Kerry: Man of the People

Steve at Poliblog remarks [tongue planted firmly in cheek]: But I Thought he Hated Special Interest. A graf from the linked WaPo story:

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made a fight against corporate special interests a centerpiece of his front-running campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has raised more money from paid lobbyists than any other senator over the past 15 years, federal records show.

The top industries supporting John Kerry are:
1 Lawyers/Law Firms $4,136,939
2 Securities & Investment $1,643,600
3 Real Estate $1,050,233
4 *Retired $1,024,520
5 TV/Movies/Music $725,319
6 Business Services $714,600
7 Education $507,625
8 Misc Finance $502,875
9 Computers/Internet $492,100
10 Health Professionals $455,926

Top Contributors:
1 Skadden, Arps et al $116,150
2 Mintz, Levin et al $112,250
3 Goldman Sachs $84,000
4 FleetBoston Financial $83,250
5 Robins, Kaplan et al $82,200
6 Citigroup Inc $81,500
7 Piper Rudnick $80,250
8 Harvard University $75,800
9 Hill, Holliday et al $75,500
10 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance $68,950

The catagory Indirect Expenditures has this disclaimer:

Expenditure data is only available for members of the House. The Senate has exempted itself from reporting expenditures.

Kerry has an established voting record and paper trail of a typical Northeastern Liberal funded by special interests; beginning with his Lt. Governship under Mike Dukakis to his disgraceful Iraq votes.

Will the media hold Kerry's feet to the fire of his rhetoric? Of course not, but the Blogosphere will. Contrary the old-media hype, the candidates don't understand the power of the Internet. They see it as a means to raise money and spew pat campaign rhetoric. This election cycle is going to change their ability to lie about or obfuscate their records and accept undisclosed funding....it's all just a googling away.

Note: "bolding" has been added for clarity or emphasis.

*Contributions in this category come from donors who list their occupation as "retired." All the money comes from individuals, which when combined, can make a big impact; “Retired” is generally the No. 1 “industry” that gives to federal candidates. The nation's largest organization representing seniors, the American Association of Retired Persons, does not have a PAC and does not make contributions. (AARP is, however, a major lobbying force on Capitol Hill.)

Dean who?

This proves there is a God and he's on our side.

A hat tip to Michele who is feeling poorly, go say something rude/stupid to get her fired up, she''ll thank you for it. Really.

So It Begins

Evil Glenn was caught on film in grammar school, stealing classmate Susie's science project to satisfy his nascent fascination with blenders.

KJOTD

Kerry Joke of the Day:

John Kerry and a friend were hunting in the woods when they lost their way. Kerry had read that when lost, you fire three times in the air and help will come. So he did. Nothing happened. An hour later he fired three more times. After another hour his friend told him to try a third time.

... "Okay," said Kerry, "but we're almost out of arrows."

Keep Hands Inside Car

Tripping the light fantastic in search of a quote (too lazy to get the friggin' book down and type it ) when I stumbled on an ill-formed URL and fell head-long through a tear in the hyperspace compendium, landing with a startled "splat" upon the pages of Tie-Dyed Brain Rays.

Awright.

Today's post Get The Phone demonstrates the futility of the telephone as a means of communication.

Go. Read. Laugh. Blogroll.

'splain This Senator

I can't sit here and listen to Kerry lie about his Defense Appropriations voting record. How stupid do the Dems think we are?

Kerry Has Voted For At Least Seven Major Reductions In Defense And Military Spending Necessary For Our National Security.
• In 1996, Introduced Bill To Slash Defense Department Funding By $6.5 Billion.
• In 1995, Voted To Freeze Defense Spending For 7 Years, Slashing Over $34 Billion From Defense.
• Fiscal 1996 Budget Resolution – Defense Freeze. “Harkin, D-Iowa, amendment to freeze defense spending for the next seven years and transfer the $34.8 billion in savings to education and job training.”

In 1993, Introduced Plan To Cut Numerous Defense Programs, Including:
• Cut the number of Navy submarines and their crews
• Reduce the number of light infantry units in the Army down to one
• Reduce tactical fighter wings in the Air Force
• Terminate the Navy’s coastal mine-hunting ship program
• Force the retirement of no less than 60,000 members of the Armed Forces in one year.

Kerry Has Voted Repeatedly To Cut Defense Spending, Including:
• In 1993, Voted Against Increased Defense Spending For Military Pay Raise. Kerry voted to kill an increase in military pay over five years.
  
• In 1992, Voted To Cut $6 Billion From Defense.
  
• In 1991, Voted To Slash Over $3 Billion From Defense, Shift Money To Social Programs.
  
• In 1991, Voted To Cut Defense Spending By 2%.
  

Weapons Kerry Sought To Phase Out Were Vital In Iraq. “Kerry supported cancellation of a host of weapons systems that have become the basis of US military might -- the high-tech munitions and delivery systems on display to the world as they leveled the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in a matter of weeks.” (Brian C. Mooney, “Taking One Prize, Then A Bigger One,” The Boston Globe, 6/19/03)

Kerry voted against:

• F-16 Fighting Falcons.
  
• B-1Bs B-2As F-15s.
  
• M1 Abrams.
  
• Patriot Missile.
  
• AH-64 Apache Helicopter
  
• Tomahawk Cruise Missile.
  
• Aegis Air-Defense Cruiser
  

During 1980s, Kerry And Michael Dukakis Joined Forces With Liberal Group Dedicated To Slashing Defense. Kerry sat on the board of “Jobs With Peace Campaign,” which sought to “develop public support for cutting the defense budget…”(“Pentagon Demonstrators Call For Home-Building, Not Bombs,” The Associated Press, 6/3/88)

Running For Congress In 1972, Kerry Promised To Cut Defense Spending. “On what he’ll do if he’s elected to Congress, Kerry said he would ‘bring a different kind of message to the president.’ He said he would vote against military appropriations.” (“Candidate’s For Congress Capture Campus In Andover,” Lawrence [MA] Eagle-Tribune, 4/21/72)

“So you can look at all the potential threats of the world, and when you add the expenditures of all of our allies to the United States of America, you have to stop and say to yourself, ‘What is it that we are really preparing for in a post-cold-war world?’”(Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 5/15/96, p. S5061)

What indeed.

Go Ask Alice

I was working up a humor link fest but logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead; and the white knight is talking backwards; Think I'll pop a couple of Damnitol and fuggetaboutit.

A Black Thursday

Let me make this very clear, I condemn the appalling murder of ten innocent civilians and the horrific wounding of dozens in Jerusalem today and wince at media coverage of such carnage, but I applaud this move to counter the world media's obsession with portraying Palistinan terrorists as victims.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has decided to release a movie showing "bloody" pictures from Thursday's suicide bombing on a bus in Jerusalem in advance of a hearing over the West Bank security fence at the International Court at the Hague.

Out of concern for victims and respect for the dead, the Israeli government has allowed the PLO shape this issue far too long. No, I won't be viewing the video, but I hope some of the naive American lefties who empower this crime against humanity do so.

The link is here , be warned it is said to be very graphic.

For ongoing coverage and opinion check Israpundit, Lair, LGF, Meryl and The Command Post.

Kerry's Voting Record

While Pashmina and Botox jokes are fun, a look at Kerry's voting record is in order as the Dems head to the Southwest primaries and Super Tuesday states with large immigrant populations.

Kerry's voting record on immigration and illegal aliens' rights doesn't match his campaign rhetoric:

From the Democratic Primary Debate, Albuquerque New Mexico Sep 4, 2003

Q: Would you support legalizing undocumented immigrants in this country?
KERRY: Absolutely. I supported and was prepared to vote for amnesty from 1986. And it is essential to have immigration reform. Anyone who has been in this country for five or six years, who's paid their taxes, who has stayed out of trouble, ought to be able to translate into an American citizenship immediately, not waiting.

Kerry's Voting Record:

• Voted NO on allowing more foreign workers into the U.S. for farm work.
  Vote to create a national registry containing names of U.S. workers who want to perform temporary or seasonal agricultural work, and to require the Attorney General to allow more foreign workers into the U.S. for farm work under H-2A visas.
  Bill S.2260 ; vote number 1998-233 on Jul 23, 1998
  
• Voted NO on visas for skilled workers.
  This bill expanded the Visa program for skilled workers.
  Status: Bill Passed Y)78; N)20; NV)2
  Reference: The American Competitiveness Act; Bill S. 1723 ; vote number 1998-141 on May 18, 1998
  
• Voted NO on limit welfare for immigrants.
  This amendment would have restored food stamp benefits to the children of legal immigrants
  Status: Motion to Table Agreed to Y)59; N)41
  Reference: Motion to table Kennedy Amdt #429; Bill S.947 ; vote number 1997-111 on Jun 24, 1997
  
• Question: On the Amendment (Exon Amdt. No. 1109, as modified )
  Vote Number: 355 Vote Date: November 5, 1993, 03:13 PM
  Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to
  Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 1109 to S. 1607 (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993 )
  Statement of Purpose: To prohibit the payment of Federal benefits to illegal aliens. Kerry (D-MA) -Yea
  
• Question: On the Amendment (roth amdt no. 1150 )
  Vote Number: 364 Vote Date: November 9, 1993, 05:41 PM
  Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to
  Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 1150 to S. 1607 (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993 )
  Statement of Purpose: To require State and local governments to cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding enforcement of immigration laws. Kerry (D-MA) -Yea
  

Kerry voted for much of the intrusive legislation that the Dems now condemn , in fact Kerry voted with Ashcroft for the following bills and/or amendments:

Clinton Adminstration Bills approved by John Kerry (D-MA)
• Immigration - Seeking to capitalize on a wave of anti-immigration initiatives, both the House and Senate passed bills that represented the most draconian and divisive immigration proposals in decades. Included were provisions that would strip the courts of jurisdiction over illegal and abusive INS actions and erect enormous and virtually insurmountable barriers for most people seeking political asylum. The House even approved a bill that would have effectively denied public education to American citizen children of undocumented immigrants. The Senate voted 97 to 3 to accept one version of the legislation; the House approved a harsher version by a vote of 333 to 87. The President (Clinton) signed the immigration legislation in September.
• National ID Card - One of the most pervasive themes of the 104th Congress has been proposals to establish a national identification system as a means of tracking undocumented workers, so-called deadbeat dads and to monitor health insurance information. Various database schemes have been included in bills as diverse as immigration, welfare reform and health insurance.
• Wiretapping - To make it easier for the FBI to wiretap to permitting law enforcement agencies to use more "roving" wiretaps (without specifying which phone is to be tapped), and more "emergency" wiretaps (without obtaining a prior court order).
• Counter-terrorism - The bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building lifted from obscurity a Clinton Administration proposal to increase the powers of law enforcement in the name of fighting terrorism. The measure gave the government the power to use secret evidence to deport immigrants it accuses of being "terrorists" and to exclude aliens merely because they are members of a disfavored foreign group. (my emphasis) The bill won approval in the Senate by a vote of 91 to 8 and a vote of 293 to 133 in the House

Source: US Senate server, Pittsburg Independent Media Center and the ACLU

COTV#71

The American Mind presents Carnival of the Vanities in that straightforward manner admired by our friends and feared by our enemies: Sean takes names and kicks butt!

