vile" statement about Sen. Norm Coleman, based on a report in Harper's about a wealthy supporter buying clothes for Coleman --

"Look, Norm, just answer the question. Did somebody else by your freakin' clothes, you scumbag?"

In case Schultz has forgotten, Coleman is a United States senator who's been elected to a very elite body of representatives who guide this country in, ah, "some very tough times of decision making," whether Schultz likes the body or not.

Perhaps Schultz should have called his book "Hate Talk from the Heartland," as suggested by Power Line after Schultz allegedly assaulted a conservative critic in a hotel bar.

NY Post: Palin to appear on 'Saturday Night Live'

Looks like it's official, as reported today by Cindy Adams in the New York Post --

"SOCCER moms and Joe Sixpacks, listen up. Get your beer, mooseburgers and caribou dips ready. Sarah Palin is doing "Saturday Night Live." Not Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin doing "Saturday Night Live." But the Sarah Herself. She has already OK'd it. She's booked. It's confirmed. Done deal. Sketches are being sketched as we speak. She - eyeglasses, haircomb, designer jacket and trunkful of gosh-darns, golly-gees and gol-dangs - will be on "SNL" Saturday night, Oct. 25. Sarah's rehearsal time has already been penciled in for Friday the 24th. And it's because she wants to do it.

"So, my question is: Does this mean Tina Fey has plans to run for VP? "

Palin may appear on 'Saturday Night Live'

... To spoof Tina Fey's impersonation of her, as reported by Bill Zwecker in the Chicago Sun-Times --

"It's looking more and more likely that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will appear on ''Saturday Night Live'' -- to have some fun with Tina Fey ... Some key McCain staffers are content with Palin joking about the "SNL" routines on the campaign trail -- as when she scribbled "I'm not Tina Fey" on a supporter's cell phone and said she'd dressed as Fey on Halloween. But others -- including the governor herself -- think a return punch on the NBC airwaves is what's needed. ...
... I'm hearing some sort of Palin tweak of Fey's American Express commercials is in
the works. While next weekend's ''Saturday Night Live'' will be a rerun, it is possible Palin could appear Thursday on the first of NBC's ''Weekend Update'' specials in prime time."

Biden acknowledges post-Democratic convention doubts about Obama

... As described by Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter on Ed Schultz's radio show today, with Alter telling Schultz about interviewing Biden on Friday, the day after Biden's vice presidential debate with Sarah Palin --

"One thing that he talked about that was quite interesting to me was Obama's role during the bailout and he said, you know, he talked about this conference call with Warren Buffett and Paul Volcker and Obama's other economic advisers, Bob Rubin, and how much, as he described it, he said Obama was in friggin' command! You know, he was really exercised about how good and how sophisticated Obama was in his handling of that crisis and how much, you know, he seemed like a president on those conference calls. He said he called him later and said, you know, you sold me, sucker! You know, which is kind of the way Joe Biden talks. Now that was interesting because it was a little bit of a reflection that, I think, Biden, not just because he ran against Obama, but because, you know, he's so much more junior, had some questions over the course of 2008 about whether Obama was really ready and had the capacity to be a great president. And those questions have been resolved in Joe Biden's mind."

Resolved in Biden's mind during the financial crisis -- which began fully a month after the Democratic convention. With Biden harboring doubts about Obama in the interim.

The Maddow Doctrine

... As described by Air America Radio and MSNBC propagandist Rachel Maddow on her radio show this past Friday --

"I've always felt like the way you talk about the war in Iraq is to take the biggest possible perspective on it, which is, the analogy for me is that we had some sort of horrible illness as a country, which was evident in our vulnerability to global terrorism (emphasis added) and we went into the hospital for that illness and what we were given was a medicine to which we were allergic and we had a horrible, awful, very threatening allergic reaction to it. And now, after five and a half years (laughs) in Iraq, we've conquered the allergic reaction and we have sort of gotten rid of the negative, some of the negative effects of the wrong medicine that we took. But we still have this horrible illness."

And al Qaeda is trying to cure us if only we'd let them.

Media ignores Barney Frank's Fannie Mae love connection

As reported by Jeff Poor at Media Research Center --

"Are journalists playing favorites with some of the key political figures involved with regulatory oversight of U.S. financial markets?

"MSNBC's Chris Matthews launched several vitriolic attacks on the Republican Party on his Sept. 17, 2008, show, suggesting blame for Wall Street problems should be focused in a partisan way. However, he and other media have failed to thoroughly examine the Democratic side of the blame game.

"Prominent Democrats ran Fannie Mae, the same government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) that donated campaign cash to top Democrats. And one of Fannie Mae's main defenders in the House - Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., a recipient of more than $40,000 in campaign donations from Fannie since 1989 - was once romantically involved with a Fannie Mae executive.

"The media coverage of Frank's coziness with Fannie Mae and his pro-Fannie Mae stances has been lacking. Of the eight appearances Frank made on the three broadcasts networks between Jan. 1, 2008, and Sept. 21, 2008, none of his comments dealt with the potential conflicts of interest. Only six of the appearances dealt with the economy in general and two of those appearances, including an April 6, 2008 appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes" were about his opposition to a manned mission to Mars.

"Frank has argued that family life "should be fair game for campaign discussion," wrote the Associated Press on Sept. 2. The comment was in reference to GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her pregnant daughter. "They're the ones that made an issue of her family," the Massachusetts Democrat said to the AP.

