"The Hillary Convention"

I usually don't pay attention to anything that Dick Morris has to say. He is usually wrong so I don't know why he continues to be a pundit, but this time he does bring up some interesting points about the Democratic convention: (From his newsletter):

Hillary and Bill have hijacked the Denver convention, making it into a carbon copy of what it would have looked like had she won until the last possible moment. By the time Obama gets up to speak and put his stamp on the convention, Hillary will have had one prime time night all to herself. Bill will have pre-empted a second night. Hillary will have had all the nominating and seconding speeches she wants. And the roll call of the states would record, in graphic detail, how the voters of state after state rejected Obama’s candidacy in the primaries. Only then, after three and a half days of all Clinton all the time will the convention then, finally, turn to its nominee and allow him to have an hour in the sun!

And what leverage did the Clintons have to achieve all of this? None. Hillary could not have taken the convention by storm and any show of party disunity would marginalize her forever in the Democratic Party. Had she or her supporters tried to pull off distracting demonstrations or to recreate Lafayette Park in Chicago in 1968, she would have paid a permanent price among the party faithful for sabotaging Obama’s candidacy.

This Clintonian tour de force raises a key question about Barack Obama: Is he strong enough to be president or can he be pushed around? His failure to stand up to the Clintons makes one wonder how effective he will be against bin Laden, Iran, Chavez, or Putin.

.........

How much will Obama take? His weakness if the face of the Clinton demands coupled with his refusal to debate McCain in the town forum meetings raise the question of whether he is tough when the teleprompter is turned off. Why is he afraid or unwilling to do tough interviews? It is not enough for him to say that he is the front runner and ask why he should risk such confrontations. In case he hasn’t noticed, he’s not the front runner. The tracking polls all suggest a tied race where taking certain risks would be reasonable, unless his handlers worry about his vulnerability in difficult or extemporaneous situations.

Is an unscripted Obama a pushover? Will foreign leaders conclude that he is not up to the job, just as Khrushchev did with JFK at his 1961 Vienna summit that presaged the Cuban Missile crisis? If he does so poorly in negotiating with the Clintons, how will he do with the Russians?

Energy Ad

Here is the new Republican Ad regarding the energy vote that the Democrats refused as they went on a five week paid vacation. It's pretty good. Concise and clear and to the point.

Open Border Blood

I had been hearing about these gangs in Mexico that are kidnapping wealthy people for ransom. More than 430 abductions were reported in 2007, up 35% on the previous year. The report I heard on TV suggested that the police may be in on it.

We may think this doesn't affect us, but Mexico is right next door and with our open borders, it's only a matter of time.

So when I say this article I was sickened. Mexican hitmen kill 8 at prayer in rehab centre. They seem to think that former drug dealers were being hidden there. But the war is over turf for drug running. Where?

Here, of course:

Some 2,000 people have died this year in a drug war, mostly between rival gangs, for control of routes into the United States.
........

Mexico's most-wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, is fighting local drug baron Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, boss of the Juarez cartel, for control of Ciudad Juarez and its lucrative smuggling corridor into the United States.

Things seem to becoming more and more violent in Mexico over the turf of getting the drugs to the United States. How long will it be until that bloody violence increases to that degree here? Not long I imagine.

What is it going to take for us to get serious about this? Will it take these drug thugs killing innocents in mass across the border on our side?

American needs to wake up and realize that their casual drug use is rooted in violence, murder, and blood. Good God, isn't this something we all can agree on?

So cool...

The image reveals dramatic ridges and valleys of dust, serpent-head "pillars of creation," and gaseous filaments glowing fiercely under torrential ultraviolet radiation. The region is on the edge of a dark molecular cloud that is an incubator for the birth of new stars.

The high-energy radiation blazing out from clusters of hot young stars is sculpting the wall of the nebula by slowly eroding it away. Another young cluster may be hidden beneath a circle of brilliant blue gas.

In this approximately 100-light-year-wide fantasy-like landscape, dark towers of dust rise above a glowing wall of gases on the surface of the molecular cloud. The seahorse-shaped pillar at lower, right is approximately 20 light-years long, roughly four times the distance between our sun and the nearest star, Alpha Centauri.

Obama's birthplace? Nooooo... Much better:

In commemoration of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope completing its 100,000th orbit during its 18th year of exploration and discovery, scientists aimed Hubble to take a snapshot of a dazzling region of celestial birth and renewal. Hubble peered into a small portion of the Tarantula nebula near the star cluster NGC 2074. The region is a firestorm of raw stellar creation, perhaps triggered by a nearby supernova explosion. It lies about 170,000 light-years away and is one of the most active star-forming regions in our local group of galaxies.

Do you get the feeling that the gentleman from NASA that wrote this really really likes stars.....?

Hillary's name will be placed in nomination

Read the "unity" statement here. But we all know this isn't about unity. It's about Hillary. I can promise you that Obama did not want to do this, but to risk protests from women would look so bad and hurt him among white women voters. Hillary wants to make sure that she is treated like the queen Democrat she is. Only then will she turn over her delegates. They will try to make it out like that was always going to happen, but it's not so.

As one commenter (in red) at Talkleft pointed out:

"How gracious to comply with precedent and rules.

But compare this in the Atlantic article"

They heard back immediately: the Obama campaign had always been open to having her name placed in nomination alongside his.