Le démenti n'est pas une rivière dans l'Egypte

The SF Chronicle continues it's breathless admiration of all things French in a Home & Garden piece featuring a high-end French antique dealer who recently imported "Something For Every Budget. "

"18th century oak fireplaces from French farmhouses that are durable as well as lovely and can be had for as little as $1,500. The fireplaces of walnut, which are finer and more delicate, go for as much as $4, 500."

Aw right! I'll have one of those $4500 jobbies and a couple $15,000 doors too. (Oh, to be a limosine Liberal)

Lebert's father, Jean Claude, a renowned antiques merchant in France who prefers to deal only in things of "exceptional quality," sniffed at his son's request to send over the lesser pieces he came across. But then the elder Lebert relented, his son said, in recognition of the importance of American tastes in the antiques market and even admitted grudging approval of his son's San Francisco escapade. (discovered that wads of money were to be had)

This is the absolute kicker:

"He said, 'The best clients in the world for antiques are Americans,' and, 'In France, you don't see Americans anymore,' " Lebert said, conceding that the latter has much to do with the drop in the dollar's value.

The French are masters of self-delusion.

KJOTD

Kerry Joke of the Day:

Campaign workers and supporters threw Kerry a birthday party. The party went well, with one exception. When the cake was brought in, Kerry couldn't blow out the candles.

Ducking And Spinning

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck; it's a friggin' duck!

How difficult is this? How did the Clinton Administration fail to realize that terrorist attacks prior to 9-11 were indicative of an escalating war of terror against the US and a failure of the intelligence community?

The media just doesn't seem to grasp the obvious, our intelligence capabilites failed miserably and have been inadequate for a decade. In their zeal to place blame solely on the White House they give the Clinton Administration and Congressmen such as John Kerry a pass.

Kerry Supported Slashing $2.6 Billion from Intelligence Funding While Serving as a Member of Senate Intel Committee.

Senator Kerry, as a member of the Senate Committee on Intelligence, supported slashing $2.6 billion dollars in intelligence funding. (S. 1290, Introduced 9/29/95; H.R. 2076, CQ Vote #480: Adopted 49-41: R 9-40; D 40-1, 9/29/95, Kerry Voted Yea) as S. Amdt. 1452 to H.R. 3759. (S. 1826, Introduced 2/3/94) (Amdt.. To H.R. 3759, CQ Vote #39: Rejected 20-75: R 3-37; D 17-38, 2/10/94, Kerry Voted Yea;Graham, Lieberman And Braun Voted Nay) In 1997: "Now that that [Cold War] struggle is over, why is it that our vast intelligence apparatus continues to grow even as Government resources for new and essential priorities fall far short of what is necessary? ... " (Senator John Kerry agreeing with Critics Of Intel Community, Congressional Record, 5/1/97, p. S3891)

Leiberman to his credit voted Nay.

Perhaps the media, especially TV news, would do well to take a lesson from their British counterparts at the BBC before they sex up a story. There is plenty of blame to go around and the buck started here and continues with self-serving rhetoric such as this:

Kerry: "We cannot afford to leave the front lines of home security without the resources they need any more than we can afford to leave our soldiers vulnerable to attack in Iraq," he said. (Associated Press, July 16, 2003, Kerry says credibility gap has opened between Bush rhetoric, actions)

In the course of his Senate career, Kerry repeatedly voted to cut funding to intelligence agencies, including $80 million in cuts to the F.B.I.

Who's kidding whom?

Trippi Is Out

Howard Dean Shakes Up His Presidential Campaign; Longtime Associate of Al Gore Takes the Helm

BURLINGTON, Vt. Jan. 28 — Democrat Howard Dean shook up his faltering bid for the White House on Wednesday, replacing his campaign manager with a longtime associate of former Vice President Al Gore.

In a further sign of distress, the one-time front-runner implemented cost-cutting measures as he looked ahead to a series of costly primaries and caucuses, asking staff to defer their paychecks for two weeks.
"Governor Dean asked Roy Neel to join the campaign as CEO and Joe Trippi resigned as campaign manager," said Tricia Enright, a campaign spokeswoman.

What next? Adopting "Nearer My God To Thee" as his official campaign song?

Oily Bastids

This story from Merde In France reminds me that I haven't posted haven't this in a while.

KJOTD

Kerry Joke of the Day:

A horse walks into a Manchester bar, sits down and orders a beer.

The bartender pulls the beer, slides it across the bar and asks "Why the long face?"

Tick-tock...

...countin' down to Armageddon for Howard Dean?

Sean Hackbarth at The American Mind collected varied opinions in Duck Hunt #8.

Dodd Harris' Predictions Are Off To A Bad Start

I'm watching the traditional "first returns" from Dixville Notch, NH live on C-SPAN. In between the cameraman's obsessive shots of all the other news cameras, one can just make

out the results:

Clark: 8
Dean: 1
Edwards: 2
Kerry: 3
Lieberman: 1

Which means absolutely nothing.

Tacitus has spoken:

"Kerry will win in New Hampshire by a comfortable margin. No surprise.

Edwards will win second, but it will be close."

And so it shall come to pass. Or not.

The good news is that historically the New Hampshire primary winner seldom wins the general election. Since 1952 only four Democrats have won both New Hampshire and the White House.

Super Tuesday is the big magillah, delegate-wise...until then it's just the media peeing in each other's pockets. Pray for a clear winner on or before Super Tuesday, a brokered convention would a nightmare.

Trivial Pursuits

Okay, some trivial Oscar talk today...I'm fed up with the Demfest, the Ketchup Kid will win it easily. Ho. Hum.

My biggest gripe is that Sean Austin wasn't nominated in the Supporting Actor catagory for Samwise Gamgee. Austin's performance was an emotional touchstone that bound the three films together and Samwise emerged as the quiet hero of the epic.

Best Actor: I'm pulling for Johnny Depp in spite of his loopy anti-American ramblings, he has a great body of work, making risky and unpredictable choices...his Cap'n Jack Sparrow was was a pearl. My second choice would be Bill Murray, a comedy icon who should have been recognised for "Groundhog Day". As much as I despise Viggo Mortensen's lameass politics, his portrayal of Aragon was masterful, sustaining and refining the character, he should have been nominated for Best Actor.

Best Actress: Dianne Keaton? Puleeze, get the fargin' hook and what's with the stupid gloves? Charlize Theron's a lock...her Golden Globe dress clinched it.

Best Supporting Actor: Alex "Fatboy" Baldwin and Tim "Pussywhipped" Robbins may cancel each other out...but if Best Actor doesn't go to Penn, they may want to make a anti-Bush statement with Baldwin. The nod should go to Djimon Hounsou, a magnificent and underated actor who should have been nominated for Gladiator.

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Clarkson, for "Pieces of April", but Renee Zellweger continues to give flawless performances...she should have copped one for "Chicago" and/or "Bridget Jones Diary"... she'll win.

Best Animated Feature: "Finding Nemo" will easily win, again a keeper.

Best Picture and Director: "LOTR:Return of the King" (representing the entire trilogy), of course. "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" was a terrific ride and Peter Weir has been a favorite of mine since the stunningly beautiful "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and the powerful "Gallipoli". I'd normally be rooting for Weir, but not this year. Eastwood's "Mystic River" was gripping, his usual level of excellence, but I wouldn't watch it again or buy the DVD.

It's gotta be Peter Jackson for best adapted screenplay, director and picture. LOTR's lasting quality and box office numbers can't be ignored in an industry that lives and dies by gross receipts. It also doesn't hurt that Jackson is not an American.

My test for BP is always which of the nominated films will be around in twenty years? LOTR and MACFSOTW...both timeless period pieces...perhaps Mystic River as part of Eastwood's legacy and catalog.

That's my dos centavos.

Bestofme Symphony #8

This weeks Bestofme Symphony is up at Dodgeblogium and very nicely tuned, I might add.

Monday Tour d' Blogosphere

Stephen Green predicts that Edwards may be the next President "Edwards is Clinton without the bimbo eruptions." Hmmm...now there's a scary thought..Clinton Lite.

Dean Esmay gets it about right on the Kay kerfuffle over WMD...

I'm tired of having my country and my President bashed by people who seek only partisan cheap shots and easy points while we're in the middle of a war for the future of Western civilization. We did the right thing in Iraq, for the right reasons, and were not lied to by anyone but Saddam and his minions--as any reasonable person should conclude.

Unfortunately we ain't seen nothing yet...the approaching campaign is going to leave everyone with a bad taste in their mouth.

Which segues to Juliette's latest melange of crunchy goodness...guaran-damn-teed to fortify your immune system against the election cycle vapours and leave you clamouring for more.

Or seeing red as the case may be as The Commisar at The Politburo Diktat posts this amazing photo. Is there any question that our good friend France is pissing into the Allied tent? It only figures that when the Chinese lost access to American technology transfer that they would woo the mother-of-all-whores.

Merde In France offers his usual stomach-churning window into the French sewers. Pity The French aren't as keen on exporting democracy as they are on arming murderous regimes.

Speaking of whores, General Jack Ripper takes in in the shorts from Greyhawk, who promises more to come from his dossier on Clark.

And Smash asks "What the heck was Clark thinking?"

Clark is exhibiting the same ego-centric, tone-deafness that was a hallmark of his NATO command and pissed off SecDef Cohen.

Old Hatreds Flamed Anew

Try as I might, I couldn't excerpt Banagor's Left Wing Friend.

The piece is too powerful to summarize, it must be read in full.

His closing thoughts are a dire warning to us all that indeed "it" is happening again in your city, town and neighborhood...where ever the Internet offers a connection into this pool of racial hatred and filth.

This is not about which party ideology or platform is better, it is about looking the other way, a wink and a nod, it is about gaining support by unleashing a hatred that may taint American life for generations.

The Democratic Party must purge itself of this evil, and they must do so soon, for if they continue to build their constituency on anger, class-envy and hate they will not have the moral authority to lead this country and will be rejected by the electorate. The ends do not justify the means.

