Wednesday, May 14, 2008

It's so hard to get good help these days


So says Barack Obama. Again and again. ABC's Jake Tapper explains.

We started covering Sen. Barack Obama's inability to hire good staffers in June 2007, when he blamed staffers for some opposition research trying to link Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, to outsourcing in India; for injecting some venom in the David Geffen/Hillary Clinton fight; and for missing an event with firefighters in New Hampshire.

In December, we noted again that Obama was blaming the answers on a 1996 questionnaire on a staffer; and was blaming his touring with "cured" ex-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin (which antagonized gays and lesbians) on bad vetting by his staff.

Those five buck-passing incidents were apparently not enough... Yesterday, in an interesting New York Times look at Obama's rise in Chicago politics, we learned that in 2004 some Jewish supporters became alarmed to learn that in a questionnaire Obama refrained from denouncing Yasir Arafat, or from expressing strong support for Israel's security fence.

...In January, during MSNBC's presidential debate in Las Vegas, Obama was asked about a document put together by one of his South Carolina staffers that listed comments made by the Clinton campaign that some perceived to be attempting to stoke racial fires... "Our supporters, our staff get overzealous," Obama said. "They start saying things that I would not say, and it is my responsibility to make sure that we're setting a clear tone in our campaign."

In February in a meeting with the Chicago Tribune, Obama was asked about an earmark that went to the University of Chicago while his wife Michelle Obama worked there (Ed: after her salary mysteriously tripled). [Obama said the conflict-of-interest was] something that slipped through our cracks, through our screening system."

In a March 2008 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times to answer questions about Tony Rezko, Obama was asked about the fact that Obama had told the newspaper in November 2006 that he had never been asked to do anything to advance Rezko's business interests. But the Sun-Times had subsequently learned about a October 28, 1998 letter Obama wrote to city and state housing officials on behalf of a housing project for seniors that Rezko was working on... The letter, Obama said, "was essentially a form letter of the sort that I did all time. And that I wasn't, by the way, aware of... This was one of many form letters, or letters of recommendation we would send out constantly for all sorts of projects. And my understanding is that our letter was just one of many. And I wasn't a decision maker in any of this process."

The Sun-Times also pointed out that in November 2006 Obama estimated that Rezko had raised somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000 for him during his political career. But since that answer, Obama has given back almost $160,000 in Rezko-related contributions... "The original estimate was based on, I asked my staff to find what monies they attributed to Rezko, and this was the figure given to me," Obama said.

So, for those keeping track at home, that's ten instances of Obama publicly blaming his staff for various screw-ups...

(You of course could also add Austan Goolsbee, Samantha Power, Gordon Fischer, and retired Gen. Tony McPeak.)

That would be 14. We will continue to keep track.

There's nothing like taking responsibility. Especially for a would-be president.

Hat tip: Larwyn

Terror in Ashkelon


A shopping mall in Ashkelon was hit yesterday afternoon by rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza strip. At least 90 civilians were injured in the attack.




Click the image to help.

GOP 2.0 - resuscitating the brand


Paul Mirengoff, writing at Powerline:

The Democrats appear to have picked up another House seat in a formerly "safe" Republican district tonight. The latest win for the Dems comes in Mississippi where Travis Childers, a county chancery clerk, seems to have edged out Greg Davis, a mayor. President Bush carried this district twice with about 60 percent of the vote each time. But Childers ran as a strong social conservative (Ed: pro-life and pro-gun).

...my takeaway is that the Republican brand is in such bad shape that the Dems can win virtually anywhere if they nominate a candidate whose position on key issues is, or can be made to seem, close to that of the Republican... Fortunately, the Democrats will not nominate such a candidate for president. And the Republican nominee, whether we feel comfortable about it or not, isn't necessarily seen as intimately associated with the Republican brand. Even so, I think that Republican nominee is running uphill.

Indeed. The Republican brand has lost its way. I believe that it's time for citizens to rise up and demand a new Republican Party! I'm calling it GOP 2.0. And I'm perfectly willing to throw out those "Republicans" who are stuck on stupid -- and are stuck in the GOP 1.0 world.

The tenets:

STRENGTHEN NATIONAL DEFENSE - increase the size, capability and efficiency of our Armed Forces, bringing back our defense spending to historical levels as percentage of GDP.