"to this from the AP"

"I'm letting our respective teams work out details," he said. Asked if that meant he wouldn't object to her name being placed in nomination and a vote taken, Obama said: "I didn't say that. I said that they're working it out."

"They tried to intimidate her and her supporters and now that it didn't work, they're shrugging and looking at their nails as if that was what they always wanted to happen."

Have you heard about the PUMA group? It stands for "Party Unity My A**." They are still hoping against hope for a Hillary delegate win. I think Obama is doing everything possible to avoid any animosity during the convention, but I'm thinking there will be fun. Maybe not on camera. But behind the scenes or hidden from us. This may be the first Democratic convention for me to watch in decades.

Meanwhile Nancy Pelosi isn't making this better:

"I think Hillary Clinton has been very gracious," Pelosi said on KGO radio. "I think some of her supporters have been less than gracious."

The Snub

And I thought Hillary would be the one to fear for payback.

Seems Obama isn't above it either.

via HotAir

I was wondering where Al Gore was...

Last I heard he was the surprise guest at the nutroot convention in Austin a few weeks ago. And then I found this article. I see that yesterday he was at the posh Nantucket home of Chicago investment banker Lou Susman, an Obama adviser for a fundraiser. I wonder why he isn't on TV for Obama? I don't know. Maybe because he's lost his mind. He said regarding global warming to the jet setting, limo riding, much larger homes than they would ever need crowd:

“This cause is outside the boundaries of history,” Gore said. “These are not normal times. The relationship between the planet and ourselves has been irrevocably and dramatically altered. We’re a bull in a china shop. Today, as the sun sets, we will have put another 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere.”

Then I'm sure he jumped in his SUV to get to his private jet to hurry to the next place he wants to expound on being a complete hypocrite.

But the most chilling line came from John Kerry:

Kerry said the election could also bring a slew of new Democratic senators to Capitol Hill, allowing the party to close in on the “magic number of 60” that would be enough to stop a Republican filibuster.

“If we win the presidency, we’re going to have the first moment of progressive legislating since Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States,” Kerry said.

Good grief. Imagine.

I couldn't be more proud

You go girl.

Warning Russia:

"This is not 1968. And the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital, and overthrow a government, and get away with it. Things have changed."

via Ace

Who is using race as an issue?

Peter Beinart at the WaPo is afraid this Presidential campaign is going to be about race. He is warning Obama that it shouldn't be. It has been brought up though. But by whom? Here is what Beinart had to say:

That's the lesson of recent weeks, when the McCain campaign brought up race (on the pretext that Obama had brought it up first). The Obama campaign tried desperately to change the subject but couldn't. Once the chum was in the water, the media sharks went wild.

On the pretext that Obama brought it up first? Excuse me? Obama did bring it up first.

At a fundraiser in June here is what Obama said, "They're going to try to make you afraid of me: 'He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. ... Oh, and did I mention he's black?'"

If bringing up the subject that "they" (McCain and Republicans) are going to try to make you afraid of him by mentioning that he is black, isn't bring up race, I don't know what is. There is no "pretext" here. It is what it is. The only motive the McCain camp had was to defend itself.

And then again, late July, Obama again warned of the Republican's impending racial attack: "The only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me -- 'He doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills." Which Obama had to finally admit that he was referring to race among other things.

Obama admitted he was referring to race, why can't Peter Beinart?

Beibart continues:

Obama should take that as a warning. Race will be central to this campaign because McCain needs it to be.

Really? Because McCain isn't the one who has brought it up. Not once. Obama, on the other hand, seems to be using the race issue to scare liberals into thinking that Republicans will be using the race issue to scare everyone else.

Newsflash for Obama and liberal writers. Oama seems to be the only one using race right now and no one is scared.

"My Dad, John McCain'

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) – Reporters on board John McCain’s campaign plane Wednesday got an early look at Meghan McCain’s soon-to-be-published “picture book biography” of her father, titled: “My Dad, John McCain.”

.....

Meghan conjures one of her father’s favorite town hall tag lines on the book’s final page, writing: “I know he’ll say what he really thinks. Maybe it won’t be what people want to hear. But it will be the truth.”

......

One percent of the book’s proceeds will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides support for wounded military veterans and their families.

......

To be honest, I'm not all that thrilled with this. It seems too contrived. Maybe I will have to look at it first, but I don't see little kids really caring about John McCain the candidate or even his family, which Meghan writes about in the book. The press is already talking about the fact that McCain's first family isn't mentioned. I know this is Meghan's book and that wasn't her family. Naturally she would talk about her family. But it's that sort of thing is why the focus should have just been on McCain's sacrifice and service. I'm not sure how much of the book focuses on his time spent in the military and his time in a POW prison camp. The CNN story says several pages are devoted to it, but to me that is the only thing the book should have been about. That is a unique experience that children can learn from. Also, one percent to charity?? How about 100%? It's not like Meghan needs the money.

I wish I felt better about this, but I don't. While reading Meghan's blog during the primary it was clear that she is a delightful person, but a bit immature and still greatly influenced by the liberal nature of her education at Columbia. Meghan still sees the world through that prism I'm afraid.

I've have never had text relations with that man...

Pretty funny. Movie star George Clooney denying that he has a buddy/buddy relationship with Obama.

Clooney is one of the leftwing Hollywood loons with enough common sense to realize that Americans are turned off by celebrities telling them who to vote for.

So Clooney is just going to stick with having a lavish fundraiser for Obama in another country.