Will you sit silently as millions did before? As we have discovered the Blogosphere's fads, amusements and opinions are noticed and often elevated into the national dialog. Collectively, we have power.

Use the Force. Link Banagor's post, add your own voice.

January 24th, 1984

Twenty years ago today the band began to play...

My MacPlus had 4MB of RAM, an IOmega 20MB bottom and a 300dpi Laserwriter...man, it was heaven. There was nothing you couldn't do with FullWritePro, Pagemaker, Paint and Hypercard.

Yes, Virginia, there is a little MacPlus still huffing along serving web pages.

Welcome to this web site, which is brought to you by a 17 years old computer running 24h a day since Wednesday 7 november 2001. Presently, the web pages you are actually reading are hosted on one of the oldest unmodified personnal computer running on it's native operating system, used as a web server.

Is that cool or what?

While I crossed to the Dark Side a few years later, I'll always remember my little Mac with fondness, and the sweet $46 AAPL spread in 2000.

( BUWHAHAHAHA! What part of Dark Side didn't you understand?)

57 Varities Of Spin

Classless Warfare sums up the Dem Debate, saving me the grief, Thanks Jay.

Alan Forkum updates with Mark Steyn's: How the Hulk exploded in Iowa All good stuff...but my fav graf is his put down of Kerry's "Comback Kerry" line.

"And his big line of the night — that he was now the ‘Comeback Kerry’ — amply testifies to the sparkling quality of his rhetoric. He is, in fact, the Ketchup Kid, the wife of Big Ketchup heiress Theresa Heinz, and the question now is whether he can ketchup to Dean by Tuesday, and whether his cash-strapped campaign (he’s just mortgaged his home) gets rewarded for the way he left the Governor lying in a pool of the red stuff. "

The Ketchup Kid. Heh. I can't wait until the GOP puts HJ Heinz Company under the "Halliburton" microscope.

Jim at Smoke On The Water likes it when he reads a journalist who gets it right, for a change. Me too, it's such a rare event 'n all.

Armed Liberal flagellates his favorite whipping journalist Steve '300K' Lopez, of the L.A. Times, a target rich environment, over a piece of tomfoolery by a couple of state college professors to get rid of the deficit by having a couple of rich people write checks and make it go away.

Which perfectly segues into Andy's You'll Shoot Your eye Out, 10 Common Myths. Given that the list resides at ABC, I'd offer that the missing #1 myth is: "Halliburton made millions overcharging the Pentagon for gasoline in Iraq. "

Rope-A-Dope?

One hopes this is a White House election ploy.

UN team arrives in Iraq as Annan readies announcement on future role

In Washington, the White House said Friday President George W. Bush met a day earlier with a top UN official, lending extra weight to appeals for the UN to make a speedy return to Iraq.

Bush had a brief meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi, a widely respected diplomat newly appointed as Annan's special adviser, spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

"They have an important role to play. They have a lot of special expertise that they can offer. And so we are hopeful that they can return to Iraq as soon as possible," said McClellan.

I will believe this is anything more when the UN redeploys full-blown mission to Baghdad.

My Druthers

The two moves I'd most like to see Bush make before the convention?

The Dunce Ticket

Aside from rolling back the Bush tax cuts, Dean drops this pearl of fiscal wisdom

Howard Dean said on Friday that Alan Greenspan has become "too political" and should be replaced, criticising the chairman of the Federal Reserve for failing to stand up to the Bush administration tax cuts.

"I think Alan Greenspan has become too political," the Democratic presidential candidate said at a townhall meeting on Friday in New Hampshire, as he fought to recover his campaign's momentum.

"If he lacks the political courage to criticise the deficits, if he was foolish enough - and he's not a foolish man - to support the outrageous tax cuts that George Bush put through, then he has become too political and we need a new chairman of the Federal Reserve."

Yeah, that's the ticket, tank the stock market, that'll fix the greedy rich bastids.

It gets worse...Clark expounds:

Clark would pay for his Plan by hiking taxes 5% on the richest 0.1% - people making more than $1 million a year - creating a new 45% tax bracket.

"Twenty-five years ago, the wealthiest Americans paid a 70% tax rate. Today, they pay half of that," he said.

How the hell does a small business in California with 20 employees pay a tax increase, and pay an additional Workers Comp rate of $4000 per year, per employee? This bit of analysis from the Citizens For A Sound Economy:

In raising the top income tax rate to get more money from “the rich” Clark’s plan will also raise taxes on small businesses. This is because almost all small businesses pay taxes at the income tax rates, rather than the corporate tax rates. Small businesses also provide about 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy, they represent 99.7 percent of all employers, and employ over half of the private work force. By damaging the very engine of or economy, Clark’s plan will clearly mean fewer, rather than more jobs.

Studies from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) confirms this. They find that tax rate cuts, not increases, lead to job growth. A 10 percent rate cut would increase the likelihood that a firm would hire new workers by 12 percent and the median wages paid by entrepreneurs would increase 3 to 4 percent. A tax hike would have the opposite effect.

Clearly, raising taxes on the 23 million individual-owned businesses in America is not going to create jobs, even with a temporary refund, in the form of a $5,000 subsidy.

Clark also believes that states should raise or create income and sales taxes:

Democratic presidential contender Wesley Clark said Saturday that one reason New Hampshire property taxes are high is the state has no income or general sales tax.

"Some of the responsibility for your high property taxes is a function of your state government and leadership in the state," Clark said in response to a question at a morning campaign stop.

Those of you blinded by the stars on Wes Clark's shoulders should carefully read his white papers, they reveal that Clark does not have the expertise to manage our economy.

The Clark Plan

The Homeland and Economic Security Fund:
$40 Billion Over Two Years.

Wes Clark proposes to create a Homeland and Economic Security Fund of $20 billion per year (or $40 billion total over the next two years). General Clark's Homeland and Economic Security Fund would take the crucial immediate steps that America needs to secure our homeland.

Tax Incentives for Job Creation:
$20 Billion Over Two Years.

Wes Clark proposes to provide $20 billion over the next two years in business tax incentives to create American jobs, including in the manufacturing sector.

State and Local Tax Rebate Fund:
$40 Billion Over Two Years.

Wes Clark proposes to create a State and Local Tax Rebate Fund of $20 billion per year (or $40 billion total over the next two years) to create jobs and lessen the need for states and local governments to raise taxes (including property taxes), raise state college tuition rates, raise other fees, and/or cut critical expenditures (e.g., in health care).

Doesn't this last item contradict his statement in New Hampshire? He also doesn't detail how he will offset/pay for these rebates in year three and four of his term, the effect on budget out-years, or how state and local governments will continue additional Homeland Security and social services after his plan sunsets the funding (remember Clinton's 100,00 cops funding debaucle?)

Send Clark back to K Street.

A Question...

...you won't hear tonight. What do Clark, Kerry and Dean plan to do about Nth Korea, especially since their guy screwed the pooch, leaving few options.

N.Korea May Have Nuclear Weapons, UN Agency Says

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Thursday North Korea may already have developed nuclear weapons and that the reclusive Stalinist state represented "the most serious threat to non-proliferation" in the world today.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told BBC television that a recent U.S. delegation's unofficial visit to the country "confirmed that North Korea possibly have nuclear weapons already developed, not only the capability, but nuclear weapons."

For Your Consideration

Today's SF Chronicle offers two opinions on health coverage in their current Open Forum:Bottom Line in U.S. Health Care

The first, "Cheap drugs from Canada are a harmful illusion" by Sally C. Pipes, debunks the myth that Canadian drugs are really cheaper and why prices will rise on both sides of the border if state and local governments purchase en-mass across the border.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is the latest to enlist its city in the quest to import prescription drugs from Canada.

For some time now, Americans have had the option of purchasing drugs at Canadian prices -- the result of the Internet, entrepreneurs and modern shipping. What the supervisors, several governors and mayors really want is to import Canadian price controls. But if such plans are successful, the politicians will soon find their nets ensnaring few fish in this once-hot fishing hole after it has been descended upon by a voracious fleet.

That's the message from Canada's Internet pharmacists -- the very folks who would supply and, therefore, appear to benefit from south-of-the-border municipal contracts. They are making a killing supplying the U.S. market one consumer at a time. They worry that group buyers, such as states and municipalities, will increase demand while causing pharmaceutical companies (who, after all, supply the product) to further restrict the supplies they send north. This is already happening. Companies such as Pfizer, Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline are now limiting their shipments.

Given that pharmaceutical companies are global, we will in effect be underwriting the Canadian health system, and create higher costs in our own market. This doesn't make sense. Who is really being served besides the politicans?

But below-market pricing has to be borne by someone. Until now, it has been the U.S. consumer, who supplies the pharmaceutical companies with the revenues necessary to invest in the next generation of breakthrough drugs.

Meanwhile, the dirty little secret is that as crusading American politicians head north, embattled Canadians travel south to get life-enhancing drugs that are unavailable in Canada. Because of Canada's system of price controls, it takes much longer for new drugs to reach consumers, and some never do. Examples, according to Health Canada's Patented Medicines Prices Review Board, include Embrel and Remicade for arthritis, Retuxin for AIDS and Glucophage 2 for diabetes -- to name a few.

Canadians also travel south to receive treaments that are not offered or have long waiting lists for procedures we consider quite routine.

Which brings me to the second article in the forum:

"The road map for universal health-care coverage", by Robert K. Ross.

The health-care crisis rumbling throughout California has extended its reach beyond low-income, working families: More than 640,000 of the state's uninsured have incomes of $70,000 or more, and approximately 1.6 million have incomes of more than $50,000, according to a 2003 report from the California HealthCare Foundation.

Although President Bush's recommendations of tax credits and medical- savings accounts are positive signs, they will still leave millions of people without health coverage. What's needed is an approach that ensures coverage for all.

Last week, a 13-member advisory committee of the Institute of Medicine released a report calling for universal health coverage. The private, nonpartisan institute that advises Congress on science and health issues concluded that the incremental expansion of existing programs is not working. With 6.4 million Californians lacking health coverage, no other state is feeling the impact more profoundly.

Firstly, are the 3 million estimated illegals factored in, if so then Mexico or the Federal government, should reimburse the state forthwith.

The other problem I have is that Ross claims a family with an income of $70,000 cannot afford health insurance. According to the credit industry, this same family also has an average of 11 credit cards. Something doesn't add up.

The notion that this is an "us" versus "them" issue is a fallacy. As revealed by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 80 percent of those without health coverage nationwide are from working families; moreover, growth in health-care costs and insurance premiums is outstripping general inflation and family and business incomes.