"The news media have covered the relationship in the past, but there have been no mentions since 2005, according to Nexis and despite the collapse of Fannie Mae. 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 ..."

Best description yet of Palin Derangement Syndrome

From "The Palin Effect" by Noemie Emery in Sept. 29 issue of The Weekly Standard --

"McCain picked Palin for a number of reasons--youth, pizzazz, energy, appeal to the base and to middle-class women, to the West and to blue-collar voters--but it may turn out that the main contribution she makes to his effort is in goading the Democrats into spasms of self-defeating and entirely lunatic rage. Somehow, every element of her life--the dual offense of being a beauty-queen and hunter; the Down syndrome baby who wasn't aborted; the teenage daughter about to get married, whose baby also wasn't aborted; the non-metrosexual husband working the nightshift; the very fact of five children--touched a nerve on the liberal template, and sent the whole beast into convulsions, opening an intriguing and somewhat frightening window onto the turbulent id of the left."

San Francisco Chronicle: Walt Monegan dislocated estranged wife's shoulder

Maybe it's just me, but isn't this kinda newsworthy? The San Francisco Chronicle also thinks so, as does Amanda Carpenter at Townhall.com and Renee over at RedMassGroup.com where I first saw it --

"North to Alaska: It turns out that well before he was jettisoned for what he says was his refusal to fire trooper Wooten at the behest of Sarah Palin, Monegan had his own share of domestic troubles - some of them spilling all the way down to the Bay Area.

"In October 1994, Monegan's estranged wife, who had moved from Alaska to the Peninsula with the couple's two daughters after more than 10 years of marriage, sought a temporary restraining order against him -- accusing Monegan of threatening to kill her, waving a gun at her and dislocating her shoulder, (emphasis added) according to her declaration on file in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

"In an interview last week, Georgene Moldovan said Monegan had threatened several times to throw her body in an Alaska river.

"Monegan, 57, who has since remarried, vigorously denied Moldovan's allegations, both in court papers filed at the time and in an interview with us last week. "I'm not a door slammer - I don't punch walls," he said.

"Monegan admitted to dislocating Moldovan's shoulder, but said it was an accident that had happened before they were married, while they "were wrestling and tickling."

Yes indeed -- can't be too careful when it comes to "tickling."

Alaska state senator: Monegan was subject of previous probe by same Troopergate investigator

This was the eyebrow-raising revelation by Alaska state senator Bill Wielchowski, appearing Thursday on Ed Schultz's radio show to discuss the so-called Troopergate scandal.

Wielchowski disputed GOP assertions that the current probe has become politicized while he also touted investigator Steve Branchflower's credentials, describing him as a former prosecutor with more than two decades' experience who no longer lives in Alaska. Then came this --

"In fact," Wielchowski said, "he actually wrote a scathing report about Walt Monegan, the commissioner, a few years ago on another issue," (emphasis added) after which Wielchowski laughed.

Upon hearing that, any radio host with an ounce of curiosity -- or interest in the truth -- would have asked the inevitable follow-up question -- gee, what was that all about? Not Schultz -- he moved right to the next subject, and Wielchowski did not elaborate.

Just as curious is the apparent lack of information in the public domain about Branchflower's previous investigation of Monegan, the former Alaska public safety commissioner fired by Palin in July. Quick searches via Google and a glance through the Anchorage Daily News' Troopergate archives turned up nothing, not even in an Aug. 2 story about Branchflower being hired for the investigation. Maybe it's out there, somewhere, and if so I'd love to see it.

Hillary Clinton ducks from event that Palin will attend

... as reported by the Associated Press --

"WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has canceled an appearance at a New York rally next week after organizers blindsided her by inviting Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, aides to the senator said Tuesday.

"Several American Jewish groups plan a major rally outside the United Nations on Sept. 22 to protest against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Organizers said Tuesday that both Clinton, who nearly won the Democratic nomination for president, and Palin, Republican candidate John McCain's running mate, are expected to attend.

"That would have set up a closely scrutinized and potentially explosive pairing in the midst of a presidential campaign, one in which the New York senator is campaigning for Democratic nominee Barack Obama while Palin actively courts disappointed Clinton supporters.

"Clinton aides were furious. They first learned of the plan to have both Clinton and Palin appear when informed by reporters.

" 'Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event,' said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines. 'Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending.' "... (emphasis added)

Plus, Palin intimidates the hell out of Clinton ...

What about that investigation of Troopergate state trooper?

Curious lack of curiosity about this in media coverage if you ask me.

Think about it -- if the Alaskan police internal probe of alleged wrongdoing by state trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law, had been a complete whitewash, would not the Palins have been justifiably irritated?

After all, the allegations against Wooten were serious enough -- and numerous enough -- to warrant serious scrutiny. Wooten had been accused of threatening to kill Sarah Palin's father, tasering his 10-year-old stepson, illegally killing a female moose and driving beer while driving a cruiser.

Yet just about all we learn from the media coverage, at least that I've seen, is that Wooten was "briefly" suspended after the police investigation.