The Pelosi Premium

keathmilligan.net had this excellent chart that illustrates that since the Democrats came to power our gas prices have spiraled out of control. Now they refuse to allow the United States to drill for our future. While it's frustrating that Pelosi has left for her book tour and the Democrats do nothing in our energy crisis, this is a winning issue for us. Maybe this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise and help win a few seats back.

Texas Magazine!

A new magazine in Texas will be launched and hitting the newstands here September 9th and I will be writing for it!!!!! I'm very very excited. Check out the main site here:

Texas Magazine

My blog is here!

I'll be writing for the print version as well! I met the publisher this past weekend in San Antonio and she is all about Texas and all about a positive and upbeat outlook about our state. It's a magazine devoted to culture, nightlife, and commerce. It's really about a love of Texas. I'll be a very very small part reflecting on politics, but please check me out when you can and if you live in Texas or want to live in Texas, get a subscription!

Is that a cucumber in your pocket....

....or you just happy to see me? What??? Off with your head!

Besides the terrible killings inflicted by the fanatics on those who refuse to pledge allegiance to them, Al-Qa'eda has lost credibility for enforcing a series of rules imposing their way of thought on the most mundane aspects of everyday life.

They include a ban on women buying suggestively-shaped vegetables, according to one tribal leader in the western province of Anbar.
......

"They regarded the cucumber as male and tomato as female. Women were not allowed to buy cucumbers, only men."

We Expected More

I just love Thomas Sowell. I totally agree with him on this one about Obama. I had similiar thoughts:

Many years ago, when I was a college student, I took a course from John Kenneth Galbraith. On the first day of class, Professor Galbraith gave a brilliant opening lecture, after which the students gave him a standing ovation.Galbraith kept on giving brilliant opening lectures the whole semester. But, instead of standing ovations, there were now dwindling numbers of students and some of them got up and walked out in the middle of his lectures.

Galbraith never got beyond the glittering generalities that marked his first lecture. After a while, the students got tired of not getting any real substance.

Senator Barack Obama’s campaign this year reminds me very much of that course from Professor Galbraith. Many people were ecstatic during the early primaries, as each state’s voters heard his glittering generalities for the first time.

When Obama made his speech in Iowa, this is what I wrote at the time:

I just watched Obama's speech after winning in Iowa.

Wow.

It was one of the best political speeches I have heard In a long long time. It was inspiring and electric. When Obama is fired up, he delivers.

Thinking about that speech later as it became apparent that Obama was going to win the nomination, it got me worried. It was such an inspiring speech. He was so charismatic. I felt like his way with words would make people ignore his limited accomplishments. But as the days and months went by I became less worried, because I never heard that kind of speech from him again. He never got to that point of inspiration again.

Let's face it. Obama has been "evolving." He is rushing so fast to the center that I'm surprised he hasn't pulled something. Like any candidate before, this is understandable. But I think everyone expected more from this new kind of candidate. Not the same old, same old. I think Sowell agrees with me:

The kind of talk that won the votes — and the hearts — of the left-wing base of the Democratic party during the primaries may not be enough to carry the day with voters in the general election. So Senator Obama has been changing his tune or, as he puts it, “refining” his message.This was not the kind of “change” that the true believers among Obama’s supporters were expecting. So there has been some wavering among the faithful and some ups and downs in the polls.

Despite an impressive political machine and a huge image makeover this year to turn a decades-long, divisive grievance-promoting activist into someone who is supposed to unite us all and lead us into the promised land of “change,” little glimpses of the truth keep coming out.

The elitist sneers at people who believe in religion and who own guns, the Americans who don’t speak foreign languages, and the views of the “typical white person” are all like rays of light that show through the cracks in Obama’s carefully crafted image.

Therein lies the problem. We didn't expect Obama to "craft" an image. We figured he would shine his own special light. We didn't think he would back away from who he was. We figured he would stick to his principles and positions. But he has acted as any politician of the day would. He removes himself from any relationship that he thinks might hurt him in the polls. He has shown an astounding lack of loyalty. He ducks and dances around his shifting positions on issues like a boxer when the bell rings.

It's not that Obama is an empty suit. He isn't. He is intelligent and charismatic. He just hasn't worn a suit long enough to know who he really is and what he really believes in. It's obvious to me that he is listening to too many people trying to tell him who to be.

I'm not that worried anymore.

h/t BigDog

Stuff on the Web

Obama is trying to not let McCain get the biker vote with a new radio ad, called "Motorcycle," "But when it comes to his record, American-made motorcycles like Harleys don’t matter to John McCain," Good luck with that one buddy.

Reading Josh Green’s Atlantic Monthly piece on the Clinton campaign and all the campaign memos and emails from the campaign is painful reading even for us who can't stand Hillary. The memos show how a campaign is such a manipulation of the American opinion. Not that all campaigns aren't like that. They are. But these memos are so cold and so lacking in sort of compassion or caring for anything that it's disturbing. But only the die hard political junkies will ever read them, so I don't think they damage Hillary much for the future.

Don't think the crowd that wants to put Hillary's name into nomination is going away:

Clinton delegates have more than half of the 300 signatures needed to put Clinton's name into nomination - and they fully expect to get more than enough by the time the convention begins in Denver.

"It's a simple thing to do, and it's the biggest sign of party unity," said Laura Spanjian, a San Francisco Clinton delegate who also supports the move. "If we do that one thing, the Hillary people can get past it - and move on."