See the first article, our costs will continue to rise as we underwrite research and drug development. There is also no mention of tort reform. The costs of liability insurance has a direct and immediate effect on healthcare costs. How will universal coverage address this issue? If a patient can sue the government healthcare system, then costs would continue to rise, would they not? A law or regulation denying due process in a case of wrongful death, malpractise or malfeasance, would most certainly result in court challenge by the ACLU and patients-rights groups.

Furthermore, a push by business to overturn SB2, a new state law mandating employers with 200 or more workers to provide health insurance by 2006, doesn't bode well for the future of employer-based coverage, either.

Nor does SB2 bode well for retaining employers. In order for cost shifting to be effective, one must have an entity on which to shift costs. SB2 has accelerated a relocation of labor intensive service companies to Nevada that began when inventory taxes were raised and most large warehousing and distribution operations left the state or employers will continue to move jobs offshore.

The IOM report outlines four different plans for national universal health coverage by 2010:

-- Major public program expansion and new tax credits;

-- employer mandate, premium subsidy and individual mandate;

-- individual mandate and tax credit; and

-- single payer.

Perhaps Mr. Ross can name a single country where universal, single payer, mandated health care is not in fiscal crisis and treatment is not rationed and/or sub-par to ours.

Given that our current federally mandated healthcare systems are not self-sustainable, and badly broken, how do we add tens of millions more to the rolls just as a large sector of our top earners leave the work force and enter the Medicare system in 2010?

We cannot fiscally sustain universal healthcare coverage as outlined above, and that is the bottom line.

UPDATE: Dean Esmay sparks an impromtu comment debate on Canadian healthcare vs U.S.

COTV#70

As it was in the dawn of our days, [wav file]
T'Pring channels her inner Diana Ross as the Carnival of the Vanities pushes the boundries of the Blogosphere, where The Search For Links boldly continues at Poliblog.

Wednesday Weirdness

Tim Blair goes nuts ala Dean...a falling down funny meme.

This link details the various vehicles hired by the Dean campaign for his full frontal assault on New Hampshire, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Dakota, New Mexico, and California, Texas and New York, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington,Michigan and Washington, D.C.

Okay...Shark not only jumped, but filleted and lightly shizzled.

Yeah, but they got the Peterson trial.

Meanwhile in another jurisdiction, in a galaxy far, far away this item caught my eye. Not to be outdone, the Bay Area wraps today's Blogosphere wanderings with this.

Can't Believe Your Lying Eyes

DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe just remarked in an interview with Shepard Smith that Bush didn't serve in the military. Is McAuliffe saying that the Texas Air Guard isn't a branch of the military?

While the Dems, conspiracy buffs and Bush haters consume vast amounts of bandwidth claiming Bush was a deserter, however claiming he never served is mendacious nonsense.

There is no question that he enlisted, attended boot camp at Lackland, graduated from flight school at Moody and Ellington.

Texas Air National Guard 1st Lt. George W. Bush flew F-102 Delta Dagger fighter jets from 1970 to 1973 with the 11th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Ellington Air Force Base, Texas.

Here's a pix for those of you who have never seen a 102 up close and personal.

Did Bush receive an early discharge? His records appear to indicate that he that he did, but nobody's carping about Al Gore's shortened six-month tour as a "Stars & Stripes" reporter in Vietnam. Sons of the rich and powerful have always had influence with the brass hats, is that news? Hello? During the Civil War they paid poor men to die in their place.

I am fed up with the cheapening of military service as an election ploy and a "mine is bigger than yours" approach will not gain the Dems the WH, for it will turn off many more voters than it convinces. Kerry is making a big mistake if he thinks public displays of his combat prowess will offset his vote for the Iraq resolution with his base or against funding with moderates and Indies.

Living Large in the UAE

Will someone please explain why this MFer isn't in Coalition custody?

Iraq's Ex-U.N. Envoy: U.S. Sowing Chaos

AJMAN, United Arab Emirates - Saddam Hussein's former U.N. envoy accused the United States of deliberately sowing chaos in Iraq to prevent democracy from taking hold.

In interviews with The Associated Press on Saturday and Monday, former Iraqi U.N. envoy Mohammed al-Douri denounced a U.S. plan to create an appointed legislative body in Iraq and demanded free, direct elections instead.

He accused the United States of creating chaos in occupied Iraq as an excuse to avoid direct elections of a new government because that vote could lead to the United States losing control of Iraq's oil wealth and strategic location.

Free elections should be held now, he said, "because the Iraqi people are really thirsty for democracy."

Such words may seem unusual coming from al-Douri, whose role as U.N. ambassador required that he defend Iraqi policies to the world. Saddam's government never held free elections and killed at least 300,000 Iraqis believed to oppose its rule.

But al-Douri was not a hard-core member of Saddam's Baath Party and is not wanted by U.S. authorities. He repeatedly describes himself as an academic.

Al-Douri was an international law professor for 30 years before Saddam appointed him to his first diplomatic post in 1999, and he said he never considered himself a politician.

He said he strived to defend his country, not his president, as Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2001 until the regime was overthrown in April.

As a law professor Al-Douri can't claim ignorance that the regime he served flouted international law. This sort of BS didn't fly at Nuremberg and shouldn't now.

Makeover For The Insincere Guy

This photo at LGF sums up Dean in a nutshell.

LGF comment #55 offers this gem:

Well, that would help to explain why Mad How always seems to be on the verge of exploding...

A hat tip to Max Jacobs at Common Sense and Wonder.

Showtime

This Richard Shultz article is a must read as the Dems attempt to lay 9/11 at the feet of the Bush administration. It is indeed a showstopper.

These examples, among others, depict an increasingly aggressive, lethal, and preemptive counterterrorist policy. But not one of these operations--all authorized by President Clinton--was ever executed. General Schoomaker's explanation is devastating. "The presidential directives that were issued," he said, "and the subsequent findings and authorities, in my view, were done to check off boxes. The president signed things that everybody involved knew full well were never going to happen. You're checking off boxes, and have all this activity going on, but the fact is that there's very low probability of it ever coming to fruition. . . ." And he added: "The military, by the way, didn't want to touch it. There was great reluctance in the Pentagon."

Perhaps Wes Clark can explain why.

Say It Ain't So Joe

Dean Fades To Third In Iowa

Joe Trippi just told Chris Matthews that Kerry won with their message.

Heh.

Trippi is spinning as fast as he can, offering up lame excuses, but Matthew's hammering him pretty good.

As Gray Davis discovered the Kennedy's are still magic with the Dem base.

The End Game

Iowa campaign gets down to nitty-gritty

Uh-huh.

Apologies to Cox & Forkum for messing around with their wicked Dean caricature.

Say Anything

Neil Cavuto interviewed Senator Eugene McCarthy this afternoon...very emarrassing. McCarthy thinks there are too many candidates in the primary, that too many choices and opinions confuse voters. He went on to say that he was doing fine until Bobby Kennedy and others "cluttered" up the race with politics.

McCarthy also remarked that the two-party system is only an illusion, that the country must field a third party. If the Senator believes that a third party platform would be to his liking he hasn't been paying attention.

The good Senator should heed his own advice:

"It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember."
-Eugene McCarthy

As a callow anti-war activist I worked for Kennedy's California campaign, I remember.

Update: Upon considering McCarthy and McGovern over a plate of BBQ'd tri-tip I am compelled to remove a snarky comment and amend the post.

Whether one agreed with Senators McCarthy and McGovern or not, one must commend both men for their honorable service to the country, in war and peace. Each held their convictions deeply, often in the face of cruel riducule and suffered humiliating defeats with dignity. Why men of such quality and intellect would endorse men of such small stature begs the question.

Is this the handiwork of the DNC or the campaigns? Will the Dems so tarnish their considerable legacy with desparate pandering to their base that only the taste of ashes will be their reward?

Monday Mind Trips

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday, yet millions are still enslaved as the UN and our feckless Allies look the other way. How does one reconcile this post by John Hudock at Common Sense and Wonder with the UN's rhetoric:

While the UN organizes commissions to excoriate the US and Britain for their involvement with slavery more than a century and a half ago, there is shockingly little said or done about its current practice. Joseph Farah examines the situation.

Millions of women, children and men are enslaved around the world today, yet the United Nations is declaring 2004 the year to remember the abuses of the past.

Girls as young as five are trafficked into domestic work in West Africa. Families are forced to work as bonded slaves in South Asia. Women are used as chattel in Europe's sex industry.

Slavery is shockingly common in the world today: in homes, factories, farms and brothels. The most common form is bonded servitude, or holding people to work off debts with stratospheric interest rates. One widely held estimate puts the number of people in slavery at 27 million(my emphasis). The U.S. CIA estimates that up to 900,000 people are sold across international borders each year. The trade is illegal, and officially condemned, throughout the world. Yet it flourishes, earning perhaps $7 billion a year for its perpetrators.

This is just sad and prescient?

But McGovern's appearance also resurrects memories of one of the Democrats' worst defeats. In 1972, Richard Nixon defeated McGovern by winning every state except Massachusetts.

His Imperial Highness wonders what the Donks are smoking...I wonder what the hell Fox wordsmith Peter Brownfeld was thinking when he coined "pre-buttal". Arghhh.

Steven Den Beste anticipates the Dem rebuttal and ensuing media frenzy as he chronicles the Big Lie flowing from the 2003 SOTU.

They say, "Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity", but we seem to have gone beyond any possible stupidity now.

Is anyone else wishing the election was over? I can't imagine ten months of this mind numbing claptrap. Smash asks The Iowa Caucuses: do they really matter? Do you care?

Dodd Harris presents a loverly election map and an apt photographic embellishment of Senator Kennedy's incoherant speech-cum-driving direction Kerry endorsement.

Ending this morning's linkage with a note that John Little's newest site National Security Blog is up and is the perfect counterpoint to Eye On The left. Gees does the man ever sleep? How does he do it? Talent? Brains? Caffine? Luck? Go. Read. Comment. Blogroll.

This Just In...

Reynolds Eludes Italian Police!!!

Law Professor and Internet blogger, aka "InstaPundit", Glenn Reynolds implicated in collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Italian authorities report a cult fire ritual of the Axis of Naughty, led by Reynolds, undermined the legendary tower.

Reynolds allegedly hijacked a white Fiat Uno and was last seen purchasing biscotti in Udina, headed for the Austrian border. Top men at Interpol's crack Internet division are tracking MT logons and expect to corner the elusive law professor when he next stops for an update and Schnitzel.

UPDATE: The Alliance Filthy Lie Round-up has been posted and Harvey's is fargin' brilliant.