As a former reporter who's done his share of crime stories, many questions come to mind about that investigation. For example --

• Was Wooten questioned in person, over the phone, via e-mail? How long did the interview with him last? Was there more than one? Did Wooten invoke the Fifth Amendment? If so, how many times in response to how many questions?
• Did Wooten deny the allegations?
• Is it true that Wooten tasered his 10-year-old stepson and, if so, for what reason?
• Is Wooten still authorized to use a taser? How about on minors?
• Did any of the investigating officers ever serve in the same police barracks as Wooten? Attend the same police academy class? Linked by marriage, church, military unit, civic group, softball team, etc.?
• If Wooten was found innocent of threatening to kill Sarah Palin's father, why was he reportedly suspended for several days?
• Media reports have also stated that Wooten has been married four times and that all four marriages ended in divorce. If this is true, did any of his wives file for divorce on the basis of cruel and unusual punishment?
• Did the investigating officers also look at allegations against Wooten that have not been reported? If so, what were they?
• Have any state troopers investigated by Alaska police ever lost their jobs? If so, how many? How does this compare with other states and the nation as a whole?
• What percentage of Alaskan state troopers are women? Native American? How many are in positions of authority? Are any involved in state police internal investigations?

These are just the tip of the iceberg of questions that should be asked. And probing questions have this wonderful habit of leading to more of same.

Rachel Maddow refuses to accept that US is withdrawing troops from Iraq

Maybe Air America Radio and MSNBC pontificator Rachel Maddow just can't help herself.

Here's what Maddow said on her radio show Monday about Defense Secretary Robert Gates visiting Baghdad and talking about a "shrinking" role for US combat troops in Iraq.

Maddow -- "That, of course, is slightly undercut by the fact that the president gave a speech last week in which he said there aren't any troops leaving Iraq, at least until after he's no longer president any more."

That "of course" is demonstrably untrue, as anyone who saw Bush's speech or read about it is aware. Here is what the president actually said on Sept. 9 about the alleged non-withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as posted at C-SPAN --

"Today, I am pleased to announce the next step forward in our policy of "return on success." General Petraeus has just completed a review of the situation in Iraq - and he and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions. Over the next several months, we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces (emphasis added)- including aviation personnel, explosive ordnance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police, and logistical support forces. By November, we will bring home a Marine battalion that is now serving in Anbar province. And in February of 2009, another Army combat brigade will come home. This amounts to about 8,000 additional American troops returning home without replacement. And if the progress in Iraq continues to hold, General Petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009."

Maddow also said something Monday that was unintentionally amusing -- "I think lying makes you look bad, I don't know. Maybe that's controversial."

"Maybe" only to Maddow.

Maddow and Matthews, slippery as usual

Here's what Rachel Maddow said last week on her MSNBC show about President Bush's announcement of troop withdrawals from Iraq --

"After President Bush announced yesterday that troop levels will stay the same through the end of his presidency and that he proposes that the next president bring home just 8,000 troops next February, which would leave more American forces in Iraq indefinitely then were there before the surge, John McCain didn't go on camera to comment on the subject, opting instead for a short written statement."

But as the New York Times' reporting on the matter makes clear, Maddow's claims are patently false. Here is what the Times reported on Tuesday, Sept. 9 --

"As President Bush announced today that he would draw down the level of troops in Iraq by 8,000 early next year, the presidential candidates and their surrogates — as well as other politicians — began weighing in."

In other words, 8,000 US troops will leave Iraq by February, not in "next February," as Maddow falsely claims, nor did Bush say "troop levels will stay the same through the end of his presidency," as Maddow also pulled out of thin air.

Maddow's MSNBC colleague Chris Matthews did much the same thing in speaking with Maddow, claiming the US is "still stuck" in Iraq "to the point they can't, the president says they can't spare a man or a woman, we're that stuck."

This only two days after president announced that 8,000 troops will be, uh, unstuck from Iraq by February.

Liberals like Maddow and Matthews who complain about deceit from McCain and Palin might make a more convincing argument if they did not engage in it themselves.

Golden Moonbat Award, #2

Guest host Norman Goldman, an LA attorney, sitting in for Ed Schultz on Friday and talking about Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas --

"If we had it his way, blacks would be slaves again! I mean, I half-expect Clarence Thomas to come out and say, 'C'mon! Put me back in chains and send me down to the cotton mill!' "

Obama to appear on season premiere of "Saturday Night Live"

... as reported by People magazine, which is touting this as an exclusive --

"Michael Phelps isn't the only person hoping to make waves on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live this weekend. He will be joined by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who'll be jetting in from New Hampshire, PEOPLE has learned, but whose role in the show is like many of the voters he covets: undecided.

"The details of the sketch are still being worked out," an Obama campaign spokesperson tells PEOPLE. ..."

Every day is September 12

Amazing photo, isn't it?

I took it from a chartered flight in July 1993, a bachelor party for my future brother-in-law who's now a brother to me.

We flew due west from Plymouth to the Hudson River on a clear day in summer, then south to Manhattan, not far from the flight path taken by Flight 11, the first of the planes to strike on another crystalline morning eight years later.

Flying over the Hudson River with the New York skyline to our left, I remember thinking how odd it was that we could come so close to the skyscrapers, and that a bomber plane had slammed into the Empire State Building toward the end of World War II. That was my first reaction on Sept. 11, 2001, as I awakened my 2-year-old son and my wife called up to say a plane hit the World Trade Center. Must be another military plane, I thought. Turns out it was.

After passing Lower Manhattan, the skyscrapers looming above us and looking close enough to touch, we circled twice around the Statue of Liberty. I took the photo shown here during one of those circuits. From this perspective, we could see what the doomed souls on Flight 175 later saw in the last seconds of their lives. Minutes earlier, as we flew over the George Washington Bridge and approached Manhattan, we saw what those on Flight 11 last witnessed before barbarians snuffed out their lives.

