The worst possible news for Democrats

 
The worst possible news? America's winning. The Australian:

Surge working: top US general THE US troop surge in Iraq has thrown al-Qa'ida off balance and produced a dramatic reduction in sectarian killings and a drop in roadside bombings... David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said the build-up of American forces in Baghdad since late January had produced positive outcomes. These included the killing or capture of al-Qa'ida fighters, causing the terrorist group to lose influence with local Sunnis. "...we have achieved progress, and we are obviously going to do everything we can to build on that progress and we believe al-Qa'ida is off balance at the very least," he said. ...Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, after being briefed by General Petraeus in Baghdad, said he now had a clear picture of progress in Iraq. He said John Howard and Mr Bush would discuss future military requirements for the conflict when they met at the APEC summit in Sydney next week... "Our support for continuing support and involvement in Iraq is a minority position but we have a moral responsibility to these people to see this job through," Dr Nelson said...

See... the... job... through...

Hmmm... interesting concept. Perhaps the Democrats could... oh, right. They're Democrats. Never mind.

Seattle PI: Robert Jamieson's Republic of Stupidity

 
It's official: Seattle residents live in a republic of stupidity, otherwise known as the circulation area of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. First, the paper refused to honor the FBI's request to publish photos of two suspicious ferry passengers. Then, columnist Robert L. Jamieson Jr. -- who must be the toast of the town -- hammered the Feds on Tuesday for "inflaming fears" over the mysterious Seattle pair.

IT'S OFFICIAL: We live in a republic of fear... Photos, which spread across the city and state last week, showed two Middle Eastern-looking men accused of seeming suspicious on state ferries... A ferry crew member (who took the photos) and the FBI (which released them) didn't lose sleep over the guilt or innocence of the men in the snapshots... And why should they? The authorities had fear as an ally. They blithely enlisted a fearful public to do their bidding -- to be dutiful patriots and report them. The two men in question could have been innocents on vacation. Or they could have been mistaken for another pair of dark-complexioned guys seen wandering ferries...

It's obvious that Robert sorely needs some background on this case. So I dashed off a quick note and gave him some data he probably overlooked, what with how difficult Google is to use and all.

Robert, How many Muslim-Americans do you think take the ferries? Two? And both were unfairly targeted by the FBI? This pair was identified on six different runs, they repeatedly attempted to gain access to secure areas, took pictures of bulkheads and other elements of the structure and employees, and -- in general -- acted like terrorists who were preparing for an attack. And, let me guess, you'd be the first person to pillory the Feds had a ferry gone up in a fiery explosion and killed scores of innocents. Brilliant work, Robert, I'm sure the Pulitzer committee will be calling momentarily. Counter-terrorism Blog: FBI and Department of Homeland Security sources tell me they're concerned about a strange incident in Washington state they fear may indicate terrorists are casing ferries for attacks. The FBI's Seattle division this week made the extremely rare move -- with full approval of the bureau's counterterrorism division in D.C. -- of releasing photos of two men who allegedly have been spotted on up to six different ferry runs... The pair, who have not yet been identified or apprehended for questioning, tried to access restricted areas on the ferries, which haul 26 million people a year [and] that the suspects were "taking photographs of doors not seabirds..." ...sources say that the suspicious actions of the men... is disquieting because of the present heightened threat this summer and the unresolved question of who the men are and why they were trying to photograph the ferries' inner workings and procedures. The case has risen to the top of daily intel briefings in recent days, including at the FBI field office in New York, a source said...

Is it true that the only living creatures dumber than left-wing op-ed hacks like Jamieson and Maureen Dowd are moonbats like Michael Moore and Sean Penn? It's a close call, to be sure, but with this pathetic excretion, Jamieson's going for Hollywood-class stupidity.

The Politico's Ben Smith rewrites history for Hillary

 
The Politico's Ben Smith has transformed himself into a world-class dissembler with his latest defense of the Clintons in the Hsu affair.