INSTAPUNDO DELENDA EST!

Good News, Bad News

Author Ken Auletta pens a piece in the current issue of The New Yorker titled "Fortress Bush:How the white House keeps the press under control"

The article isn't online, however a brief Q&A with The New Yorker’s Daniel Cappello and Auletta offers a taste.

A few excepts from Auletta's piece, which is IMO, worth the price of the magazine.

Last August, in Crawford, Texas, george W. Bush gave a barbecue for the press corps. Bush has let it be knownn that he's not much of a tlevison-news watcher or a newspaper reader, apart from the sport'ssection; and during a conversations with reporters he explained, perhaps without intending to, why this White House often seems indifferent to the press.

"How do you then know what the public thinks?" a reporter asked, according to Bush aides and reporters who heard the exchange. And Bush replied, "You're making a huge assumption—that you represent what the public thinks."

Exactamundo.

Karl Rove, the President's closest political advisor, says of Bush, "He has a cagey respect them"—the press. "he understands their job is to do a job. And that's ot necessarliy to report news. it's to get a headline or a story to their magazine, newspaper, or television more."

According to Rove, Bush sees the press as "elistist" and thinks that the social and economic backgrounds of most reporters have nothing in common with those of most Americans...Reporters, for their part, see the White House as a fortress.

Chief of Staff Andrew Card opines that the press doesn't represent the public any more than other people do. "In our democracy, the people who represent the public stood for election...I don't believe you have a check-and-balance function." Card continues on press standards:

"It used to be an expectation—that I had, anyway—that before a 'fact' showed up in an article there were two sources to that 'fact' or the'fact' was there; it was put on the table. I see an awful lot of things now that look like, at best, there is one source. And the media outlets runs with that source. And it's wrong."

Card blamed the pressure of competition for this. When asked how the press could get more sources when the Bush Administration wouldn't return their calls.

"It's not our job to be sources," he replied, flushing. "The taxpayers don't pay us to leak!...I feel strongly that people who get paid taxpayers dollars should be doing their job. If their job is like Ashley's"—Ashley Snee, a member of the press staff, who sat in on the interview— "if their job is to talk to the press, they should talk to the press. If their job is to help develop policy, it's to talk to the people who are involved in that policy-making process...Our job is not to make your job easy."

Auletta examines the WH media team, the press corps and various journalist's relationship, or lack thereof, with the WH as well as interviewing. Much of the article takes the reader through a day in the WH press corps. Auletta manages a few snarky bits, but in the main the article offers a different view of the WH than that painted by the media as waffling and ill-informed. The Bush Administration is not plugged into the press leak machine, this WH is disciplined enough to resist the siren call of the media 15 minutes-of-fame game that so often obscured Clinton's message. From this reader's viewpoint, it is reassuring that our president knows who he is, what he wants to accomplish and that his team is managing a politically-opposed press corps very effectively. No mean feat .

The article sums up:

...,"the Bush Administration appears to believe that the power of the White House press corps is slowly ebbing. "I think when viewed through a historical lens the role and importance of the White House prescorps today have diminshed—perhaps significantly: (Bush media Advisor)Mark McKinnon says. "Drudge—Matt Drudge's popular Internet blog—"and non-stop cable news have created a virtual real-time news invironment...White House press briefings today are televised"—instantly posted on the Internet. McKinnon discerns a potent mixture of frustration and ennui among White House reporters: "They are all alpha dogs. The cream of the journalistic crop. They have arrived. They have made it to the top. And they discover, to their dismay, they are not as important as they thought they would be. Or should be. And, in fact, many are flat bored. It's always been the hottest beat for the best reporters. And now they sit in real-time limbo, lost in the dust of the Internet and cable."

One can only hope.

This Week's New Weblog Showcase

I didn't much care for this week's political offerings, however, one doesn't want to let the side down right out of the gate, so to speak.

I 'll have to go with Ivy's poetic deconstuction/discussion/conversation: Crows and ravens was yesterday's theme

Gee Dub's New Image

Phill of The Enigmatic Musings of a Cynical Mind asks:

"...is he off da hizzle or what?"

Hat tip to Juliette for the link and beverage warning.

Dem Rivals Scrambling for Edge in Iowa

NBC News reports that Kerry held a slim lead over Dean, 22.6 percent to 22.1 percent, in the latest three-day tracking poll, with Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt in third place at 19.1 percent and Edwards moving up to 17.9 percent.

_{Apologies to Mick Stevens}

Dean Stiffs Dowd

Matt dishes Mo D dirt:

NEW YORK TIMES op-ed queen Maureen Dowd was left waiting by the phone by Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

After scheduling a phone interview with Dowd at her hotel in Des Moines, the candidate never called!

Dowd is preparing to write about the snub in her Sunday column, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

"I never got the five minutes with him!" Dowd regrets. "Which left me five minutes to think about why his candidacy was sputtering."

UPDATE: Dowd offers this gem of insight into Dean:

"He has a problem with his mythic arc."

BUWHAHAHAHAH!

To Have And To Have Not

Stefan Sharkansky relates a typical Liberal, touchy-feely proposal for Seattle's alcoholic homeless and the SF Bay Area's uber-Liberal enclave of Orinda is in an uproar over a proposed homeless shelter in their quiet upscale community.

Shelter group bows out Orinda slams the door on proposed homeless facility

[Long a Democratic Party stronghold, news junkies will recall the breathless media coverage of Orinda's Glitterati studded fundraising parties for Clintons re-election. ]

According to the 2000 census, Orinda has a population of 17,371, the median household income was $117,637, and a median home price of $871,000. Average age is 41.6 years, 71% married, 41% with children, 60% attended and/or graduated from college, 28.5% earned grad degrees, 60% hold managerial or professional positions, and 91% own their homes, average commute time is 28 minutes.

Perhaps Orindans could pass the hat and purchase one-way tickets to Seattle for the East Bay's homeless families.

The Art Of War

Defend America posts a gallery of artwork drawn by our guys in Iraq. Have a looksee, it's very cool.

U.S. Marine Cpl. Edwin Charles Broadnax, with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, stands post at Echo Four at Camp Commando, Kuwait, March 18, 2003. This granite sketch is part of a collection drawn by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jack Carillo in Iraq during 2003.

COTV#69

Snooze Button Dreams hosts this week's Carnival of the Vanities. Jim resisted the obvious word play and presents an orderly assortment of bloggy goodness guaranteed to keep you awake.

Clark Watch

Wesley Clark Answers the People's Questions in New Hampshire.

People began to ask him questions: How come you got relieved of your command? Clark said he wasn't relieved, but in the interests of helping the Kosovo people, he quit his job as supreme NATO commander. (Actually, he called them "Albanian people," though people in Kosovo do not consider themselves part of Albania.)

Clark's opinion on 9/11 and Iraq are quoted on Al-Jazeera providing yet more comfort to our avowed enemies.

John Hawkins put together a list of quotes by and about Clark that he thinks deserve a bit more attention...so do I.

A Drudge exclusive, if verified, lobs in a bombshell that may be the beginning of the end for Clark.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE CONGRESS PASSED THE IRAQ CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION WESLEY CLARK MADE THE CASE FOR WAR; TESTIFIED THAT SADDAM HAD 'CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS'

Less than 18 months ago, Wesley Clark offered his testimony before the Committee On Armed Services at the U.S. House Of Representatives.

"There's no requirement to have any doctrine here. I mean this is simply a longstanding right of the United States and other nations to take the actions they deem necessary in their self defense," Clark told Congress on September 26, 2002.

"Every president has deployed forces as necessary to take action. He's done so without multilateral support if necessary. He's done so in advance of conflict if necessary. In my experience, I was the commander of the European forces in NATO. When we took action in Kosovo, we did not have United Nations approval to do this and we did so in a way that was designed to preempt Serb ethnic cleansing and regional destabilization there. There were some people who didn' t agree with that decision. The United Nations was not able to agree to support it with a resolution."

Clark continued: "There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat... Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But the United States right now is on a very much different defensive posture than we were before September 11th of 2001... He is, as far as we know, actively pursuing nuclear capabilities, though he doesn't have nuclear warheads yet. If he were to acquire nuclear weapons, I think our friends in the region would face greatly increased risks as would we."

Clickin' Around

Cox and Forkum's wry, artful political commentary is always entertaining and thought provoking, however Alan Forkum's post on suicide bombers is a must read.

Mike the Marine offers two not-to-be-missed postings. The first, a positive item, points to a item posted at Doc Russia's that explains why the Marines are everything the Left despises and why we should give thanks that such men exist. The second is a perfect example of CNN's perfidy and why it's way past time to delete CNN from your cable settings.

Yale at Horsefeathers offers an excellent article "CHASING MANLINESS IN A POST MODERN WORLD" and an astute observation:

Moore understands that neither manhood nor womanhood can be easily attained without the help of the pressure of family, teachers, and culture. And in these post-modern times in which the media provides countless examples of feminist ideals and models for young women, boys have little to chose from except the corrupt models of absent fathers, indicted rappers, and sports figures who use steroids to achieve their fame and money and sexual prowess. All models who inspire a barbarian model for susceptible boys.

On the other hand the today’s culture and school seem only capable of providing mainly wimpish models as alternatives.

Speaking of manliness...Rob's on vacation and has finally met the girl of his dreams. A hat tip to Matt who offers so many interesting links today that you should just follow them all.

Politics As Usual

The Chronicle features Markos Moulitsas Zuniga's Lefty blog known as The Daily Kos, and an interesting fact that isn't posted in the "about" section appeared:

It's run by a man who is a paid consultant for Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean

I have no problem with his flacking for his preferred candidate whatsoever, but it should be stated on the website that he has a financial interest, and is not a volunteer Deaniac.

Bonfire Of The Vanities

Bonfire of the Vanities #28 is roaring along nicely at the evangelical outpost, bring your own marshmallows and religious texts.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Gen. Wesley K. Clark
Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO
Commander-in-Chief, U.S. European Command

Michael Moore to endorse Wesley Clark... Moore: 'He's an honest and decent man. I would like to see the General debate the deserter'...

Obviously Moore hasn't read this WaPo piece from Jeffery Smith:

Clark's Role in Kosovo Exemplifies His Traits

This article amply reveals Clark's lack of judgment, unilateral decision making and certainly raises doubts about his fitness as Commander-in-chief.

..."But Rand's Air Force report, written by analyst Benjamin Lambeth, said "NATO's leaders. . . had little to congratulate themselves about, when it came to the way in which the air war was planned and carried out." A second Rand report, prepared by a team of Army analysts, concurred that "problems abounded during the NATO military operation," citing in particular the absence of "any significant military planning" for a sustained conflict."