I keep this photo on the wall of my office, not far from photos of my family and other relatives and cherished friends and wonderful places I've had the good fortune to visit. I keep this photo as a reminder that the more we lull ourselves into complacency about the threat posed by militant Islam, the more likely the wolves will strike again.

As they say in AA, the further you get from your last drink, the closer you are to the next.

Obama and Biden voted $223 million for Bridge to Nowhere instead of Katrina rebuilding

One devoutly hopes the McCain-Palin campaign harps on this incessantly.

From an op-ed column by US Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., in today's Wall Street Journal --

"... 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, (emphasis added) siding with the old boys' club in the Senate. And to date, they still have not publicly renounced their support for the infamous earmark."

Randi Rhodes claims McCain was "well treated" while a POW

Hard to believe the lefty radio host would say this. Then again, not at all. Brian Maloney of The Radio Equalizer is all over it.

Maloney writes --

... During the first hour of Friday's Randi Rhodes Show, she had this to
say about McCain's sacrifices during the Vietnam War (clip follows immediately
thereafter):
RHODES: Of course he (McCain) became very friendly with the
Vietnamese. They called him the Prince. He was well treated actually. And he was
well treated because he traded these propaganda interviews for good treatment.
So look, it's a horrible story anyway you cut it, anyway you look at it, any way
you you you deal with it.But, it's not the story Fred Thompson told. Nor is it
the story Rudy Giuliani told. Nor is it the story Sarah Palin told. Nor is it
the story anybody. Cindy McCain knew to limit herself to 'I think what my
husband did in Vietnam was heroic' because she knows the truth too. ...

That Rhodes believes this gibberish is not surprising for another reason. After all, isn't everyone treated well in leftist totalitarian hellholes?

"Rev. Wright Done Me Wrong," church employee alleges

Bombshell story in today's New York Post about Jeremiah Wright allegedly involved in affair with woman 30 years younger.

Palin banned book list debunked

... as reported by the Los Angeles Times --

"... In fact, one widely circulated, very long list (which appears, among other places, on Librarian.net's comment string and has been disavowed by the website's owner) is obviously false because it includes four books that had not yet hit shelves when Palin became mayor in 1996 (emphasis added) — "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," all by J.K. Rowling. ..."

Maddow describes herself as "cripplingly patriotic"

Yes -- "cripplingly." Much like John McCain, except that McCain's devotion to country left him actually crippled.

Rachel Maddow described herself thus in a profile in today's Boston Globe, on the day her TV show premieres on MSNBC.

ABC's Gibson lands first Palin interview

... as reported here by the Associated Press.

That would be Obama who's doing this

Laugh-out loud funny gaffe by Barack Obama on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" this morning --

Obama -- "You're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith and you're absolutely right that that has not come ..."

Stephanopoulos -- "Christian faith."

Obama -- "... my, my Christian faith ..."

The Palin Effect - Zogby shows McCain-Palin up by nearly 4

What a way to start the week -- more on these polling numbers by following this link

Unhinged radio talk show host alert

Listeners to "The Ed Schultz Show" must wonder if McCain's selection of Sarah Palin for running mate brought out the inner Neanderthal in Schultz, a top-ranked progressive talker who broadcasts out of Fargo, N.D.

All through his show on Monday, Schultz disparaged Palin as an "empty pantsuit" and "Mary Kay salesman" and went so far as to challenge Palin's fitness as a mother.

"The other issue that's been brought up, her child, recently giving birth to a child, is Down syndrome," Schultz said. "What kind of a family value is it for a mother to run off and run for the vice presidency of the United States in this situation?! I'm just asking."

Later in the show, Schultz pursued the same line of criticism. "How much time is she going to be able to spend with a Down syndrome baby at four months and be vice president of the United States?!" Schultz asked emphatically. "What's the priority here?!

By the last hour of Monday's show, Schultz's female listeners had enough. When a third woman called and accused Schultz of "attacking" Palin, Schultz's volcanic temper erupted.

"I'm not attacking her personally!" Schultz shouted. "Don't tell me that! I am tired of that! I am not attacking anyone personally! She is a right-wing ideologue and she is inexperienced!"

Schultz undoubtedly did little to endear himself with women by also referring that day to Cindy McCain as a "bimbo," a cheap shot he proudly keeps repeating ever since as an alleged badge of honor.

Something else happened during the week -- Schultz developed selective amnesia about his criticism of Palin as unfit mother. By Thursday he was fobbing it off on his callers and blaming them.

"I was watching MSNBC yesterday afternoon," Schultz said, "and Peggy Noonan, former speechwriter for Reagan, basically quoted me, she referred to me, saying that she had watched some cable news show the other night and somebody said, questioning whether she was a good mother or not. I wasn't doing that. I was being a facilitator because callers to this program were asking, where are her priorities?"

Olbermann "visibly upset" by 9/11 tribute video at RNC

"Visibly upset" -- how could they tell?

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann exuded mock indignation last night in response to a 9/11 tribute video show at the Republican convention, as described today in this post at Crooks and Liars.

"I speak as someone who lost a few friends there," Olbermann said.

Fortunately for Olbermann, many of his other friends in al Qaeda continue their undying efforts to this day.

Weak-kneed Oprah won't allow Palin on show until after election

This according to The Huffington Post, which ran a story today with the following statement from Winfrey --

"The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."