GAIN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE - open up ANWR and the OCS to exploration; aggressively pursue nuclear energy and green technologies; and incent private industry to aggressively pursue clean, renewable energy sources.

SECURE THE BORDERS - build physical barriers immediately as a precursor to an overarching, sensible immigration policy. If the boat's sinking, you plug the holes first.

DEATH TO EARMARKS - zero tolerance for earmarks.

DEATH TO CORRUPTION - zero tolerance for corruption.

ENGLISH AS NATIONAL LANGUAGE - national unity requires a national language. That language is English.

IMPLEMENT FLAT TAX OR FAIR TAX - simplify the tax system by eradicating a tax code gone mad.

REDUCE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT - provide "whistleblower-style" awards for reducing the size of government and task the IRS (which will no longer have to worry about enforcing the tax code) with achieving the reduction goals on an annual basis

SPUR HEALTHCARE COMPETITION - Address health-care deficiencies - with competitive, free-market solutions, not Government largesse.

ADDRESS ENTITLEMENTS - engage a bipartisan consortium to create a multi-million dollar competition to incent teams from private industry and academia to create solutions for our social security and Medicare liabilities.

This should not be a platform. It should be a promise -- an ironclad commitment -- to voters.

I'm asking for help here. If you agree, please email this post to your friends and/or post it on your blog (no credit or link needed). We need to resuscitate the Republican brand. ASAP.

Update: A Jacksonian published a comprehensive platform of similar traits in 2006.
Linked by: Gateway Pundit, Fausta, Jo's Cafe and Vanderleun. Thanks!

Update II: Reclaim Conservatism: rebooting the GOP!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Email thread


Another good one from Papa B.

Hmmmmm... I hate when people beat around the bush.

---------
From: Ron
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 9:17 PM
To:
Subject: Fw: Hey

Only one liberal in the family!

----- Original Message -----

From: Peter
To: Undisclosed Recipients
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 9:40 AM
Subject: Hey

In response to my note encouraging contributions to Barack's campaign, my fraternity brother Jim, still one of my all time favorite friends, had the following to say. Man o' man, we had some great discussions....and as you can see, we still do.

P.S. YITB means "yours in the bonds"


Forwarded Message ----
From: Jim
To: Peter
Sent: Friday, May 9, 2008 10:09:14 AM
Subject: Re: Hey

I have better ways to piss away money than to donate to a dirty pinko commie, who hates America, lies through his teeth, threatens to raise taxes and spend more, wants to redistribute the wealth, detests free enterprise, has a wife who has never been proud to be an American, has intoduced NO legislation, has voted "present" 95% of the time he has been in the Senate, has advanced NO programs of any substance, wants to relegate our healthcare system to the level of socialist countries, represents tenement owners, hates the words of the National Anthem, doesn't respect the flag, understands why, and sympathizes with, other countries that hate America, doesn't have a clue as to how dangerous the world situation is today, believes he can negotiate with despots and tyrants, scares the s*** out of me, ensures the coming of Armageddon but who otherwise is a well spoken young man with zero experience in running a country or, for that matter, anything else of substance. Fortunately, you now have enough money to donate to Obama's campaign. If elected, he will see to it that you don't.

YITB,

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 2:28 PM
To: Jim
Subject: Hey

Hey,

I just made a donation to Barack Obama's campaign, and I thought you might
want to join me:

https://donate.barack0bama.com/

Thanks!
Peter

---------
A user has sent this message from Barack0bama.com. The sender's name, email
address, subject and message have not been verified.

ObamArt


Ace notes an illustration that ran -- in all seriousness -- next to an Oregon newspaper's endorsement of the Obamessiah.

Junior Cub Reporter Level II Biff Spackle scoured the globe and located some additional artwork celebrating the holy candidate.

Obama mysteriously materializes and is captured by William Zapruder as he steps in front of Oswald's bullets and saves JFK's life.

Later, Obama saves Lee Harvey Oswald by jumping in front of Jack Ruby's bullet.

Obamaître d' magically appears whenever Heinz 57 State sauce is required.

Obama joins the band during the recording of legendary producer Bruce Dickinson's cowbell-heavy version of Don't Fear the Reaper.

Obama and Neal Armstrong.