We are told daily by Moore's comrades on the Left that Bush's cowboy personality, failed diplomacy and lack of consultation lead us into Iraq. What does Moore make of this?

British author of Phillip Knightley, author of "The First Casualty: the War Correspondent as Hero and Mythmaker from the Crimea to Kosovo" offered this Speech at the Committee for Peace in the Balkans Public Seminar, Committee Room 10, House of Commons, London SW1, June 27, 2000, Titled: The media -- NATO's willing accomplice?

"And in May, General Michael Short, in charge of targeting policy, told the
International Herald Tribune, "I think no power to your refrigerator, no gas to your stove, you can't get to work because the bridge is down -- the bridge on which you hold your rock concerts and on which you all stood with targets on your heads. That needs to disappear at three in the morning." What is that, other than admission of the intention deliberately to bomb civilian targets. Okay, so Short did not get permission to bomb the bridge in Belgrade but in June General Wesley Clark admitted to the BBC's Mark Urban that NATO planes were targeting "phase 3" (civilian) targets without the approval of NATO’s decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council of Ambassadors in Brussels." (my emphasis)

Clark asks voters to trust him to keep us safe. Shall we see how well this panned out in the Balkans? Kosovo Daily offers ample evidence that Clark failed miserably in keeping the Kosovars safe...surf the many links and judge for yourself. NATO can't find Karadzic, Misolovich's party won the elections and the old hatreds simmer just below the surface:

This from the Financial Times Subscription Service:

Serbia hits at UN for handing over greater powers to Kosovo By Eric Jansson in Belgrade Published: January 3 2004 4:00 | Last Updated: January 3 2004 4:00 Serbia has criticised the United Nations for transferring important powers to the breakaway republic of Kosovo.

The UN move gives Kosovo's locally elected institutions - dominated by ethnic Albanians who seek independence from Serbia - greater control over economic policy, finance, media supervision and agriculture.

It comes at a sensitive moment and appeared to catch Belgrade off guard.

Serbia is still reeling from parliamentary elections last Sunday in which
ultra-nationalists alarmed democratic reformers by winning a robust minority. The nation lacks a president, and talks on forming a new government have yet to begin.

Clinton, Albright and their willing tool; Clark, succeeded in fracturing our relationship with Russia, deposed a despotic leader by destroying the infrastructure and economy of Yugoslavia and Kosovo. Peace and comity is still not realized, insuring further inequities that will fuel an ethnic/religious hatred that knows no boundary, no timeline, it waits decades, even centuries, to emerge intact.

Hat tip to Stephen Green for providing my first election heartburn of the day.

O'Neill Recants

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill stunned Katie Couric on the "Today" show this morning.

O'Neill in "The Price of Loyalty" contends the administration's decision-making process was often chaotic and Bush Cabinet meetings made the president look "like a blind man in a room full of deaf people."

On the Today Show, O'Neill said, "It was not my intention to be personally critical of the president of anybody else," but to cooperate with Suskind "on a chronicle of 23 months" in government.

O'Neill said a cover page for the documents might have suggested they were classified material but said that the legal counsel's office "sent me a couple CDs, which I never opened." He said he gave them to former Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Suskind, the book's author.

He never looked at the material. Jebus, this man is beyond naive.

O'Neill told the "Today " show he was guilty of using some "vivid" language during his interviews with Suskind for the book. "If I could take it back, I would take it back," he said of the blind man quote. He also said he would vote for Bush...that Bush was the best man of the current crop...Couric was almost speechless.

The media now realizes that they've been had. Again.

Revvin' Up The Race

Byron York sums up Dean's problem...it's not race, it's a missing backbone.

Educating Dr. Dean When Al Sharpton attacks, Dean is afraid to fight back.

One striking thing about the exchange with Sharpton was that Dean alluded to, but chose not to use, the most common-sense explanation for the racial makeup of his state administration. Vermont is an overwhelmingly white state, he might have explained; there are very, very few black people there. In the 2000 census, the state's population was 608,827. Of that, 3,063, or 0.5 percent, were black. In Vermont's capital city, Montpelier, according to the census, there were 52 black people in 2000.

Dean might have said that his cabinet did not look like America — in a phrase famously associated with a Democratic president — because Vermont does not look like America. Dean might have further explained that, although his motives might be good, the simple demographic facts of life in Vermont meant that he could not have much experience working with a racially diverse population.

Obviously, that would be a non-starter at the Brown and Black Presidential Forum. If he had stated the obvious, Dean would have undermined the months of confident proclamations about race that he has made on the campaign trail. So he invoked Martin Luther King and attempted to educate white folks a bit more.

Hat tip to Deacon.

Can't Make This Stuff Up

Awright...the Illuminati, Trilateral Commission and Industrial-Military Complex is born anew according to General Ripper.

In Clark's book, "Five Star Fubar Winning Modern War", which came out in November, the retired Army general traced the plotting of the war in Iraq back to 1996, when he says a group left over from the first Bush administration recommended that Israel focus on removing Saddam from power.

Clark goes on to write that in 1998, the group of 20, which included Donald H. Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz, now Defense Secretary and Deputy Defense Secretary, respectively, wrote a letter to President Clinton, asking him to "aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from power."

Hmmmm...The Group of Twenty....wasn't that a comic book plot?

// Daffy Duck voice on
Neoconths and Joos, dethpick-able!
// Daffy Duck voice off

General Ripper might want to wait a few days before jumping on the O'Neill bandwagon, according to FNC's Special Report w/ Brit Hume.

One of the documents is not a Pentagon document. It was part of the Energy Project that was the focus of Dick Cheney's attention before the 9/11 strikes. The document has nothing to do with post-war Iraq. It was part of a study of global oil supplies. Read it here.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark (search) says a book by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill (search) vindicates what he has said all along about the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

While rallying campaign volunteers Sunday at his Manchester headquarters, Clark praised O'Neill for "The Price of Loyalty," which contends the United States began the war on Iraq (search) just days after President Bush took office -- more than two years before the start of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Wait! If genuine, wouldn't that be a post-war P-L-A-N?

BUWHAHAHAHAHA!

UPDATE: Powerline has the goods on the O'Neill docs.

Heh

Even sophiscated Mac users have user issues it seems. Though this may invite the wrath of the Smug Faithful and summon Demons From Wintel Hell, I am weak and can't help but enjoy Lileks' latest quest for peripheral Valhalla.

BTW- I like the new layout ...but the large graphic headers and related type stylings are as much a part of the "Lileks Experience" as the writing and photos. It doesn't seem like The Bleat without them...but then WTF do I know?

Monday Morning Observations

A tour through the ole blogroll with the morning Joe provides insight and humor into the news stories and items that captured the fancy and/or ire of the Blogosphere.

Charles Austin of Sin Qua Non Pundit tosses off the best non sequitur of the political season thus far:

Every time the Angry Left gets their rock to the top of the hill, it just rolls back down again. Who knew Sisyphus was a Democrat?

Is Dean done? John Hawkins thinks so.

Jim at Smoke On The Water bitchslaps Dems (a must read and worthy addition to your VRWC library and debate catalog.)

Commissar Diktat lauds Dr. Susan Block Hero of Socialist Labor for her "Rape of Iraq" agitprop article, which condemned Amerikan occupiers, and inspired further Revolutionary suicide bombing in Istanbul and extends Politboro praise for Scott Burgess' Daily Abultion suggestion that if one looks up the term "ratbag" in ones trusty Oxford Concise, one finds the Guardian masthead.

Guardian Page One Shocker! - Guantanamo Guards "Calling Us Names"

The Guardian devotes part of its above-the-fold, page one space to an article about accusations of name-calling at Guantanamo Bay. Here's the horrifying allegation, from a letter written by a detainee, as quoted in full by the reporter:

"Everything's OK in Guantanamo. It's just that sometimes some of the guards are OK with us, and some are saying things to us, calling us names like camel rider and raghead."

The Taliban and Saddam's prisons were horrifying, this doesn't even rise to the level of impolite by comparison.

Matt at Blackfive asks Is Blogging A Legitimate Communication Forum?

Last, but certainly not least, a bit of refreshing cheekiness from the Antipodes. Andy at World Wide Rant pointing out that genteel sport is not what it once was:

MELBOURNE, Australia, - Australian police have warned "beer wenches" -- scantily-clad women hired by cricket fans to queue at the bar for alcohol -- that they would not be welcome at the one-day international series with India here.

The MCG Test match and larrikin doesn't compute...Rules yes. However, not having attended a Test match in yonks I wouldn't know if my arse was on fire. What next polo divot wenches?

Must Read

This "My Turn" contribution by a Gold Star Mother in the Jan. 12, 2004 issue of Newsweek makes one both proud and ashamed. Proud of the strength and wisdom of our military families and ashamed of the fecklessness and bias of our media.

[Note:the entire article and photo are posted intact. The impact of Ruth Stonesifer's words shouldn't be diluted by a hyperjump]

What's Really Behind the Fight Over Dover?

The media seem more interested in shocking us than in paying tribute to fallen soldiers like my son

By Ruth Voshell Stonesifer

Upon hearing of the death of my soldier son, Army Ranger Kristofor Stonesifer, two years ago in a helicopter crash in Pakistan, the first thing I thought of was the Black Hawk crash in Mogadishu and the horrific aftermath that was broadcast to the world. The image of an angry mob dragging the body of a brave soldier through the streets had haunted me since I first saw it, and I worried that my son had suffered the same fate. I was lucky. Although Kris also died in a helicopter crash, his fellow soldiers were there to take care of his body and return him to us with dignity.

Even so, I can't stop thinking about what I saw and heard on television last November—two dead American soldiers lying on an Iraqi road, and painful details (which thankfully turned out to be false) about how Iraqis treated their bodies. Surely other military families are haunted as well. Watching the news outlets play such footage struck me as cruel, and even—dare I say it?—unpatriotic.

Our enemies know our cameras will record the celebration of our loved ones' deaths—and that this is behavior Americans cannot tolerate. They know such images can persuade our leaders to prematurely abandon their commitments, as they did in Beirut and Somalia.

The media are commercial enterprises—graphic pictures boost ratings and increase advertising revenue. The press has allowed itself to help our enemies by pandering to the worst instincts of audiences.

Meanwhile, the networks and the print media say that the Pentagon's 1991 ban on filming flag-draped coffins at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where bodies are customarily received, is an assault on the First Amendment. But my experience has led me to believe that the media are more interested in the shock value of pictures of large numbers of caskets than in paying tribute to individual soldiers.