Hey, why take any chances with such an intelligent, compelling and appealing candidate who just happens to be a woman? (and a Republican)

Odds of Palin dropping from race plummet at Intrade

... which helps explain why you may be hearing little on the odds of this happening, compared to the initial burst of speculation that Sarah Palin was doomed. This past Tuesday night, for example, a story at The Huffington Post cited Intrade odds of 15 percent that Palin wouldn't last on the GOP ticket. As of tonight, nearly 24 hours after her blockbuster speech at the GOP convention, those odds have plummeted to 5.5 percent.

Except for being able to leave whenever you want. Except for that.

Lefty radio host Ed Schultz, complaining yesterday about broadcasting from Radio Row at the Republican National Convention:

"It's almost like being in captivity. It really is."

Rachel Maddow, slippery as usual

Classic example of Air America Radio host Rachel Maddow's twisted logic - on Tuesday, MSNBC's "Race for the White House" host David Gregory asked whether Barack Obama's lack of experience was fair game for criticism if Democrats disparaged Sarah Palin for the same.

Maddow's response:

If you have an inexperienced vice president, that means that the country could be in their hands. With Barack Obama, if they experience worries about him, if something happens to him, the country will be in good hands with Joe Biden. It doesn't go both directions.

Actually it does, and in a way that undercuts Maddow's argument. If you have an inexperienced president - Obama, for example - that means the country will be in his hands.

So much for underestimating Palin

You have to go back to Reagan for a convention speech that good. Sarah Palin has made this a race and Democrats can't deny it. Even if McCain/Palin lose in November, she's a force to be reckoned with.

Seriously considering returning to blogger.com

... and I'm finding that there's much more I can do since I last blogged here. Think I'll take it out for a few test drives.

What the heck, how 'bout liveblogging Bubba too

... Actually voted for the man, and twice at that. Pre-adulthood.

9:02 -- Clinton enters to funky version of "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." I didn't think there was such a thing, either.

9:05 -- Still imploring delegates to sit ... now, please!

9:06 -- "I love Joe Biden and America will too." Clearly this is not the case now.

9:07 -- First lower-lip bite, a golden oldie.

9:08 -- Egads, Chevy Chase! Still milking that single year as anchorman on SNL.

9:10 -- Why is Michelle Obama wearing blue swirly doughnuts on her dress?

9:11 -- Obama will repair "our badly strained military." And never use it again.

9:12 -- By picking Biden, Obama "hit it out of the park." Right up there with "I did not have sex ..."9:14 -- Diplomacy first and military force "as a last resort." In other words, we gotta get hit first.

9:16 -- Fifteen minutes in, the recognition takes hold among delegates -- Bubba likes his speeches long, and he'll be followed by a windbag non pareil.

9:18 -- Obligatory mention of Katrina, helping patch Hillary's omission.

9:20 -- McCain as "extreme" ... well, yes, compared to Kucinich.

9:22 -- "In this case, the third time is not the charm" -- Master of the Trite.

9:23 -- Lower Lip Bite #2.

9:25 -- Yes, "a place called hope." The man is shameless.

(Initially posted at my Left Wing Escapee Typepad blog)

First stab at liveblogging, while watching Hillary Clinton speak at DNC

10:37 -- Obligatory video intro ... to different versions of "You Really Got Me" (wow, that's chutzpah) ... Lenny Kravitz ... Tom Petty's "American Girl" ... kewl!

10:40 -- Is it my imagination or is there a heck of a lot more Chelsea than Bill in this video ...?

10:42 -- Chelsea introduces "my hero," her mother ... whatever happened to "heroine"?

10:43 -- Who suggested orange pantsuit, Billy Corgan?

10:44 -- Clinton supporters go wild while Michelle Obama grits teeth and makes sound of one hand clapping

10:47 -- Fox News cutting to reactions from Biden and Michelle Obama after every second or third sentence; half dozen shots of Obama, she hasn't smiled yet (a real one anyway, like those in abundance at last night's communal hug)

10:49 -- Switching over to MSNBC ... more reaction shots from crowd

10:54 -- Five minutes in, still no reax from Biden/Mrs. O on MSNBC As if viewers don't want to see this, albeit not every 10 seconds. Over to CNN ...

10:56 -- Not a barn-burner but doing what it has to do; Clinton is relaxed, confident, poised. This could be her last big moment before such a large audience. She knows she has to nail it.

10:58 -- CNN reaction shot of stone-faced Michelle Obama.

11:01 -- "And we know that President Obama will end the war in Iraq responsibly" ... a war that's already ending, and would have been lost had the US done what Obama wanted two years ago.

11:04 -- Biden nails look of feigned reverence

11:07 -- Count me among those who think Clinton would have made a better pick for Obama than Biden, a belief that preceded her speech

11:09 -- Not many people wiping away tears, though

11:10 -- Claims progress "impossible" without Democrat in White House ... checking lower part of garment for spontaneous combustion ...

11:14 -- Plausible praise for Michelle Obama and Joe Biden

11:15 -- Enough of this for now ...

(Initially posted at my Left Wing Escapee Typepad blog)

National Review endorses Romney

Romney reels in a big one, and the timing couldn't be better with Huckabee surging. Here's what the editors of National Review had to say -

"Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.

"Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction ..."

Follow this link to read the endorsement in its entirety.

Jacoby keeps it real on Iran

Great column by the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby on Dec. 9 under the headline, "No reason to relax on Iran" -

Jacoby writes, "Now that the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear intentions has had a few days to cool off, how does it look? A few reflections:

"1. Iran's nuclear program is alive and well. Yes, I know - the very first of the NIE's 'key judgments,' the one that launched a thousand headlines, is that 'Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program' in the fall of 2003. But what that first sentence giveth, a footnote to that sentence taketh away: 'By 'nuclear weapons program,' explains footnote 1, 'we mean Iran's declared civil work related to uranium conversion and enrichment."