John Edwards seems to have lied about lying.

via First Read

Here is a good post being linked everywhere regarding Obama's camp covering up and lying about Obama's pro-abortion votes while in the state legislature.

Once again...

Hillary Clinton may have been screwed over by a cheating man.

Sorta related. Here is another woman with the same problem.

Who ya gonna call?

When a presidential candidate needs advice on "body language, presentation and policy" who should he call?

Well if your Obama, you call George Clooney. Who has said that he could never run for office because “slept with too many women, done too many drugs and been to too many parties.”

The article says that Clooney is good at "crafting" an image. He is helping Obama do that. Heaven forbid we see the real Obama I suppose.

You haven't heard about this movie star helping this celebrity presidential candidate? Well, that's been on purpose:

"He has tried to keep the true extent of their involvement out of the Press because he is frightened of alienating voters.”

A band called Ferra's has a song out called "Hollywood's Not America." (youtube) It's a great song and nothing could be more true.

The Wacky World of John Edwards

It's always fun to pile on a cheater. So let's go. This first piece is from Newsweek and the reporter is recounting his time spent riding around with candidate John Edwards in 2006 and noticed this Rielle Hunter:

I struck up a conversation with the woman at the next event, as we waited outside. She told me her name and asked me what my astrological sign was, which I thought was a little unusual. I told her. She smiled, and began telling me her life story: how she was working as a documentary-film maker, living with a friend in South Orange, N.J., but how she'd previously had "many lives." She'd worked, she said, as an actress and as a spiritual adviser. She was fiercely devoted to astrology and New Age spirituality. She'd been a New York party girl, she'd been married and divorced, she'd been a seeker and a teacher and was a firm believer in the power of truth.

She told me that she had met Edwards at a bar, at the Regency Hotel in New York. She thought he was giving off a special "energy.

Oh it gets better. When the reporter met with Hunter later, here is what she told him:

I would soon learn that there was no such thing as small talk with Rielle Hunter. She told me that she'd felt a connection to me when we'd first met, that she could tell I was a very old soul. This meant a lot to Rielle. Her speech was peppered with New Age jargon—human beings were dragged down by "blockages" to their actual potential; history was the story of souls entering and escaping our field of consciousness. A seminal book for her had been Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now." Her purpose on this Earth, she said, was to help raise awareness about all this, to help the unenlightened become better reflections of their true, repressed selves.

Her latest project was John Edwards. Edwards, she said, was an old soul who had barely tapped into any of his potential. The real John Edwards, she believed, was a brilliant, generous, giving man who was driven by competing impulses—to feed his ego and serve the world. If he could only tap into his heart more, and use his head less, he had the power to be a "transformational leader" on par with Gandhi and Martin Luther King. "He has the power to change the world," she said.

Oh, I think she tapped into a part of his body, but it wasn't the heart or head. It was the part that truly guides most men.

Then we have this website that is asking where Reille Hunter's new age website "beingisfree.org" went to. It's gone. Even for the Wayback machine. Poof.

Remember Bob McGovern? He was the one John Edwards said he really went to see that night at the Beverly Hills hotel to keep Rielle Hunter quiet. Who is this guy?

McGovern is an intuitive who has worked as a healer since 1988. He works with energy in the area of the emotional fields. He uses philosophy, psychology and the intuitive to find resolutions that move people back into alignment with the universe and into a place of peace, harmony and joy.

Ok, now we are fully immersed in the world of crazy. Good grief. John Edwards was a serious contender for the Democratic nomination for President.

But I will say this for him, he has real good friends.

h/t davejohnston on twitter

Geeze....

I'm gone for a girl's weekend and what happens? The whole John Edward's affair finally makes it to the mainstream media's attention.

I'm sure they would have ignored it this long if this had been..say...Mitt Romney. Right? Of course!

What is there to say here other than the obvious. It is shameful beyond words how he has hurt everyone pictured in the happy photo above.

At least we are still shocked by these things. At least we and the media are treating this with the proper disgust.

Affairs are nothing knew. Egocentric politicians having them are certainly nothing new. This is all juicy and we all can't help but be interested in it.

It just makes me sad.

Update: Wow. Check out this Huffington Post. They are giving Elizabeth Edwards grief about this.

UpdateII: I just found the most wonderful blogger. America Needs Me did such a perfect post on how ridiculous and hypocritical and not surprising that the NYT, The WaPo and the Los Angeles Times (to name a few) who wrote a kajillion stories on Rep. Larry Craig's sex life and a few on John McCain's couldn't find a way to verify the John Edwards story.

You have got to over and check out his two posts and read the paper's excuses. They are completely laugable. Summary?

Larry Craig’s sex life: “Newsworthy!”
John McCain’s sex life: “Newsworthy!”
Any Democrat’s John Edwards’ sex life: “Who?”

Welcome to the New Left

From NRO:

The New York Times reports today that Tom Matzzie, a former MoveOn official and well-known left-wing operative, is leading a new group, Accountable America, that is sending threatening letters to big Republican political donors, warning them against making any more contributions. "The warning letter is intended as a first step," the Times reports,

alerting donors who might be considering giving to right-wing groups to a variety of potential dangers, including legal trouble, public exposure and watchdog groups digging through their lives.