So is the Hsu story more sinister because Norman Hsu, the controversial donor, is Chinese-American, born in Hong Kong? ...But the Republican National Committee has been pushing this angle pretty hard, and apparently attempting to revive the — never proven — allegations of a Chinese "spy ring" buying its way into the 1996 Clinton campaign. ...This morning, [the RNC] e-mailed [a] transcript of an interview between the Wall Street Journal's John Fund and Alan Colmes: Fund: "But I think we need to learn more. And I think we need to have Mr. Hsu found. [ed.- I've seen nothing to suggest he's hiding.] After all, there's a warrant out for his arrest on grand theft. And he should be brought in and should be asked a lot of questions about a lot of things." ... Colmes: "But you want to pin this on Hillary Clinton because of his behavior?" Fund: "No. No, no. The only concern with the Clinton campaign is we have seen strange campaign contribution scandals before. The 1996 campaign saw 120 people connected to the Clinton fundraising efforts either flee the country to avoid questioning or plead the Fifth Amendment. ... I'm simply saying the Clintonites should have learned from that 1996 thing." Colmes: "First of all, you don't know that they didn't. You don't know they didn't. You want to go back John Huang. You want to go back to what happened in 1996 with Bill Clinton ... And then you want to use that to overlay that on Hillary Clinton, and presume that there's some malfeasance here because of what might have happened 10 years ago." ... Fund: "[T]he same finance people who worked in the Clinton campaign in 1996 are running Hillary's campaign. The same people, Alan. Terry McAuliffe." Nothing conclusive came out of those 1990s investigations.

Oh, really, Ben? May I remind you of... (cue the ominous music)

The strange case of Bill Clinton and the Chinese Military

On 9/13/1995, President Clinton met with John Huang and James Riady (pictured below). During the meeting, Huang expressed an interest in becoming a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee.

In this position at the DNC, Huang raised $3.4 million. The DNC was later forced to return nearly $2 million when a Congressional investigation revealed "problems" with the source of the funds. Huang was later convicted of crimes related to illegally reimbursing campaign contributions with Asian funds. Riady was also convicted of related campaign finance crimes. A U.S. Senate campaign finance report stated that Riady had a, "long-term relationship with... Chinese intelligence."

On 3/14/1996, President Clinton signed an order transferring license-granting authority for military/industrial technology from the State Department to the Commerce Department. This order made it easier for the Chinese military (the PLA) to launch American satellites, over objections from the Pentagon and the State Department. During the Clinton administration, focused Chinese espionage efforts made significant headway in the theft of U.S. military/industrial secrets including those concerning nuclear weaponry.

On 5/25/1999, the U.S. House of Representatives released the Cox Report ("Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China"), which detailed publicly for the first time China's espionage campaign against the United States. The report was a redacted version of a still-classified report. Approximately 30% of the original report, the unanimous product of a bi-partisan committee, remains classified.

Those are the facts, Ben. Oh, and by the way, if you're so convinced of the Clintons' innocence in these matters, why not demand the full disclosure of the Cox Report and the Barrett Report? The latter is reputed to be chock-full of interesting disclosures and was censored by the Clintons' law firm. But I'm sure it's "nothing conclusive."

New developments in SC "fireworks" pair

 
Remember those two jamokes caught speeding near a military installation in South Carolina? Messrs. Megahed and Mohamed were arrested for possession of explosive devices. In conjunction with that arrest, a search of a Tampa home linked to two of the FBI's most wanted terrorists was executed.

Tampa Bay Online is reporting that a federal grand jury has requested DNA and hair samples from Youssef Megahed. If anyone knows the reason for the request, they're not talking.

Jawa speculates that the only reason the grand jury would need DNA is to match it with evidence collected in some other plot. But what would that entail? Does it have something to do with the house in Tampa?