I wanted Kris flown into Dover so that his homecoming would be handled with proper military honors. At the start of the Afghanistan conflict, the media ban was not being enforced, and I believed that this would be the most appropriate way for the press to cover his death. Instead of giving weepy interviews, we prepared ourselves for the perfect family picture at his casket. But then I was told that only cargo of 10 or more bodies are routed to Dover. There were only two on that first night of ground operations in Afghanistan.

I was disappointed that our only homecoming option was the middle of a busy construction site at Philadelphia International Airport, but the liaison from the Ranger regiment assured me that the press had been notified. We walked out on the tarmac next to the open cargo door of the enormous commercial jetliner, but when we turned to face the area set aside for the media, there was only a lone cameraman from the Ranger battalion.

The press missed a wonderful story that windy day. It took only a few moments for the nine members of the Ranger guard to remove the casket from the aircraft and for a crisp formation of 12 soldiers to snap to attention and salute. As they did, every construction worker and security guard, every person within sight of this small, simple ceremony came to a standstill to pay his respects. They may not have known my son's name, but they knew he was a soldier who had died in defense of his country. I was grateful that I could see through my tears to witness their tribute.

After my son died, I discovered a journal among his belongings. In it he had written, "Freedom means having the ability to say no to chaos." The press is guilty of creating a feeling of chaos. Instead of showing the positive pictures that are circulated through the e-mail grapevine by military families—pictures of soldiers making Iraqi chil-dren laugh or rebuilding schools—it chooses images of our loved ones' bodies being defiled. In doing so, it hurts the cause of freedom, not just in Iraq, but everywhere in the world. Whether or not we agree with our nation's decision to intervene in Iraq, we should all want to treat our troops and their families with dignity.

But the media don't get it. Competitive greed is the only purpose I can think of for looping those horrific images on television, and for wanting to film the many caskets that come through Dover. The media's unrelenting focus on the shock of death may yield big profits, but it weakens our soldiers' efforts in Iraq and undermines the commitment of families whose sons and daughters, husbands and wives, serve their country with pride. The First Amendment may give the press the right to do it, but it doesn't say it has to.

Greed is not the sole reason the mainstream media wants this image. They are determined to defeat a Republican administration they perceive as illegitimate and policies considered wrongheaded and dangerous. That the campaign in Iraq would fail and the military defeated are side benefits in the Left's war of idealogy that passes for reportage. Some might point to this article as proof of fairness. No, it is a pre-emptive mea culpa should the election go badly and Bush is relected.

Day In Pictures

Who says Bush isn't a brainiac?

The SF Chronicle's Day In Pictures gallery; 2003:A Year In Pictures is worth a look.

Dean 'Splains

Sort of, maybe... he didn't really mean what he said...he is sorry that he said it...um...no, that's not right...he meant the last Iowa caucus...those that selected Gore? No...um...before...er...ah.

That pretty much sums up the Yankee Spinmeister's news conference to clarify his positions and statements. NOT. Senator Harken remarked that he preferred a man who made mistakes to a smooth-talker. Be very careful for what you wish Senator.

You know the scent of blood is in the water when R. Emmett Terrell says "The Democrats are lucky to have Dean".

Heh.

A report From The European Front

Merde in France, as usual offers insight into the French psyche...this one makes me wish Mossad really did off asshats at will....this one tickled my funnybone:

Zeropean hardware doesn't have the right stuff. French media, always quick to call any European project that gets off the ground 'Franco-European', is distancing Ripoublika Franska from this one by classifying it as just 'European'.

Maybe they should remove it from Chirac's colon?

French Weasel Out, Again

This story offers proof that our Leftie French arse-kissing Pols and media might have their tongue up the wrong bum....but prolly not...they have grown fond of the fine bouquet of French merde.

France: No Link to Passenger, al-Qaida

PARIS - French investigators have found no evidence that a passenger who did not show up for a trans-Atlantic flight might be an Afghan-trained al-Qaida sympathizer armed with a bomb, police said Thursday.

Of course they aren't investigating the matter, they just know by Froggy intutition and/or pullet-entrail reading.

But French police, distancing themselves from earlier comments by France's justice minister who said a no-show passenger is being sought, said they had no reason to believe that an al-Qaida bomber is on the loose.

"French intelligence services in constant touch with American partners conducted additional investigations that produced no new indications that could confirm the theory put forward by American media," said a police spokeswoman, who declined to be named.

"The investigations turned up nothing to show that there was somebody with al-Qaida links carrying a bomb," she added. "There is nothing, nothing, nothing at this time that suggests something is amiss."

But a senior French police official said that surname alone was not sufficient for them to track the person down and that there was no indication the passenger posed a threat.

"We have no new information from American (intelligence) services that lends credibility to the idea that this person represented a specific threat to the Dec. 24 flight," he said.

But police said no active search is under way. (my emphasis)

"We have just a name, no first name, no birth date, no passport number," said the senior police official. "We can't do serious work on such foundations."

As Matt at Blackfive incredilously remarks:

"Now, how in the HELL can someone get an international airline ticket without a first name, birth date or passport number!!!! To Los Angeles???!!!! He was ticketed for crying out loud! Can someone tell me if you can just by an international airline ticket in France with cash, no ID, no Passport, and nothing other than the name Hai?"

So there you have it, French airline security and policework at it's finest. French airlines could easily be diverted to a sympathetic Canadian province and any ticketed-on passengers could take a bus into the US.

Seriously, it's time to deny landing rights to countries who put us all at risk with such fuckwittery.

Far Out, Dude...

...but you forgot to mention the comet spaceship.

This is a must see...put down your beverage and turn up the speakers.

John continues to shine the VRWC light of reason on moonbat cave dwellers to hilarious effect...that it is self-inflicted ridicule makes it all the more enjoyable.

Do these people really not understand how they're perceived by normal folks? (rhetorical question)

Not Exactly, Senator

While I agree with Senator Jim Bunning that the situation in Iraq is improving contrary to the coverage of only bad news, that the slow, hard grind to Iraqi self-governance has begun in earnest, and that first-hand observations of progress are a welcome respite to the media's doom and gloom...

Bunning visits troops in Iraq, says morale high
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., said yesterday, after two days of visiting Iraq, that U.S. military officials believe attacks on coalition forces have been less frequent since Saddam Hussein was captured last month, but the insurgents "are trying to make a bigger score."

Recent rocket attacks are evidence of that tactic, Bunning told reporters by telephone from Kuwait City.

Bunning and Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., visited Baghdad on Wednesday and Mosul, in northern Iraq, yesterday. They are scheduled to fly to Spain today for a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, then to return to Washington tomorrow.

...I think the good Senator is a little fuzzy on the state of Russian politics/current events as this remark amply demonstrates:

"Freedom is sprouting up, and it's just a question, like in Russia, of how long it takes everyone to realize no bad guy is going to come back to take over," Bunning said.

Who does Bunning think Putin is? Clinton's feckless diplomacy and Gore's naiveté allowed the last of the KGB hard liners to gain control in Russia (Gore was the official go-to guy for the Russian transition ).

A hat tip to Tim at CPT Patti.

A Girl Glimpses The Future

Wonder what the little girl is thinking? Which future she would choose? Traditional wife and mother or educated participant in a new Iraqi society?

American influence on the Arab world will effect positive change, not by force but example. To me, this image represents a Pandora's Box that cannot be closed in the Muslim world. Iraqi women have seen American/Western women free to make choices, working along side men as full partners, not just in military roles, but NGO's, governance and media. One suspects their female children will question the traditional role of citizenship-by-proxy and not be satisfied until they too have a choice.

Also consider that many on the Left, including the so-called feminist movement, are so caught up in political dogma and desperation to regain power that they would walk away from that little girl.

Thanks to Sgt Hook for the amazing photos and stories on his site. IMO- a daily must read.

Flip-flops

Things are getting interesting on the left side of the aisle.

Tale of the tape on Howard Dean

NBC: Old TV shows answer some questions

WASHINGTON - Aired in Canada and PBS stations in the United States, “The Editors” is a public affairs TV show that most Americans probably haven’t seen. It features a roundtable panel of politicians, journalists, and policy wonks who discuss American and Canadian politics, foreign affairs, and social issues.

But old episodes of the “The Editors” might soon become must-see TV for followers of the 2004 presidential race. While governor of Vermont, Howard Dean was a regular guest on the show, and the NBC News Investigative Unit has now obtained the videotapes of 90 of his appearances from 1996 to 2002.

Oops!

--Regarding Al Gore, the very man who endorsed him in December, Dean said back in a January 1998 show: “He has a lot of attributes, but … there are some things that I am concerned about. One of them is being quick on your feet. He is not.”

--In another January 1998 episode, he also speculated that there “will probably be good and bad” if Hamas takes control over the Palestinian leadership. Yasser Arafat, he said, “is going to leave the scene. ... When that happens, I think Hamas will probably take over. There will probably be good and bad out of that. The bad, of course, is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. However, if they have to run a quasi-state they may actually have to be more responsible and start negotiations. So who knows what will happen.”

--But then he said this in February 1999 appearance: “The next great tragedy is going to be Arafat’s passing, believe it or not. I’m not a fan of terrorism or Arafat. But the truth is that what’s happening here is [former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has thrown away the chance of a lifetime to negotiate with people he could negotiate with. Next comes Hamas, comes far more radical government in Jordan ... which may ally itself with Iraq. I think it’s a frightening proposition.”

--Dean made this comment about his former fellow governor, George W. Bush. “George Bush, I believe, is in his soul a moderate.”

To be fair, many of the interviews reinforce Dean's stated positions, but he does have continuity problems.

Columbia Spirit

This is very cool too....so's this.

QM2

Is it just me or this the last place on earth you would want to be next Monday?

Queen Elizabeth II formally names Queen Mary 2, world's biggest target liner

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II formally named the Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest ocean liner, ahead of its maiden transatlantic voyage to the United States.

"I name this ship Queen Mary 2. May God bless her and all who sail in her," the British monarch said, before a hefty jeroboam of Veuve Cliquot champagne smashed against the spotlit starboard side of its black bow.

Horns blew in celebration, and the 2,000 invited guests broke into a triple chorus of "hip, hip, hurrah!"

Built in France for Cunard, the venerable British shipping line now owned by Carnival Corporation of the United States, the Queen Mary 2 is the first transatlantic liner to be built in over 30 years.

At 345 metres (1,132 feet), with 15 decks, the liner is longer than the largest US aircraft carrier, and it will be able to carry 2,600 passengers in the lap of luxury -- with 1,250 crew to pamper them.

