Obama

I'm as tempted as anyone to use Barack Hussein Obama's middle name if it would help defeat him. But so what if his name is Barack Hussein Obama? I'm sure their are many non-insane dictator Husseins in the world. So I say Barack Hussein Obama is right to get upset when people call him Barack Hussein Obama. It probably also upsets Michelle, the lovely wife of Barack Hussein Obama.

So let's lay off using Barack Hussein Obama's middle name against him. It probably isn't effective anyway. And remember how mad we got at the Democrats for making an issue of Warren Gamaliel Harding's middle name. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Angelina Jolie Gets It

From the almost useless Washington Post:

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq -- and the potential consequences for our national security -- are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made.

Now, ask Sean Penn if Angelina Jolie is a war monger.

PETA Protests

Did you see there was another PETA skin protest in Sydney? I have no clue what it was about but, hey, who cares. The important thing is that these dedicated protesters cared enough to show up and present their case. If this sort of thing happened more often, maybe we could end the barbaric practice of whatever the heck they were protesting about.

The Results Are In

Heard about the delta-T? That's nerd talk for: change in temperature. And, January 2008 capped a 12 month period of global temperature drops on all of the major well respected indicators.

So if DLGHUWD-GW* is happening, and CO2 is up, then why are global temperatures going down?


According to Al Gore, there can be only one explanation: Global Warming has broken all the thermometers. "We've really done it now," he said, "We can no longer tell how bad it is. I hope those carbon burning Republicans are happy now. You've killed us, George Bush, thanks a lot!"

*DLGHUWD-GW = Dear Lord God Help Us, We're Dead - Global Warming

Canadians Get the Real Story

At least the Senator is giving someone the real story:

Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.

The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value.

But Tuesday night in Ohio, where NAFTA is blamed for massive job losses, Obama said he would tell Canada and Mexico "that we will opt out unless we renegotiate the core labour and environmental standards."

Late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Obama campaign said the staff member's warning to Wilson sounded implausible, but did not deny that contact had been made.

The only quarrel I have with the article was the use of "but" at the beginning of the third paragraph. "But" makes it sound like Obama's criticism went outside the lines. Seems to me that the criticism of NAFTA is in keeping with the plan. Maybe it would be easier to keep track of the candidate's lies if he gave a big theatrical wink (nudge-nudge) when he was using alternate-truths.

h/t: the amazing James Taranto.

Iran the Superpower

It's silly:

"Everybody has understood that Iran is the number one power in the world," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to families who lost loved ones in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Well, especially silly to bring it up at a remembrance of the Iran-Iraq war. That was a bloody stalemate against a country that US forces ran down in record time.

My point isn't that US forces are intimidating and powerful, although they are. It's just odd that Ahmadinejad picked this time to flex Iranian muscle - when remembering a war that was hardly a Iran's brightest moment.

Power Freak?

Keith Richards (inset) seems to be a bit miffed at Mick Jagger:

He also said: "Mick's a maniac. He can't get up in the morning without knowing immediately who he's going to call.

"Meanwhile, I just go 'Thank God I'm awake' and wait for three or four hours before I do anything. He is a power freak and there's nothing we can do about it. I don't want to do anything about it. Let him bugger about. It doesn't make any difference to what we do."

Keith, you're saying the wrong morning prayer. You should wake up and say 'Thank God I'm alive.'

NYT Approval Ratings

This is good to see. Maybe everyone is starting to catch on:

Just 24% of American voters have a favorable opinion of the New York Times. Forty-four percent (44%) have an unfavorable opinion and 31% are not sure. The paper’s ratings are much like a candidate’s and divide sharply along partisan and ideological lines....

Of those who followed the story, 66% believe it was an attempt by the paper to hurt the McCain campaign. Just 22% believe the Times was simply reporting the news. Republicans, by an 87% to 9% margin, believe the paper was trying to hurt McCain’s chances of winning the White House. Democrats are evenly divided.

Still, at 24%, that's one in four people still has a favorable opinion of the NYT. Us in the other-three group will have to keep an eye on those guys.



h/t: NewsBusters

Finally I'll Feel Safe on the Roads

New Auto Security System Will Not Allow Car To Start If Driver Is Nick Nolte

WFB RIP

See there? You close Starbucks for three hours, and bad things happen.

Sadly, William F Buckley has passed away. He was the conservative movement for many years. Founder of National Review, and host of Firing Line, and founder of Young Americans for Freedom, he was the undisputed standard bearer of American conservatism. Plus, bonus, he was an easy guy to like. I remember as a young, liberal, college student, I would watch him debate Gore Vidal with a dictionary at my side; having to look up the bons and the mots, and usually concluding that WFB was the cleverer of the two. Odd, I really liked the guy, even though he represented everything I opposed.

Well, he'll be missed. But he had a huge life, so that's good.

Know what? I'm not even going to peek at the left-hand side of the WWW, though I know that right now Arianna Huffington has got both delete buttons out and is clicking like crazy, trying to shield her minions and thugs, who like to show the depths of their nastiness at times like these.