A spokesman for the Megahed family, one Ahmed Bedier, also testified before the grand jury. Bedier is reported to be the executive director of, you guessed it, CAIR-Tampa.


The contents of a typical car trunk. At least, for friends of Ramadan Shallah.
I sense some fireworks are on the way, but they're not the ones Megahed and Mohamed claimed were in the trunk.

The sacrifices of John Edwards

 

Back story at the Astute Bloggers

Bumper Stickers for Carville

 
EIB reports that James Carville is soliciting bumper sticker ideas for Democrats in 2008 and suggests a few:

• Vote Early, Vote Often, Que Pasa
• LBJ's Great Society: One More Decade Oughta Do It
• Dumb it Down for Democrats in '08
• We're Winning, Let's Quit
• Democrat Victory Through Defeat of the United States


My slogans:

• Zawahiri - Obama '08!
• Vote Democrat so Christopher Reeve can walk again
• Clinton '08: This Time With Pants!
• Corpses, Felons & Illegal Voters for Hillary
• Vote Democrat & Universal Healthcare for Trial Lawyers
• Democrats: bringing Hollywood Values to our Bedrooms
• Vote John Edwards: we're at Two Americas and Counting!
• Democrats: The Best Candidates Money Can Buy
• Vote Obama so we can invade Darfur and Pakistan
• Dukakis Gore Kerry Bueller? Anyone?

Phishing for Revenue

 
I received this email earlier today. The IRS wants to give me a refund? Really? Sah-weet!

You have to admit that this is a pretty lame phishing attempt. It's therefore almost shocking that it made it through Google's spam filter, which is usually pretty bulletproof.

The URL the phishing message attempts to reach is http://paraplan.lipetsk.ru/cpg134/albums/edit/images/index.php. I've got a hunch that isn't a US government site.

The IRS' copyright notice is a nice touch, though.

The fatally wounded mainstream media

 
In an exquisitely referenced post, Protein Wisdom describes a world of propaganda, sloppy reporting, willful omissions, and flat out lies. In other words, the landscape in which our current mainstream media operates. Don't miss it (hat tip: LGF).

It makes me want to submit a question to the GOP candidates for the Fox debate:

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government." Today's mainstream media controls public opinion to a great extent -- and votes with the party of weakness 90% of the time. How, then, can America win any war, no matter how important, when the media is invested in anti-war propaganda and -- ultimately -- defeat?

Hillary Clinton's A-List Donors

 
The Wall Street Journal reports that Hillary Clinton's campaign cash is coming from some unlikely places.

Election records show that six members of the Paw family have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005, including nearly $50,000 to Hillary Clinton. All six list their address as a 1,280-square-foot house that they recently refinanced for nearly $300,000. William Paw, the head of the household, is a 64-year-old mail carrier who earns around $49,000 annually. His wife, also 64, lists her occuption as a homemaker.

Interestingly, the Paws' donations match those of a wealthy New York businessman named Norman Hsu. The Paws, Mr. Hsu and five of his co-workers donated a total of $47,500 to Hillary's campaign on the same day, four different times, in 2007. In total, Hsu and his associates have given Clinton $133,000 since 2005 and nearly $750,000 to all Democratic candidates.

This would appear to be either a very bizarre coincidence or a blatant attempt to subvert campaign finance laws, because each individual's donations are limited to $4,600 per candidate.

Our exclusive investigation unearthed some other reputed Clinton donors:

The Jebediah Hankee family: nearly $50,000 since 2005 and use of the family's private jet.

Mr. and Mrs. F. Booger Cunningham and extended family, around $120,000.

Orville "Champ" Prendergrast, $26,500.

Milton Weemus and family, $42,000.

Ebenezer "Running Sores" Pooter, $17,250.

Bubba "Duke" Clampers: around $75,000.

In all seriousness, this isn't the first time Hillary's grappled with allegations of massive campaign fraud. John Armor, an Election Law Expert at Equal Justice Foundation, says Hillary may already be involved in the "largest election law fraud in US history."