The mammoth 150,000-tonne vessel is scheduled to begin its 14-day maiden voyage, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday. The trip has sold out, as have those for its first Southampton-New York crossing in April.

COTV #68

The lads at American Realpolitik host this week's Carnival of the Vanities repleat with a useful tip on re-educating our left leaning blog-bretheren.

Puffball Journalism

Speaking of TIME, did anyone else find the Dean profile a complete waste of paper? Apparently nothing much is going on Inside The Mind Of Howard Dean that he cared to share with Time.

Same for Newsweek's cover feature The Dean Dilemma, another bit of fluff for the party faithful. The feature offered no new insights into the man or his policies. Perhaps we news junkies are just too far ahead of a magazine curve to find many stories compelling or informative.

Although Eleanor Clift provides a few laughs as she creams her elite jeans in a Newsweek piece that makes one's skin crawl.

'Man, That Dude Can Dance'

Howard Dean romances the crowd at Renaissance Weekend

Jan. 2 - A panel offering advice to President Bush and his Democratic rivals had just gotten underway at Renaissance Weekend in Charleston, S.C., when a surprise visitor strode to the podium. It was Sen. Fritz Hollings, South Carolina's senior senator, with a word for the assembled strivers.

"Howard Dean is right," declared the silver-haired Hollings, launching into a spirited defense of Dean's assertion that Americans are no safer now that Saddam Hussein has been captured. "Saddam wasn't causing anybody any problem. You have some little smart-aleck announcer on television asking, 'Do you think we're better off with Saddam gone?' What else is gone?

...Hollings reminisced about the good old days before Clinton was Clinton, when he was just "Little Bill." Renaissance regulars looking at this year's contenders yearn to rekindle the passion they felt for Clinton's candidacy, knowing that is unlikely. All the candidates were invited to stop by and make a presentation. Only Dean, Wesley Clark and Carol Moseley Braun accepted. Dean was first, and while everybody crowded into the ballroom and jostled for a good seat, sentiment leaned more to Clark or even to John Kerry. Dean had attended Renaissance two years running, and he didn't light up a room the way they remembered Clinton doing.

And here's the money graf:

What the Dean people saw in Charleston was not the angry, vein-popping politician they see on television, and many came away impressed. One longtime Renaissance-goer pronounced Dean "Clintonesque," the highest compliment that can be paid in this crowd. In response to a question testing his youth-culture awareness, Dean did a brief takeoff of a song by Outkast, the hot hip-hop group. "He knows the lyrics to Outkast songs and, man, can that dude dance," enthused a 16-year-old.

Oh Goodie, I feel much safer now...especially if Outkast attacks the Golden Gate Bridge with an exploding intern.

Actually Bush came across far more likeable in the TIME photo piece taken at the ranch. [warning: Bush haters may become lightheaded and swoony]

A Viewpoint To Consider

A bout with the flu made it impossible to read without instantly falling asleep and producing weird cough-suppressant fueled dreams. So I am just now catching up with my reading. Charles Krauthammer's two recent columns concerning Iraq, multinationalism and diplomacy are a must read. In the first, Krauthammer asks:

How is it possible to ignore the Iraqi war's most blindingly obvious collateral benefits?

Yeah, sure. After 18 years of American sanctions, Moammar Gaddafi randomly picks Dec. 19, 2003, as the day for his surrender. By amazing coincidence, Gaddafi's first message to Britain — principal U.S. war ally and conduit to White House war councils — occurs just days before the invasion of Iraq. And his final capitulation to U.S.-British terms occurs just five days after Saddam Hussein is fished out of a rathole.

...Imagine this kind of thinking 58 years ago: "Japan Surrenders — Years of War Deprivation Proved Too Much."

Dateline Tokyo, Aug. 14, 1945. Japan capitulated yesterday to the allies, worn down by the accumulation of hardships from the war begun with the sudden outbreak of violence in Hawaii in December 1941. The housing shortage in Tokyo had become particularly acute, especially since the nights of March 9 and 10. And there also has appeared to be an abrupt downturn in recent economic activity in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Sen. John Kerry was equally ridiculous in his explanation of the Libya deal: "An administration that scorns multilateralism and boasts about a rigid doctrine of military preemption has almost in spite of itself demonstrated the enormous potential for improving our national security through diplomacy."

Krauthammer's Viewpoint in this week's Time Magazine offers insights into the machinations behind multinationalism as we knew it pre-9/11; how diplomacy failed to rally our traditional allies and why we must now form new alliances that serve common interests.

A Farewell to Allies

Now they are neutrals. America can stand tall without them

Within days after Saddam's capture, France, Germany and Russia announced their willingness to consider relieving Iraq's crushing debt burden. This was no burst of conscience about unrepayable billions lent Saddam to squander on grotesque palaces and grotesque weapons. This was the wind shifting America's way in Iraq — and the neutrals adjusting course accordingly.

But this is not the beginning of a great reconciliation. These countries were no help before the war, during the war or after the war. France tried to rally the world to stop the U.S. from deposing Saddam. Russia was sending night-vision goggles to Saddam. Not one lifted a finger to help the postwar reconstruction.

Some Americans are bitter about this, others merely confused. Democrats think it's our fault. They charge Bush with mishandling relations with the allies. Theirs is an etymological problem. Events have overtaken vocabulary. These countries are not allies. It is sheer laziness now that counts France and Germany as old allies, sheer naivete that counts Russia as a new one.

...To be sure, there are some countries that see their ultimate security as dependent upon the international order maintained by the U.S. These are not insignificant countries, and over time they may become the kernel of an entirely new alliance system. They include Anglo-Saxons (Britain, Australia) and a few Europeans (Italy, Spain, Poland, other newly liberated East European countries). They understand that the sinews of stability — free commerce, open sea lanes, regional balances of power, nonproliferation, deterrence — are provided overwhelmingly by the American colossus. They understand that without it, the world collapses into chaos and worse. They believe in the American umbrella and are committed to helping the umbrella holder.

A Chance To Participate

Now this story is more in keeping with the spirit that built this country.

Spirit of America has PayPal and Verisign buttons, if you can spare a few schekels or your organization can sponsor a larger effort, go help our guys win this one by providing hope where there was none.

The Illegal Immigration Debate

I am still digesting Bush's proposal and considering what it might mean in my state and city. I haven't reached a conclusion, but my friend Kiril has begun a discussion. I left a few points in his comments, so I won't regurgitate them here. Do read his and Misha's postings. Misha points to Michelle Malkin's take on this issue. I find her straw man argument/ condesending comparisons unhelpful and her pandering to racial bias appalling. Malkin concludes with:

"What's next: survivors' benefits for the families of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers?"

Malkin equates an undocumented worker crushed in the bowels of the WTC with those who murdered them for cheap effect. This sort of hot button rhetoric prevents a realistic discussion of the issue, drives the Left's populist movement and people like me from the Right.

A solution will be expensive, but let's put it in perspective, shall we? Americans spent almost $7 billion at the movies and another $6 billion on candy last year. Let's get real before millions of us get dead.

Smash has a good plan, he also has a comprehensive list of blog opinion on the topic.

Lileks adds to the debate from a new perspective...vacation in Arizona...he's right too...deportation ain't gonna happen.

A Noteworthy Event

This is just so cool. Congrats!

Losers All

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley endorsed Howard Dean on Monday, giving the former Vermont governor another boost in the Democratic race for president.

Boost? [The media knows the Kool-aid is poisioned, yet describes the wonderful flavor as their party of choice quaffs it daily.]

Lemme get this straight...loser Al Gore endorses Dean, loser Bill Bradley endorses Dean...hmmm...I detect a pattern.

You suppose Dean will endorse Hillary in 2008?

BUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"One more such victory and I am lost"

Banagor is a must read today:

If you believe the Left and their ilk, doing nothing will "create less terrorism", which is patently stupid as the terrorists themselves have never said such things and there is no reason to ever believe that they ever will say these things. If you believe the Left, you fear everything will create more terrorism, that nothing is justified, and that we should all meekly listen and live under subjugation.

This is exactly what the unfortunate passengers aboard the doomed flights thought on 9/11...don't fight back, they'll land make their demands and we'll be fine. When the remarkable Americans on Flt 93 learned of the situation, they decided to take control of their fate, striking the first blow in the the war against terrorism. The Left might argue that it was futile, they still died, but how many lives did they spare? The passive Left simply doesn't understand the concept or necessity of self-defense, mainly because millions of Americans before them provided the security they take for granted.

9/11 is proof of the Left's failure. Ask yourself a simple question: how could 9/11 occur after eight years of Clinton multinationalism and diplomacy if the concept was valid. 9/11 was a direct result of the Left's fecklessness and failure to address the a rising tide of violence and secure our borders.

The Left's constant whine over the plan, no plan or failed plan (the Left is rather confused on this subject) can be attributed to their 90's domestic policies. The problems we now face on the ground in Iraq are a result of SecDef Les Aspin's "Two Theater" plan that reduced our standing military, intel capacity and relied too heavily on reserve units and electronic survellience.

The Left is so blinded by hatred against their own and hunger for power that they risk our very existence as a nation for an electoral victory. They do not seem to understand that winning the Presidency will be the mother-of-all Pyrrhic victories, as the die was cast on 9/11.

Catching Up

As my regular readers know, News Years Day 2003 was miserable. An extensive phone and internet search began...the West was combed and a few days later a pup was found and fetched home. For those of you who wonder about such things, here's a photo taken last week as Harley watches and waits for his trainer to pick him up for his twice-weekly romp in the hills.

He's a fine dog.

Delusional TV

cough...cough...*hack*...cough.

Plague and pestilence struck the Feste manse....better today...might live....must post after the nightmarish debate of the Sophist Seven and General Ripper's robotic turn on MTP yesterday.

Notice that the candidates slip in the big lie that Clinton balanced the budget. Kerry proudly claimed he helped put 100k cops on the streets as well. The media never challenges these outright lies. Clinton's pre-mid term election budget had deficits eleven years out...ELEVEN YEARS OUT...for those of you who may have forgotten how miserably the Dems mananged the budget for forty-three years. Ironic that Leiberman is the only candidate not running away from Clinton when the Clinton's selected Clark as their straw man.

There was something about Dean's rolled-up shirt sleeve pose that really grated on me... it was so familiar...then finally hit me:

This is so subtle...Dean is hitching his wagon to RFK's civil rights legacy. Seems very inappropriate given that his party refuses to denounce black anti-Semitism and condones images such as these in their name:

If this best they have, as Senator Ketchup says, "Bring. It. On."

Update: Michele asks if Hilter isn't a bit passe, and as usual she turns the perfect phrase for this nonsense...made me laugh.