The Times says nearly 10,000 Republican donors will receive the letter this week: "The letter is an opening shot across the bow from an unusual new outside political group on the left that is poised to engage in hardball tactics to prevent similar groups on the right from getting off the ground this fall…. '

This is politics at it's ugliest. Threatening people? This will so backfire. Republicans don't scare. Threaten us and we kick back. Hard. I think Osama Bin Laden learned that the last time he attacked us.

Act Now on Energy

Pretty cool.

Drilling and Conservation

Do both.

This ain't rocket science folks. It's common sense.

The link is the best article I have read about the entire issue.

Condi and Obama

From Politico:

“I don’t need another job in government with anybody,” she said. “Look, I’m a Republican, all right? Sen. McCain is a fine patriot, and … he would be a great president. But there’s something to be said for fresh blood. And I know that there are a lot of very good people who could be his vice president.”

During the interview in a regal room at the State Department appointed with chandeliers, rich carpets and cases of porcelain, Rice was asked: “Would you feel safe with a President Obama?”

“Oh, the United States will be fine,” she responded. “I think that we are having an important debate about how we keep the country safe. I think we are having an important debate about our responsibilities, our obligations, our interests in the Middle East in the wake of the now increasing evidence of success in Iraq. Those are important judgments for the American people to make.”

I think Condi answered this the only way she could and I actually think she did a pretty good tap dance doing it.

I've said this before. There is nothing wrong with the black community being proud that a black is a nominee for President. It's historic. Pure and simple.

As much as I disagree and frankly loathe Hillary, there was still a part of me that thought it would be cool to have a woman being the nominee. I want it to a conservative woman, but still. You can't help but have a connection to something that has never been done before.

I know Condi feels that. After all, she is pretty historic herself. The first black woman National Security Advisor and the first black woman Secretary of State. It says something wonderful about our country that we can go from where we were in the 60's, when blacks were hardly able to vote and certainly not encouraged to do so, to what we have now.

I know that Bush has spoken with Obama about things pertaining to the war on terror. Perhaps Condi has as well or has privy to these conversations? And maybe Obama assured them of his commitment to keeping us safe? I don't know, of course, but that might give her reason to think that our country will be fine.

And really, we will be. If an attacked occurred again, even with a liberal President, the public would push what needed to be done.

The problem is the details. The devil is always in them. The reason I would want McCain at the helm is because of knowledge and experience. Not just a "belief" about things.

Condi probably is proud of Obama and there is nothing wrong with that. I wonder if Obama is proud of Condi? Maybe someone should ask him that?

Who can really bring us together? Republican and Democrat

No, not THE ONE.

The Maverick.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope"

People are saying they are hearing too much about Obama.

So I guess this is a good time to over expose your kids to him too with a children's book!

Even God himself talks to Barry while he's in church on Sunday, telling him: "Look around you. Now look to me. There is hope enough here to last a lifetime."

Excuse me while I bang my head on my desk.

via HotAir

Hillary on the Convention

Questioner: "Please consider having your name put into nomination."

Hillary: "What will happen at the convention."

"No decision has been made."

"Delegates can decide to do this on their own. They don't need permission."

"I think it would be better if we had a plan."

Isn't this interesting? And then we have Hillary's Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal. It ends like this:

Truman took on the war profiteers because he understood that when the lives of Americans hang in the balance, we cannot afford to misuse even a single dollar. In the Democratic Congress, we’ve proposed a new Truman Committee to address the waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan that has already taken place, a proposal stymied by the president and his allies. And my proposal would prevent waste, fraud and abuse in future contracting.

Of course, we need far more than a Truman Committee. We need the Truman spirit in the White House, where the buck finally stops.

Ah yes. Truman. But you know who Hillary doesn't mention AT ALL in the piece? That would be Obama.

According to Newsweek Hillary supporters just aren't thrilled with Obama yet: (emphasis mine)

But Clinton loyalists say it would be even more divisive if the Obama forces denied her a chance to show her historic level of support as a woman candidate. "Then there would be open warfare," says the Democratic adviser.

CNN has this:

(CNN) – A grassroots organization of Hillary Clinton supporters has announced plans to march in Denver on the same day the New York senator is set to address her party’s faithful during the Democratic convention there.

The march will take place on August 26 and is being organized by 18 Million Voices Rise Hillary Rise. The march will be accompanied by a festival in downtown Denver and additional coordinated marches across the country on the same day

And we thought the convention wasn't going to be as fun as we once thought.

I'm thinking it just might.

via HotAir

"Expose The Pansies"

Seriously. Buy flowers.

A list of those fighting the good fight.

Obama and flip/flops

I've tried to put together a post on Obama's stark turnarounds, but sometimes you find a jewel that just does such a good job of illustrating Obama's willingness to not just go to the center for the general, but to flip so fast to the right I'm surprised he hasn't broken something:

To earn the Democratic nomination, as Fred Thompson points out, Obama ran as George McGovern without the experience, a left-of-center politician who would meet unconditionally with Iran, pull us precipitously out of Iraq, prohibit new drilling for oil, and grow big government in Washington by all but a trillion dollars. In his general election TV ad debut, however, Obama pirouetted like Baryshnikov. With a commercial Mike Huckabee could have run in a Republican primary, Obama now emphasizes his commitment to strong families and heartland values, “Accountability and self-reliance. Love of country. Working hard without making excuses.” In this yet unwritten chapter of his next autobiography, Obama tells us he is the candidate of “welfare to work” who supports our troops and “cut taxes for working families.” The shift in his political personae has been startling. Obama has moved right so far and so fast, he could end up McCain’s Vice-Presidential pick.