"But that's a distinction without a difference, since the accumulation of enriched uranium is by far the most important component in developing nuclear weapons," Jacoby writes (emphasis added. "Iran's 'civil' uranium enrichment - those 3,000 centrifuges spinning at Natanz - continues unabated, in defiance of Security Council resolutions ordering that it stops. Whether the nuclear-fuel program is labeled 'civilian' or 'military' is irrelevant. The more uranium the mullahs enrich, the closer they are to getting the bomb."

First recipient of Mike Malloy Golden Moonbat Award

Who better to receive the first such award than its namesake, the unhinged and exceedingly angry radio host Mike Malloy for this timeless rant on Friday that contained no less than four - count 'em - four lies about 9/11:

" ... airplanes crashing into the Pentagon that didn't exist, buildings collapsing that couldn't collapse, a total shutdown of the North American Air Defense Command, nobody doing anything while four, five, six, seven commercial jetliners are hijacked!"

Better yet, Malloy is yelling while making these claims -- way to go, Mike!

Malloy's show, broadcast from Atlanta, is carried by several dozen stations nationwide and XM satellite radio. He was fired last year by Air America, as he's mentioned on the air, for apparently being too unhinged even for the hardcore comrades there.

Happiness is a bodyguard with a warm gun

John Lennon retreated to the Dakota in 1975 to raise his newborn son and didn't come out for the next five years.

And when Lennon did, the world had changed, and not for the better.

So observed a writer in Esquire magazine several years ago in an article entitled, "The Case for Guns."I didn't save the article, but something about it stayed with me. The author asked - why didn't Lennon have a bodyguard?

Turns out Lennon had been asked the same thing, the author wrote, and the former Beatle cited the example of Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro.In March 1978 Moro was kidnapped by Red Brigades terrorists, who killed all five of his bodyguards. Two months later, Moro's lifeless body was found in the back of a car.

What's the point of hiring bodyguards if we all end up dead, Lennon asked.Which was completely in character for Lennon, and still painfully naive.

Given the circumstances leading to Lennon's death, any bodyguard worth his or her salt would have been wary of Mark David Chapman, the man who killed Lennon.Even the mere presence of a bodyguard might have been enough to deter a hollow shell like Chapman. That Chapman hung around for hours after Lennon signed an album jacket for him, waiting until Lennon and Yoko Ono returned home around 11 p.m., would have made most any bodyguard suspicious.

If someone was going to die outside the Dakota on the night of Dec. 8, 1980, it should have been Chapman instead of Lennon.

And Ono spared the agony of seeing her husband shot five times from behind.

And the couple's 5-year-old son growing up with his father still alive and hearing a briefly reunited Beatles sing "In My Life" at the young man's wedding.

Did Iran suspend its nuclear weapons program because of the invasion of Iraq?

According to the NIE released Monday, Iran suspended its illicit nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003.

About six months after the US-led invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. And only two months before Libya decided to abandon its pursuit of nuclear arms.

Did the war with Iraq prompt Iran to suspend its nuclear weapons program? Maybe, maybe not. The timing begs the question, but what's odd about the media coverage over the last few days - and I've read a half-dozen stories on the NIE in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and on the CNN website - I have yet to see a single reference to even the possibility of a connection.

But what if the NIE had reported that Iran initiated a covert nuclear weapons program six months after the invasion of Iraq - think we'd hear about a connection then? We'd be hearing of little else.

They're baacckk .... and boy, are they ever

... and a hat tip to wavemaker for this one ...

Murtha: 'The surge is working'

A headline I also never thought I'd see, or at least the part that includes Congressman John Murtha. But in fairness to Murtha, an early proponent of US withdrawal from Iraq before the job is done, the man is willing to give credit where credit is due.

Here's the full story as reported today by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bill Press's Polish joke falls flat

Radio host Bill Press in a promo for his show, as heard Monday afternoon on Sirius Left -

"Who says the level of violence in Iraq is decreasing? Iraq claimed another victim over the weekend and a really big one this time," Press chortled with barely concealed glee, "the prime minister of Australia, just the latest political leader to fall for his support of George Bush's war in Iraq. First, remember, it was Prime Minister Jose-Maria Aznar. Next, Italy's Silvio Berlusconi. And then, the UK's Tony Blair. And now, it's Australia's John Howard, humiliated in defeat after 11 years in power. Why? Because he insisted on keeping Australian troops in Iraq when everybody else - even Poland - had decided to bring their troops home.

"Even Poland," Bill?

Not only are Press's comments insulting to anyone of Polish descent, they are glaringly inaccurate. "Everybody else" have not turned tail and fled from Iraq, as Press would like to see. American troops have turned the tide of this war - and we are winning. And the more the situation improves in Iraq, the more unhinged the Left becomes in America.

I'd suggest they should be ashamed, but that would presume they have any.

Discerning terrorists' rights from wrongs

Excerpt from a profile in the Nov. 26 Weekly Standard titled "Rudy Giuliani, Disciplinarian" -

Giuliani, quoted in the article -

"Someone once said to me that what they don't get about the Democrats, and even some Republicans that do this, is they're more concerned about rights for terrorists than the terrorist' wrongs," Giuliani went on. "I mean, this granting of rights to criminals and terrorists, even when they're necessary, come with a price, a price at the other end of it. Even for the ones that are necessary, like, let's say, the Miranda ruling, it's one you agree with - there's a price for that. Maybe it's one worth paying. The exclusionary rule, there's a big price for that: Criminals go free. They walk out of court.

