Cain Out

It bodes ill for the country that the news media can beat the drum loud enough to kill presidential bids. But it looks like they succeeded in getting Herman Cain out of the race.

And don't think it was these Obamathugsupported (in German it would be one word) women who did it; it was the media and their constant assault. This is the same media that defended John Edwards past the point of absurdity.

I have to say that a Cain presidency would have made me nervous though. And here's why: we just spent 3 years in decline because we elected a guy who was smart enough and good intentioned enough to be president. (though not in my view) Obama had never held an executive position, had barely worked as a Senator before he changed his focus to a presidential run, never held a real job in his life, and was entirely undistinguished in state government. But his perceived intelligence and good intentions got him elected.

Herman Cain is intelligent enough, has worked as an executive in business, is good intentioned (in my view), but has no experience as an elected official. I have no doubt that he'd be vastly better than Obama but I'd have felt better about it if he'd been a governor or senator first.

Now that he's out, I hope he runs for some lesser office. Maybe move and go for Barney Franks old seat. Then, in four years, who knows?

Stunning Ignorance

I don't understand how an ambassador can be this clueless:

The U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, recently told a conference hosted by the European Jewish Union that Israel is to blame for growing anti-Semitism harbored by people of Muslim faith.

“A distinction should be made between traditional anti-Semitism, which should be condemned and Muslim hatred for Jews, which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,” Gutman reportedly said, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. “He also argued that an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty will significantly diminish Muslim anti-Semitism.”

At first you think, well at least he's ambassador to Belgium so what could happen; there's some kind of a waffle crisis and he drops the ball? But no, this is also Belgium, home of the EU's headquarters, so our ambassador's stunning ignorance is on display to muckity-mucks from all over Europe.

I really don't doubt that he could be this uninformed through innocent lack of interest in history. But antisemitism on his part could also explain it.

Anyway:



BTW- I'm aware that Gutman is a Jewish name. In fact, Gutman is the son of Polish immigrant and Holocaust survivor Max Gutman. But I stand by my speculation that he could be antisemitic. He could be Jewish like Obama is Christian. My guess: secular humanist.

I'm not sure if his father is still living but if so, Howard might want to ask him what the Jews did to piss off Herr Hitler in the 1930's.

Don't Try This at Home

h/t: lumberbrudi

Come Warm Yourself by the Fire

"I need a second term so that I can finish what I started."

Civil War

While it's true he didn't pick a side in the conflict, Godzilla pretty much killed everyone he came across. And since he was mostly up North, the Union troops were plagued by him through most of the War.

As the late, great, Paul Harvey used to say, "So now you know what Godzilla did in the 1800's."

A Biologist's Mother's Day Song

No, mother's day isn't coming up, I just ran across this and liked it.

I guess you could say I'm a fan of most music that mentions mitochondrial DNA, even the country and western ones.

A Break From the Revolution

Just a couple of dudes, masks back, chompin' on some dogs.

I sooo tried to give Obama a Jimmy Carter mask. But I had to settle for Biden. It's Obama's angle that's the problem. I guess Obama's angles are our problem though.

Things Exploding Out of the Blue

Michael Totten notes:

I don’t know what’s going on in Iran, but a second nuclear facility has reportedly just exploded. This one, in Isfahan, is where uranium was being enriched.

Tehran denies it. Israeli officials say the explosion was deliberate, but decline to say whether or not they are responsible.

UPDATE: I have to say that if Iran’s nuclear weapons problem is effectively destroyed this way–without leading to even a localized war let alone a regional war because Tehran so desperately wants to deny that anything is even happening–those who have argued for years that we should learn to live with an Iranian bomb will look ridiculous.

Me, I'm wondering; is Israel's threat to attack just a cover to distract from agents inside Iran chipping away at the program? Hope so. Obama is no help at all in this situation. A harder stance against Iran's nuclear ambitions would have made today's situation less volatile, not more. Iran isn't afraid of sternly worded letters from Obama. I bet they get tired of all the booms though.

FREE!

What Does That Even Mean?

Newsbusters:

Following the contemptible storming of the British Embassy in Iran by violent protesters, President Obama rightly condemned the Iranian government for not controlling the protesters and protecting a diplomatic outpost. In doing so, however, he made yet another embarrassing foreign policy gaffe: referring to the embassy as "English" instead of "British."

Reached for comment the president said, "Maybe saying 'English'
was technically incorrect, but keep in mind that they have a
different kind of set-up than we do here. And how many Britishmen
can name all 57 states? See what I mean? Apples and Oranges."