General-election Obama now billboards his doubts about affirmative action. He has embraced the Bush Doctrine of pre-emption saying, “I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon…everything.” He tells his party “Democrats are not for a bigger government.” Oil drilling is a consideration. His FISA vote and abandonment of public campaign finance introduce us to an Obama of recent invention. And as he abandons his old identity for the new, breeding disenchantment among his formerly passionate left-of-center supporters and, equally, doubts among the center he courts, he risks becoming nothing at all, a candidate who is everything and nothing in the same moment.

The "McCain's V.P. pick" line is just hilarious.

More:

In the defining moment of his life, McCain was willing to give everything for one thing, and that one thing was his country. Contrast that with Obama, who has told America that he is “a proud citizen of the United States and a fellow citizen of the world.” Obama is the talented salesman who seduced one state after another saying “Iowa, this is our moment,” “Virginia, this is our moment,” “Texas, this is our moment,” and then tells Europe, “people of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment.” How many times can Barack Obama sell the same moment to everyone, before he becomes Mel Brooks in “The Producers”? Who is Barack Obama? His campaign, as it reupholsters him before our eyes, says we can never know—perhaps because Barack Obama does not know himself.

There seems to be no doubt that Obama is trying to be all things to all people. As I think about it, I don't think this is a dishonest thing on Obama's part. In fact, I don't think Obama is dishonest at all. I think Obama is trying to find his way and he has a a lot of people helping him get there. Not long ago he never imagined he would be in this place. I think he is evaluating what he believes. He was against drilling for example, but now he sees it as part of what needs to be done. This may be the most likable thing about Obama to people like me. Are some of his changes due to the electability factor? Of course. This is politics after all.

What Obama knows is that he will not lose his supporters. He can say, "drill in ANWR!" and "unborn children DO deserve the right to life!" and he will not lose his core support. They are in love with an image and nothing he does will change that now.

It really is the only danger I see. That middle of the road people will believe in the hawkish, pro-drilling, pro-cutting taxes Obama and not look at his votes and his past statements and his past associations.

Obama is selling all of us "a moment." Will we buy it?

via Right Wing Nuthouse

Whoa...

Ben Stein gets ticked at Paris Hilton and it isn't pretty.

via HotAir

I will say this about the original ad that showed Obama and then Paris and Britney. I talk to a lot of people and most of them, like most Americans, aren't really paying much attention yet. None of them were familiar with the things we political junkies are. But they knew about that ad and they all thought it was pretty clever.

It made a big point in a short amount of time.

Score One for McCain

The energy fight heats up.

Obama on McCain:

"Remember that when George Bush took office, he had an energy policy, he turned to Dick Cheney and he told Cheney, 'Go take care of this.' " Obama told a crowd at a gym in Youngstown, Ohio. "John McCain's taking a page out of the Bush-Cheney playbook."

But McCain reminded us:

"I think he might be a little bit confused, because when the energy bill came to the floor of the Senate full of goodies and breaks for the oil companies, I voted against it; Senator Obama voted for it," he said. "People care not only what you say, but how you vote."

Isn't that the truth? Obama loves to say what people want to hear, but sometimes your past tells us who you really are.

The Tax Man

From the moment we wake up we are taxed.

Let's start the day. You wake up on a bed, sheets, and a pillow that have all been taxed. Is your air conditioning or heat on? Taxed. You go to take a shower. The water is taxed. Then you grab your toothpaste and toothbrush to brush your teeth. Taxed. You get dressed. Your underwear, pants, shirts, socks, shoes, all taxed. The deodorant, lotion, hair gel, hair dryer, brush, all taxed. You go to eat breakfast. Your cereal and the bowl and spoon you are eating it with, all taxed. You climb into your car, which was taxed, including the license plate and inspection sticker and insurance. You drive to get gas, which is taxed and you grab a cup of coffee, which is also taxed.

I could go on all day, but I think you get my point and it isn't even 8:00 in the morning yet.

I remember the first time I was affected by taxes. I was 23 or 24 and although I had worked and been disturbed by the taxes taken out of my paycheck, like most Americans, I just accepted it. But this time my husband was getting a bonus check for the first time at Christmas. We had no furniture and I had carefully calculated what we needed, shopped for bargains, and was ready to go. Then we got the check. I remember staring at it. In my mind I had known it would be taxed, but what was left was a little over half of what the check was for. Almost half had been taken. I couldn't get the furniture we needed. At first I cried and then I got mad. I vowed I would never vote for anyone who didn't promise to lower taxes and I never have.

Which brings me to McCain. McCain has promised to send Congress a reform to increase exemptions, with the goal of doubling it from 3,500 to 7,000 dollars for every dependent in every family in America. McCain has promised to ELIMINATE the alternative minimum tax entirely. He has promised to send to Congress a middle class tax cut that will save hardworking families more than 2,000 dollars a year. For small businesses he has promised to send to Congress a proposal to cut the taxes employers pay from a rate of 35 to 25 percent. He has promised to change the student loan program to make college more affordable.

How will he pay for it? He will freeze non-military and veteran discretionary spending and review the budgets of every federal program, department, and agency (long overdue!). McCain says that that alone will save $100 billion a year. He has promised to reform Medicare RX drug benefit by charging more to wealthier patients.

McCain will form a Bipartisan commission on reforming social security and medicare and says all options including privatization are on the table. McCain will not let the Bush tax cuts expire as Obama will. If what Obama wants happens it would amount to the biggest tax hike since the Great Depression.