If you say, you know, no aggressive questioning, then we're not going to find out about situations. If you say no wiretapping, well, there'll be conversations going on, planning to bomb New York, or Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and you're not going to find out. And, when we draw these lines, at least let's be honest with people about the consequences of them. Let's not fool them into thinking that there are no consequences to this. People will say that aggressive questioning doesn't work. I, you know, I ... Honest answer to that is, it doesn't work all the time. Sometimes it does."

Happy Thanksgiving to all

... with a hat tip to my friend Wave Maker for this one ...

Unstated subtext for Hiroshima story - hold your head in shame

"Paper cranes fly for peace 62 years after Hiroshima" reads the headline for a story in today's Boston Globe, one that takes up most of the first page of the City & Region section - "For the fourth-graders at the Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School," writes Globe staffer Tania deLuzuriaga, "Japan is a faraway place, and World War II is something that happened before most of their grandparents were born. But the war has come home to them through the story of a young Japanese girl whose life was cut short by the effects of the atomic bomb dropped on her city 62 years ago."

Something else "cut short" by the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and another three days later on Nagasaki, though you'd never know it from reading this story - an abrupt end to the bloodiest and most destructive war in history, one that claimed 60 million lives.

The difference between us and them, in a nutshell

As reported today by the Associated Press -

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as American soldiers were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least three children and three of the troops, US and Iraqi authorities said ...

Thanks again, Ralph

"We remember the last time we had faith that anything good would ever happen again in the world," reads the blurb on page 3 of the Sidekick supplement in today's Boston Globe on a screening of "An Unreasonable Man, a documentary about Ralph Nader. "Just about the time we checked off Ralph Nader's name on the ballot ..." (what's this "we" stuff, paleface?) "All downhill since then. The truth is, he has done some remarkable things over the years, such as revolutionizing consumer safety standards." And preventing Al Gore from winning the presidency - bravo, Ralph!

Weather Channel founder: Global warming 'greatest scam in history'

Granted, John Coleman is not a Nobel laureate or Oscar winner like Al Gore, he's just a mere meteorologist who started something called The Weather Channel 20 years ago (and Coleman is no relation to me, though I like that we share the same name). An op-ed by Coleman that's posted at Icecap is causing quite a stir in the blogosphere -

"It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.

"Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild “scientific” scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda. Now their ridiculous manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue for CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic Political Party, the Governor of California, school teachers and, in many cases, well informed but very gullible environmentally conscientious citizens. Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the Global Warming frenzy with one 15 minute documentary segment.

"I do not oppose environmentalism. I do not oppose the political positions of either party. However, Global Warming, i.e. Climate Change, is not about environmentalism or politics. It is not a religion. It is not something you “believe in.” It is science; the science of meteorology. This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming is a non-event, a manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won’t believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it ..."

Follow this link to read the remainder of Coleman's op-ed.

Go figure

"Rally to honor Arafat turns violent" - headline on page A9 in today's Boston Globe.

How about 'Ministry of Truth' radio?

"I don't even call it 'liberal radio,' I call it 'truth radio' " - Nova M Radio co-founder Shelly Drobny on angry, angry moonbat Mike Malloy's radio show Friday.

Al Qaeda reaches out to children

... which isn't surprising in the least of jihadists for whom nothing is beyond the pale - as reported this morning by the AP -

LONDON - Britain faces an increased threat from al Qaeda-inspired terrorism and is now home to at least 2,000 people who pose a direct threat to the country's security, including children who are being groomed by extremists, the director of the domestic spy agency said yesterday.

Truer words never spoken

"History teaches us that underestimating the words of evil, ambitious men is a terrible mistake. Bin Laden and his terrorist allies have made their intentions as clear as Lenin and Hitler before them. The question is, will we listen? ... Some here in Washington, D.C., dismiss it as a political rhetoric, an attempt to scare people into votes. Given the nature of the enemy and the words of its leaders, politicians who deny that we are at war are either being disingenuous or naive. Either way, it is dangerous for our country. We are at war and we cannot win this war by wishing it away or pretending it does not exist" - President George W. Bush, speaking at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday.

A lazy, simplistic editorial

Yesterday's lead editorial in the Boston Sunday Globe condemning the "intellectually lazy analogy of Islamism to fascism" was difficult to take seriously after reading this whopper of a paragraph -

"Al Qaeda and company cannot be compared with the fascist powers ruled by Hitler, Mussolini and Franco - neither for their ideas nor for their military power. The Nazis scorned religion, wanting to make the state the sole object of worship. Bin Laden and Hitler might share a proclivity for cruelty and killing, but for little else. Hitler cherished the operas of Wagner; bin Laden and his Taliban allies have been known to put musicians to the lash for playing music at a wedding. And bin Laden has no panzer divisions."

"Bin Laden and Hitler might share a proclivity for cruelty and killing, but for little else."

Amazing. Where to begin?

Bin Laden and Hitler share far more than that, unbeknownst to the intellectually lazy editorial writers at the Globe. For example, the main thing they share in common, an elephant-in-the-room parallel that all but the most oblivious can ignore, is in their visceral loathing and wanton pathological cruelty toward Jews. And there's no "might" about it.