All artwork is available for sale at MorOn.org

Obama's new best friends


Peggy Shapiro, writing at American Thinker:

Barack Obama wants to talk away some serious doubts the pro-Israel community has about the candidate's support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Obama's anti-Israel advisors (some disavowed after public embarrassments) McPeak, Brzezinski, Malley, and Power, Obama's close association with pro-Palestinian activists Ali Abunimah and Rashid Khalidi, Obama's allegiance to Reverend Wright, Obama's reluctance to criticize Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas, the Hamas endorsement of Obama, and then the discovery that Obama's own advisor was engaging Hamas in talks are a few of the things that cause many Jews to lose sleep at the thought of President Obama. ..

...If his interview with Jeffrey Goldberg is the strongest case that Barack Obama can offer to allay the misgivings of the pro-Israel community, then the insomnia has only begun.

Start handing out the Sominex.

BizzyBlog has some damaging covers from recent issues of the Trumpet Newsmagazine. The February 12, 2006 edition, published by Obama's Trinity United Church, features Obama and virulent racist Louis Farrakhan on the cover.

Stanley Kurtz adds:

To the question of the moment–What did Barack Obama know and when did he know it? – I answer, Obama knew everything, and he’s known it for ages. Far from succumbing to surprise and shock after Jeremiah Wright’s disastrous performance at the National Press Club, Barack Obama must have long been aware of his pastor’s political radicalism. A careful reading of nearly a year’s worth of Trumpet Newsmagazine, Wright’s glossy national “lifestyle magazine for the socially conscious,” makes it next to impossible to conclude otherwise.

Put simply, Obama is a liar. He appeared on the cover of his church magazine with Louis Farrakhan for heaven's sake! He knew the pastor was an extremist nutcase... and yet Wright remained his mentor, friend and spiritual adviser for 20 years.

Gaza phone banks call US voters in support of Obama


Jim Geraghty's CampaignSpot notes one of Barack Obama's more bizarre phone banks.

REPORTER: It may be hard to believe, but working in this tiny Internet cafe in Gaza City may just be one of Barack Obama's biggest fans...

...Before every U.S. primary, 23-year-old Ibrahim Abu Jayyab gathers 17 of his friends to try and rally support for Obama's campaign in the U.S.

So why does a young Palestinian living in Gaza spend so much of his time and money on an election thousands of miles away?

ABU JAYYAB: [translated] It all started at the time of the U.S. primaries. After studying Obama's electoral campaign manifesto, I thought, 'this is a man that is capable of change inside America.' As for potential change in the Middle East, he can also do that. I think he can bring peace to the area, or at least this is what we hope.

REPORTER: And the game plan? Ibrahim and his friends call random numbers in the U.S. before every primary to deliver one simple message:

ABU JAYYAB: [in English] Elect Senator Obama. I will change. I will achieve... the justice in the Middle East.

Geraghty describes the end of the video clip: "The report concludes by showing graffiti in Gaza depicting a monstrous Bush, lips dripping with blood, clutching the world and drinking blood through a straw from a pile of skulls. The caption is, "Good bye Mr. Bush, we wont' miss you.""

I think I saw that depiction of Bush on the MorOn.org website, too.

Hat tip: Larwyn

IBD: Dems short-sighted, ignorant and irresponsible


The Investors Business Daily:

• For the past 31 years, Congress repeatedly prevented us from building any new oil refineries that we now badly need.

• More recently, congressional Democrats defeated and discouraged any bill that would let us drill in the deep sea 100 miles out. However, it's somehow OK for China to drill there.

• As a further indictment of our Congress, since the 1980s it has continually stopped all building of nuclear power plants while France, Germany and, yes, Japan, plus 12 other major nations, did build plants and now get 20% to 80% of their energy from their wise and safe nuclear plant investments.

• From 1990 to 2000, U.S. crude oil demand rapidly accelerated by 7.41 quadrillion BTUs, according to Department of Energy data. And our rate of foreign oil dependency dramatically increased while our domestic oil production steadily declined.

Under the eight Clinton years alone, U.S. oil production declined 1,349,000 barrels per day, or 19%, while our foreign imports increased 3,574,000 barrels per day, or 45%.

During this time, President Clinton vetoed ANWR drilling bills that would have clearly made Alaska our No. 1 state in the production of our own vitally needed oil supply, not only for all Americans but also for national defense emergencies.

So were Democrats and members of Congress together merely short-sighted, with only a few having any real business experience?

Or were they just ignorant about economics — the fact that the law of supply and demand determines the price of all commodities such as oil, steel, copper and lumber?