Pork barrel spending is and has been out of control for as long as I can remember. The Democrats have it down to a fine art, but the Republicans of late should be ashamed of themselves in that regard as well. It it time for it to end. No one is more qualified to lead that revolt than McCain. He has fought against pork barrel spending his entire career and has never received one dime of pork barrel spending himself for his state. ZERO. So if you, as a taxpayer, want to keep funding things like the study of cow farts and bridges to no where and be taxed more to pay for it, then vote for Obama.

Most politicians will promise you tax cuts or something like it to get elected, but with McCain you know he means it.

McCain says he will make those who abuse our tax dollars famous. He will make their names public. He will use the veto pen. I believe him, don't you?

To the Democrats, the government is the answer to many of our problems. But in reality, it is the root of many of our problems. We have politicians on both sides who only care about self-interest and power. Increasing the power of the government over our lives gives them more power. It's time for us to stop this. Because when has the government EVER increased the quality and reduced the cost of anything? Never.

The tax man will never go away. But he should be a much much smaller part of our lives and the government should stop wasting on our tax dollars.

I've blogged about McCain for 2 years. Unlike many fellow Republicans who were mad at McCain over issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform, I wasn't. I have long admired this man for many many reasons. It's time for me to remind you of why.

This is just the beginning.

Watch it! Jon Stewart makes fun of Obama!

via Ace

Obama no longer biggest celebrity running for President

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000">

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

As Allah says:

She’s got a sense of humor, a thoughtful energy policy, and nearly as much federal legislative experience as Barry O. If grotesque overexposure and grandiose ego are now prerequisites for the presidency, then the choice is … actually, the choice still isn’t clear, is it?

The left are clueless...

It seems McCain attended the biker rally/festival in Sturgis, SD yesterday which, in addition to other things, features scantily-clad women and concerts by Kid Rock and KISS. (GASP!!!!) McCain even joked that he had encouraged his wife to enter the annual Sturgis beauty contest, which the Los Angeles Times reminds us, is "one in which nudity is not uncommon." (GASP AGAIN!)"I told her with a little luck she could be the only lady to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip" McCain said "with a broad grin.” " Those at First Read MSNBC seemed shocked as well!

Which brought this comment in the post below:

I see you didn't get a chance to post it yet, but I can't wait to hear your reaction to McCain's appearance today at the debauched Sturgis motorcycle festival - with all the public nudity and drunkenness and drug use. Republican hypocrisy heaven.It was an especially nice touch that the "honorable" McCain offered up his wife for the striptease beauty pageant that is the highlight of the day - they call the winner Miss Buffalo Chip. Such RESPECT for women from the right wing hypocrites. But no worry. I'm sure all the Christians will get over it. Without hypocrisy how could they ever have allied themselves with such an intrinsically anti-Christian party in the first place?Sean 08.05.08 - 11:50 am #


Has this guy even heard of Ted Nugent? Does he know that Kid Rock is a Republican that performs for our troops? Does he know that one of the most popular sites on the right blogosphere is Ace, where "scantily clad women" are the subject of about every other post? Does he know that Ace and Allah of Hotair are atheists?

Does the left really believe that the Republican party consists of religious conservatives and nothing else? Good grief. Get a clue guy. We have atheists, libertarians, Librarians, gay, straight, and bi-political. We ARE THE BIG TENT. We don't require people to think one way, be one way, and march in lock step like your party.

Get a clue.

Update: Pic (WSJ) and description from Exurban League. I love it!

Now this was a shrewd move by Maverick:

When McCain made his way to the stage, he was accompanied by U.S. Sen. John Thune and Gov. Mike Rounds (who wore a black leather vest). The motorcyclists revved their engines in approval and cheered wildly for the Arizona senator.“Thank you, I thank you all very much for that unique Sturgis welcome,” McCain yelled. “As you may know, not long ago a couple a hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day! Any day, my friend!” The rowdy crowd went wild, cheering their support for the candidate. McCain spoke briefly and then left the stage, making way for musicians Kid Rock and Kellie Pickler.

Pelosi: "Just lie."

First Read:

Drilling a divide: Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the drilling debate is starting to divide Democrats -- and not just Obama, who on Friday signaled a willingness for the first time to accept offshore drilling as part of a compromise for a larger energy package. Politico reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is encouraging vulnerable House Dems to back offshore drilling if it helps their political prospects, even though she’s opposed to the action. “Pelosi’s gambit rests on one big assumption: that Democrats will own Washington after the election and will be able to craft a sweeping energy policy that is heavy on conservation and fuel alternatives while allowing for some new oil drilling. Democrats see no need to make major concessions on energy policy with a party poised to lose seats in both chambers in just three months — even if recess-averse Republicans continue to pound away on the issue.” This is the type of compromise that the base isn't going to like, and it'll be interesting to watch the liberal blogosphere respond to this dilemma: Is it more important for Pelosi to WIN the drilling debate or SURVIVE it? Looks like she and Obama want to do both. It may be the political expedient thing to do, but it goes against what they've been promising.

Don't you love that? Who cares about "principles" and truth? Pelosi is telling Democrats to go ahead and say they are for drilling to get re-elected because since Democrats will be in charge, they can stop it anyway.

God, I hope the American people are paying attention to this blatant attempt to lie to them in order to win and then do the opposite of what they promised to get elected.