How about these for other parallels - Hitler and bin Laden's absolute intolerance of dissent, an unwavering belief in the alleged messianic quality of their respective crusades (yes, crusades) and the utter lack of anything resembling irony, self-deprecation or introspection.

Agreed, "bin Laden has no panzer divisions." Nor did he need them to destroy the World Trade Center, inflict grievous damage to the Pentagon and slaughter 3,000 innocent people in less than two hours.

Most importantly, Hitler and bin Laden share something else in common - a wolf-like grasp of appeasement disguised as well-reasoned argument from their foes.

RIP, Paul Tibbets

A link here to an op-ed I wrote last year for the Providence Journal about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the cruiser that delivered the atom bomb to Tinian, where it was flown to Hiroshima on a B-29 piloted by Paul Tibbets, who died Thursday at 92.

As I pointed out in the op-ed, the loss of the Indianapolis and the deaths of more than 900 sailors in its crew of 1,200 represents the worst-ever loss of life for an American naval vessel at sea - and it occurred less than two weeks before the bombing of Hiroshima.

Only one other American warship ever suffered more casualties in battle - the battleship Arizona, sunk within minutes of the start of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

I wonder how many revisionist historians have asked survivors from both ships if they thought the bombing of Hiroshima was justified.

Dept. of Unintentional Humor

"We have to play hardball if we're going to try to end this war" - US Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., speaking today with radio talk show host Ed Schultz.

Hey, look at what they did to Papillon

"Rumsfeld flees France, Fearing Arrest" blares the headline over at AlterNet, followed by this:

"Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fled France today (Oct. 29) fearing arrest over charges of 'ordering and authorizing' torture of detainees at both the American-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the U.S. military's detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unconfirmed reports coming from Paris suggest.
"U.S. embassy officials whisked Rumsfeld away yesterday from a breakfast meeting in Paris organized by the Foreign Policy magazine after human rights groups filed a criminal complaint against the man who spearheaded President George W. Bush's 'war on terror' for six years ..."

Great moments in Escapee history: Khrushchev blinks

On this day in 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, convinced that the resolve shown by American president John F. Kennedy was far more than bluster, agreed to remove Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba, thereby ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. Before agreeing to do so, Khrushchev extracted two promises from Kennedy - for the US to never invade Cuba and to remove American missiles from Turkey. Both promises were kept, though the existence of the latter part of the agreement was kept secret for decades.

The 13-day Cuban Missile Crisis eventually cost both leaders dearly. Little more than a year later, Kennedy was assassinated by an avowed Marxist who sought and was refused asylum in the alleged workers' paradise of his hero, Fidel Castro, two months earlier. Within a year of Kennedy's death, Khrushchev was deposed in a bloodless coup.

Haven't the Jews suffered enough?

As reported Friday by the Associated Press -

NEW YORK -- Halle Berry is the latest celebrity to join the Foot-in-Mouth Club. The 41-year-old actress has apologized for making an inappropriate joke at last Friday's taping of NBC's "The Tonight Show."
Berry, who showed host Jay Leno photos of herself that she had distorted by using computer software, remarked that one snapshot - in which her nose appeared cartoonishly large - made her "look like my Jewish cousin."

Chicken Little morphs into Give 'em Heck Harry

"We can't just walk away and no one suggests we can" - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid telling radio host Ed Schultz today why Democrats won't end funding for the war.

Quite a change of tone for the good Senator since his assertion last spring that "this war is lost."

Hair peace, man

A lock of lefty icon and posthumous screen fave Che Guevera sells for $100,00 at auction, according to today's New York Times ...

... which ended when the aliens realized Kucinich could never be our leader

In her new book, Shirley MacLaine claims that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich had an "extremely moving" encounter with a UFO at her home in Washington state ...

Rudolph the Red Knows Rain, Dear

Russian czar wannabe Vlad "The Impaler" Putin commenting on new US sanctions against Iran, as reported in today's Wall Street Journal - "I think running around like a lunatic - with a razor and waving a red banner - isn't the best way to solve this kind of problem," said Putin, perhaps alluding to his own experience with this sort of thing while running the KGB.

Tax policy 101

"It's a product that you're taxing, it's not the people that you're taxing" - prairie populist Ed Schultz on his show today while talking with a listener about tobacco taxes.

Ditto

Director Francis Ford Coppolla in an interview in the November issue of GQ magazine, asked what he thought of The Sopranos -

"I never saw The Sopranos. I was so sick of gangsters."

Great moments in Escapee history

Radio Berlin International's final broadcast on this date in 1990; last song "The End" by the Doors.

Reassuring its readers worried about American victory in Iraq

From an editorial in today's Boston Globe under the headline, "Iraq's war of the warlords" -

"When the radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr called last week for a freeze on his Mahdi Army's operations, it might have been tempting to take it as a positive step toward reducing violence and promoting stability in Iraq."

... Yes, especially "tempting" for the sane and rational among us ...

"But even if his directive is heeded by most components of the far-from-unitary Mahdi Army, any such timeout will only be a tactical pause to let Sadr's forces regroup."

... Globe editorialists being privy to an infallible crystal ball allowing them to predict the future ...

"It hardly portends a transformation of the basic situation in Iraq."

... Let me see if I have this straight - even if "most" of Sadr's army lay down their arms, thereby refraining from further mass killings that have already stained their hands with the blood of thousands, this is not a "positive step"?

In other words - not to worry, we might lose this war yet!