That would be reflected in the Peter Paul vs. the Clintons civil suit. In that case, it appears that Hillary will be testifying, under oath, in relation to the "smoking gun" election fraud video that was recently released.

This appears to be yet another chapter in a long story of suspicious fund-raising activities.

Update: Dan Riehl: "Norman Hsu... is wanted by authorities for failing to do a three year prison stretch based upon a no contest plea to grand theft swindling charges."

What's the greatest country on Earth, Chomsky?

 
Consider these photos, Doctor O'Pennell-Fonda, taken by astronauts on the USS Endeavour.

















Yep, this is Hurricane Dean.

Militant Quakers extend reign of terror

 
* The Telegraph (UK) reports that Quaker extremists are blamed for Indian bombings that left 42 dead and 50 injured


The mystical "Mr. Quaker" figure is frequently cited
by Quaker extremists who believe they must convert or
kill non-believers by engaging in "Quihad"
* NPR notes that Ethiopia is battling 'suspected' militant Quakers

* Newsday reports that Quaker extremists are partnering with Mexicans; a recent declassified DHS report states that "Al Quaka has been trying to smuggle terrorists and terrorist weapons illegally into the US... [and] seek to smuggle OTMs [Other than Mexicans]... into the U.S."

* In Beirut, three more Lebanese soldiers were killed battling Quaker rebels, bringing the total number of dead to 145.

* A relative of Libya's leader asserts that, "radical Quaker extremists are certain to carry out more terrorist attacks in Europe... radical Quakerism is making deeper inroads into Europe through young, disaffected Quakers who are receptive to the message of militancy."

* News.com.au states that Quaker extremists are even hitting YouTube.

A spokesman for the Council for American-Quaker Relations, Ham Scooper, responded to reporters' questions. When asked if he would condemn organizations that use terror to achieve their goals, Scooper said "It's not our job to go around denouncing... we're not in the business of condemning."

Programming note: tomorrow night, CNN's Christine Amanpour will be hosting part 12 of her God's Holy Warriors series. This episode is entitled "Killer Quakers."

A quick tour of the left side of the blogosphere

 
* At Huffington Post, author Martin Lewis suggests that General Peter Pace stage a military Coup D'état and overthrow the "regime" of President Bush.

* Over at Daily Kos, a diarist asserts that "George W. Bush's Property Should Be Seized."

Note: apparently aware of this embarrassing secretion, Kos or his editors have purged the entry. This raises an interesting dichotomy: Kos routinely has to censor his diarists when they become out-and-out deranged, an all-too-frequent occurrence; LGF, on the other hand, has never deleted a single post to my knowledge.

* Also at Kos, another diarist accuses Joe Lieberman of questionable loyalty to the U.S. and believes that we should stop supporting Israel. Because, I guess, the Middle East isn't strategic - or something.

* Yesterday at Kos, diarist Randian suggested that no one gave Marxism enough of a chance, noting that "while mainstream Democrats may seek to abstain from ever mentioning the name of Marx, out of fear of appearing 'too far to the left,' Marx’s thinking remains very useful for all those dedicated to progressive causes." Never mind the 94 million dead, according to the Harvard University Press' Black Book of Communism. Never mind the catastrophic economic consequences. Democrats should quietly pursue the Marxist agenda... because, apparently, we haven't given it quite enough time.

You know, if this is the vaunted "realism" of the liberal progressive left, their science fiction stories must be freaking awesome.

Line o' the day: Tobin eviscerates Amanpour

 
Jonathan Tobin, reviewing CNN's moral equivalence film festival -- "God's religious warriors" -- hosted by Christine Amanpour:

Though present-day Jews and Christians are not all saints, there is no getting around the fact that neither of those religions has sprouted a contemporary movement aimed at world domination to be achieved by terror and war.