Or were they simply and utterly irresponsible and incompetent in their actions that led us to become dangerously dependent on increasing oil imports from foreign countries?

We think it was "all of the above."

Can I get an 'indeed'?

Hat tip: Merv vis Larwyn

Monday, May 12, 2008

I've got good news and bad news for 'progressives'


The moonbat subscription base of the New York Times is up in -- well, not arms since they don't believe in the Second Amendment -- but they're ticked off nonetheless. The Times' crime? Their op-ed page just called Obama "President Apostate".

As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant.

...His conversion [to Christianity], however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).

With few exceptions, the jurists of all Sunni and Shiite schools prescribe execution for all adults who leave the faith not under duress; the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric, although in recent years there have been both stonings and hangings...

It is true that the criminal codes in most Muslim countries do not mandate execution for apostasy (although a law doing exactly that is pending before Iran’s Parliament and in two Malaysian states). But as a practical matter, in very few Islamic countries do the governments have sufficient authority to resist demands for the punishment of apostates at the hands of religious authorities...

And that's the good news.

The bad news? After leaving the Islamic faith, Obama joined the virulently racist Trinity United Church of Christ, which appears to me to be closer to militant Islam than it is Christianity.

Hat tip: The right wing propaganda machine otherwise known as the New York Times.

Obama: Israel a "constant sore" that "infects... foreign policy"


Interviewed in The Atlantic, Barack Obama tells us that Israel is a "constant wound... a constant sore..." and an infection. Gateway Pundit caught Obama's latest inflammatory remarks.

Jeff Goldberg:--- Do you think that Israel is a drag on America’s reputation overseas?

Barack Obama:--- No, no, no. But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is unsustainable. I am absolutely convinced of that, and some of the tensions that might arise between me and some of the more hawkish elements in the Jewish community in the United States might stem from the fact that I’m not going to blindly adhere to whatever the most hawkish position is just because that’s the safest ground politically.

Obama's remarks seem to parallel those of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In yet another verbal attack against Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Jewish state a "filthy bacteria" whose sole purpose was to oppress the other nations of the region.

"The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast," the Iranian president told supporters at a rally in southern Iran.

Come to think of it, a Mr. A. Hitler had some remarks along these lines.

Against the infection of materialism, against the Jewish pestilence we must hold aloft a flaming ideal. And if others speak of the World and Humanity we say the Fatherland - and only the Fatherland!

Infection or bacteria... I wish these guys would make up their minds!

Linked by: The American Thinker and The Anchoress. Thanks!

Line o' the day: no headache for Obama


MacRanger collects the prize (via Larwyn):

If you've never see a journalistic ménage à trois, you only have to read Thomas and Wolffe's Rub-a-Dub-Dub with Obama here.

I wonder if Obama smoked a cigarette afterward.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

West Virginia Pride


Papa B sends along another great photoscape.

West Virginia --- Our Home!

Because of our mountains, we have rivers. The oldest river in the Western Hemisphere, the New River (quite appropriately named, don't you think) ends in West Virginia. We have the Gauley River, which confluence's with the New River in a magnificent cascade to form the Kanawha River, which in turn flows through the center of the State, and directly through the capital city of Charleston, the largest city in West Virginia.

These rivers in addition to the Cheat, Blackwater, Tygart, Monongahela, Ohio and countless others offer tremendous recreational opportunities.

The tallest building in Charleston is barely 25 floors tall! ,which, if you think about it, is a plus; how could you possibly build a skyscraper more beautiful than a mountain?

The capital city stretches throughout the long river valley encompassing both hill and dale.

The Charleston airport, the largest in the State, sits on top of a mountain. The crime rate in Charleston, including the entire population of the Kanawha Valley (around 200,000), reflects that of the entire State, the lowest in America. No more than a handful of murders are committed each year.

Charleston has no subway systems, but, truth be known, you can get from one end of town to the other, even in rush hour traffic, in less than ten minutes.

There are three major interstate systems going through Charleston, the smallest city in America to make such a claim.

The entire State has six different interstate systems, meaning, from Charleston, you can reach Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville or Charlotte in four hours or less.... Ah, but once you leave the interstates, the drive becomes a thing of wonder. Two lane roads, winding up and down the mountains, offer amazing views and historic places, small towns, poor in wealth but rich in history.