Ten Worst Branding Decisions of All-Time

* Chicken of the Creek-brand Tuna Fish

* Raid! Ant & Roach Jihad

* I Can't Believe It's Not Sausage!

* Food Slug Supermarkets

* Cream of Weasel Breakfast Cereal

* Buckeye Fish Brittle

* Zygotes 'R' Us Fertility Clinics

* Somalia's Finest Anchovies

* Hebrew National Pork Loin

* "National Security" Democrats

Elvira 'Rosa' Arellano uses the classic rapist's defense

 
The deported Elvira Arellano continues to speak out despite her cruel and unusual residency south o' the border:

Having returned to Michoacán after ten years of having worked in the USA without documentation, Elvira Arellano demanded that the government of Mexico take a firm position and protest against the hate and racism that exists in the USA toward all 12 million or more of its undocumented workers from Mexico, who every single day face raids, deportation, and the separation of their famllies.

While liberals progressives position Elvira as this generation's 'Rosa Parks', her statements won't exactly resonate through the ages. In fact, they won't be remembered this time next month.

"The United States is the one who broke the law first. By letting people cross over without documents. By letting people pay taxes."

As Jay Tea observes, that sort of thing is the classic 'rapist's defense.'

We get it, Elvira. America shouldn't have worn tight-fitting clothes and high heels. Because, in so doing, America was asking to be violated.

"I believe in my heart that the people of this nation do not, in their hearts, want to destroy our lives, our families and our communities."

No one other than Arellano broke apart her family. In 2002, she was arrested in the post-9/11 security crackdown on airport employees and was subsequently convicted of using a fake Social Security number. That charge led to the deportation order. Critics have observed that if she wants to be with her son, she should bring him to Mexico with her.

But her love for her son doesn't appear to quite outweigh his value as a political tool. Just one more question, Elvira: which of our laws are okay to break and which are not?

Michelle Malkin has the essential wrapup.

Hamas expands franchise to include torture, censorship

 
Unsatisfied with simply killing innocent civilians, terror franchise Hamas is branching out to govern Gaza more effectively:

Torture:

With both legs badly bruised from a vicious beating, Shaher Abu Oda can only move around with a painful shuffle. In the town of Beit Hanoun, on Palestine's Gaza strip, however, he is just one of many young men bearing limps, plaster casts, and stitches - the black and blue aftermath of an unprecedented crackdown on dissent by the strip's new rulers, the Islamist group Hamas... Its officials snatched Mr Abu Oda off the streets two weeks ago as he was trying to find his younger brother Miqbil, himself badly beaten after club-wielding Hamas policemen broke up a wedding party. The revellers' crime had been to sing a few songs associated with the Fatah party, the rival Palestinian faction which Hamas ousted from the Gaza Strip two months ago. "They threw me in a room," said Mr Abu Oda. "From 11.30 to 3.30 in the morning, they came in every 15 minutes and beat me with sticks, fists, kicks, and a black leather crop." ...human rights groups and ordinary Gazans say Hamas is committing exactly the same crimes as its Fatah predecessors, whose corruption and brutality were one of the main reasons why support for Hamas grew. "We are receiving reports of political detentions every day," said Mahmoud Abu Rahma, of the Gaza City-based Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights. "Hamas is conducting wide sweeps and interrogations to collect information. The interrogations include harsh treatment, and in many cases, torture and beatings..."

Censorship:

Hamas militiamen tried to arrest a prominent Palestinian journalist late Saturday, but left the scene at the urging of Hamas political leaders... The attempted arrest of Agence France Press reporter Sakher Abu El Oun came a day after Hamas beat a group of journalists covering a demonstration protesting the Islamic militant group's rule in the Gaza Strip...

Suppressing assembly:

Hamas security officers opened fire after protesters hurled rocks at them in the Gaza Strip yesterday in the biggest demonstration against the Islamist group since it seized control of the territory in June... Demonstrators chanted "jihad, jihad" as they marched down the streets of Gaza City, applauding as others smashed an unmanned Hamas security post on the roadside. Dozens of protesters threw rocks at a security post the Executive Force commandeered during the brief civil war against Fatah fighters two months ago...

Lesson learned for the Palestinian people: if you vote a vicious gang of homicidal thugs into office, you're sure to get exactly what you voted for. Say, Taliban Lite, for instance.

Clyburn's Hopes

 
Don Surber:

Democratic House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina has to be so disappointed. After all, he told the Washington Post last month that good reports in Iraq would be "a real big problem for us" Democrats... Good news for Iraq = bad news — "a real big problem for us" — for Democrats. What sort of idiots put themselves in such a fundamentally flawed position? Oh yea, Democrats.

But let's look at Clyburn's statement another way; that is: bad news in Iraq would be good news for Democrats. And what would comprise bad news? More American dead and wounded as well as additional Iraqi civilian fatalities.

Thus, if Clyburn is to be believed, Democrats are hoping and praying for more American dead and wounded. That's quite a platform for what is reputed to be a mainstream political party.

More details emerge in hunt for Seattle ferry mystery pair

 
The Counterterrorism Blog provides additional insight into the FBI's interest in two men who were spotted surveilling Seattle commuter ferries.

FBI and Department of Homeland Security sources tell me they're concerned about a strange incident in Washington state they fear may indicate terrorists are casing ferries for attacks. The FBI's Seattle division this week made the extremely rare move -- with full approval of the bureau's counterterrorism division in D.C. -- of releasing photos of two men who allegedly have been spotted on up to six different ferry runs... The pair, who have not yet been identified or apprehended for questioning, tried to access restricted areas on the ferries, which haul 26 million people a year [and] that the suspects were "taking photographs of doors not seabirds..." ...sources say that the suspicious actions of the men... is disquieting because of the present heightened threat this summer and the unresolved question of who the men are and why they were trying to photograph the ferries' inner workings and procedures. The case has risen to the top of daily intel briefings in recent days, including at the FBI field office in New York, a source said...

After some observers stated that the men resembled "militant Quakers," a spokesman for the Council on American-Quaker Relations (CAQR) condemned the practice of profiling:

The Seattle office of the Council on American-Quaker Relations (CAQR-Seattle) today expressed concern over the potential for racial and religious profiling in a new security initiative by the FBI and US Coast Guard. The initiative focuses on publishing photos of "suspicious" passengers and objects. "The Seattle Quaker community is generally supportive of all reasonable security measures necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens," Said Benjamin Ostrow, CAQR-Seattle's Director of Communications. "All of us feel safer knowing the authorities are proactive in their attempts to root out the terrorist threat, even though it is overblown." Ostrow did caution against the use of racial and religious profiling in carrying out the new security measures. "Previous practices have shown that profiling promises persistent and pernicious paranoia in the profiled parties. We ask that the FBI persist in its promise to prohibit any pertinent profiling policies.'"

Hat tip: Big Bob

Hillary worried about terror attacks

 
No, Hillary Clinton isn't worried about terror attacks because more innocent Americans might die. She's concerned because the attacks might affect her candidacy:

"If certain things happen between now and the election, particularly with respect to terrorism, that will automatically give the Republicans an advantage again, no matter how badly they have mishandled it, no matter how much more dangerous they have made the world. So I think I'm the best of the Democrats to deal with that..."

Upon hearing Hillary's confirmation that homeland security is simply a partisan issue for liberals progressives, Chris Dodd sprang into action, calling her comments "tasteless."

What ever you do, don't question Hillary's patriotism. Remember, for the Clintons, poll numbers are far more important than any long-term strategy or planning.

Christmas comes early this year

 
Sticky Notes offers the gift that keeps on giving (hat tip: Larwyn).

Why do I wince every time I see the Hillary Nutcracker?