West Virginia is the birthplace of Mother's Day, in Grafton; and Father's Day, in Fairmont.

We have the oldest covered bridge still in use. We have walnut festivals. strawberry festivals, apple festivals and pumpkin festivals and buckwheat festivals, and arts and crafts fairs and stern wheel regattas and ramp dinners.

We have Bridge Day, on the New River Gorge Bridge over 800 feet above the New River; the only standing structure in the United States that, one day a year, allows parachuting and bungee jumping.

We have college basketball, and minor league baseball and hockey, and, just like all of America, Friday night high school football.

We have white water rafting, and skiing, and hiking, and caves, and waterfalls, and camping in every direction. We have Sundays where a leisurely drive in the car can take eight hours, and only cover 100 miles.

We have bed and breakfasts, and resorts, and golf courses, and museums, and the Greenbrier Hotel. West Virginia has more natural beauty and wonder than any person could ever imagine.

We have all of this, and yet .... our greatest asset is our people. West Virginians are good people. We care about each other. We talk to our neighbors over the backyard fence. We grow tomatoes for the entire neighborhood. We turn around in each other's driveways, and yell 'howdy' when we do. We sit on the porch on warm summer evenings, listening to
crickets, and watching kids catch fireflies.

We loan a hammer, or a cup of sugar. We don't take two-hour lunches, but we do spend a few minutes each day with a cup of coffee, and our feet upon our desk, shooting the breeze.

We rarely get in a hurry. We have relatives just down the street. We don't just loan someone a socket wrench, we help them fix their car. We share recipes, and gardening tips, and our last cup of coffee. We baby-sit each other's kids, we housesit each other's dogs while we're on vacation, and we loan each other our c ars if we have to get to the drugstore. We ask each other if we need anything as we're going to the
market.

We celebrate each others accomplishments, and we cry over each other's disappointments.

We are a friendly folk. We are West Virginians. Mountaineers are always free! Free to take the time to enjoy life,and hold each moment in our hearts, forever.

Text also seen at: New River Friends.

Check out this smokin' hot singles site!


Hadn't seen this site before.





Naughty!

Actually, some of the women on this site aren't quite as orthodox as these ladies... and really are smokin' hot.

Hat tip: Bollos

Hillary's next career move


Given her driving ambition, I can't see Hillary Rodham going back to the US senate and mingling with the likes of schmeckel Schumer and corpulent Kennedy. I contend that only a national stage will suffice.

So: what's next for Hillary?

Talk Radio Hostess -- possibly on EIB -- remorselessly attacking the policies of President McCain or Obama.

Late night infomercial goddess, advertising the amazing results of the Thighcrusher Deluxe, which also has multiple other uses.

National Pitch-woman for Crazy Hillary Electronics ("we're waging a jihad on prices!").

Update: Linked by Newsbusters, Sister Toldjah and Memeorandum. Thanks!

What I saw when I opened up the Sunday paper...


Yes, I'm one of those old school flunkies who still reads the daily newspaper. Opening up the first section, I noticed the following four headlines on a single page (perhaps this was the "International Military S***storm" section).

Can you detect the underlying theme of all four stories?

Hint: Think 'Militant Quakers'.

Counter-protest photo o' the day


Flopping Aces has the photo o' the day.

Click the picture for the back-story.

Hat tip: Larwyn

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The funniest video you will see this year


Okay, maybe this week. Or this evening. Just watch it (Denny had it first).





Click on any of the screencaps to watch (caution: language warning).

Linked by: Dr. Sanity's Carnival of the Insanities. Thanks!

Hillary's last ditch effort to rally support


Well, this certainly smells...

...of desperation!

The Dead Zone known as Stephen King's brain


Noel Sheppard, writing at Newbusters, goes all Cujo on Stephen King.

Well, last month, famed horror author Stephen King was speaking in front of a group of high school students at the Library of Congress... [and for] those that can bear it, what follows is another in a long line of liberal media members bashing the military...:

I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on.

If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that.


It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that.

Nice sentiment when the nation is at war, Stephen.

It's nice to see King take a Stand against his own country's military. This walking Bag of Bones is a true Creepshow and his diatribe hints at Desperation. Maybe he's been suffering from Insomnia. Nonetheless it's been Misery trying to read his recent books. And I won't be buying any more.

Oh. And one other thing. Hasn't King amassed enough money to fix his underbite?