Politicians in general are not the most honest people, but the Democratic leadership (including Obama) right now give new meaning to the word dishonest.

Robert Novak retires.

Things aren't looking too good with his diagnosis of a brain tumor. I enjoyed meeting him a few weeks ago at the RightOnline blogger summit. My prayers go out to him.

"You're a Racist!"

Looks Rick Moran over at Right Wing Nut House has enough enough of it:

If my blog attracted only those who usually agreed with me and thought I was the bee’s knees when it came to commentary, blogging would be a marvelous daily exercise. But there is another side to blogging that most of us never talk about; the relentless, daily pounding of negativism, hurtful epithets, and outright spewing hatred that arrives in the form of comments and emails from the other side as well as other blogs linking and posting on something I’ve written.
.......

Allah at Hot Air has been all over the issue of the left deliberately twisting the intent and meaning of criticism of Obama to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion that the attack is racially motivated and, by extension, the attackers are racists.

Goldstein has written a book on his blog over the years in intentionalism and the deliberate rebranding and redefinition of terms and language in order to either cut off debate entirely or redefine the debate by surrendering logic and reason and buying into a false narrative created by the left that gives them the advantage. Goldstein shows how this is especially true in identity politics and how the rank dishonesty of deconstructionism has poisoned political debate.

There is little original thought I can add to either of those excellent critiques so I would like to explore this phenomena on a more personal level. Every anti-Obama post I’ve written on this site or anywhere else has elicited several comments alluding to me as a racist or implying that my criticism is racially motivated. All conservative bloggers have gotten this treatment to one degree or another so I am not alone in experiencing this. It doesn’t matter whether I am serious in my criticism or not. The de facto conclusion reached by these commenters is that the very act of criticizing Obama and that I don’t want him to be president can only mean one thing; it is the candidate’s race that is my primary motivation for opposing him.

I have also received such hateful attacks in comments (which I delete) and e-mails (which I also delete). When I first started blogging malicious comments did bother me, but then I realized that they were just hateful people trying to get to me and why should I let them? So now I happily delete before I even finish reading the first sentence. Their words don't bother me because I know who I am and where I came from. Calling me a racist is laughable to anyone who knows me.

We on the right have serious reservations with Obama, but his being black is not one of them. I think it is a testament to how far we have come on race that there really has been no serious derogatory mentions about Obama, that I am aware of, in the MSM or the political blogosphere. Especially given the Rev. Wright controversy.

Moran points out that recently David Gergen made the charge that McCain's "Moses" ad was code for Obama being "uppity" (which is absurd) and McCain's "celebrity" ad was filled with codes regarding Obama's race. It is beyond ridiculous that referring to Obama being a celebrity like that of Paris Hilton was really about "secretly" fueling redneck's fears about black men and white women.

Given the fact that mixed race couples are now commonplace, I don't think that charge holds much water.

It seems to me that Obama has been the only one bringing race into this. At a fund raiser in June, Mr. Obama predicted, "They're going to try to make you afraid of me: 'He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. ... Oh, and did I mention he's black?'" And then again, last week, Obama again warned of the Republican's impending racial attack: "The only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me -- 'He doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills." Which Obama had to finally admit that he was referring to race among other things.

It may make the left feel better that charges against Obama has to do with race rather than ability, but the truth of the matter is that his inexperience and policies are the problem. In that regard, Obama is being treated exactly the same way he would be if he were white.

And that says a great deal to me about how far we have come in this country on race.

V.P. Vetting

Rep. Eric Cantor, the Virginia Congressman is being vetted as a possible V.P. for McCain.

At first glance you think he doesn't have enough experience and is too young, then you realize that he is chief deputy minority whip in the House and has been in Congress four years longer than the guy at the top of the ticket on the other side.

via HotAir

Obama is the candidate of change alright..

He says, "Please. I'll do anything to be President."

Except this.

The Fight Goes On

House Republicans go back on the floor Monday to talk gas prices

Continuing with their guerilla tactics from last week, House Republicans will be back on the floor Monday to talk gas prices, even though Congress is in recess, and they may stay there all week.

More than a dozen Republicans have already committed to make appearances, according to House GOP leadership aide, including National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.).
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who lead Friday's five-hour talkathon after the House shut down for the August recess, are also expected to be there, according to this aide.

Memo for Boehner's office:

Washington, Aug 3 - House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to send Congress home for the rest of the summer without a vote on legislation to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence.

Sweet.

via HotAir

Get ready for it..

It's conservative, it's funny, and it's....HOLLYWOOD!

Zucker's latest movie, An American Carol, is unlike anything that has ever come out of Hollywood. It is a frontal attack on the excesses of the American left from several prominent members of a growing class of Hollywood conservatives. Until now, conservatives in Hollywood have always been too few and too worried about a backlash to do anything serious to challenge the left-wing status quo.

David Zucker believes we are in a "new McCarthy era." Time magazine film writer Richard Corliss recently joked that conservative films are "almost illegal in Hollywood." Tom O'Malley, president of Vivendi Entertainment, though, dismisses claims that Hollywood is hostile to conservative ideas and suggests that conservatives simply haven't been as interested in making movies. "How come there aren't more socialists on Wall Street?"

But Zucker's film, together with a spike in attendance at events put on by "The Friends of Abe" (Lincoln, not Vigoda)--a group of right-leaning Hollywood types that has been meeting regularly for the past four years--is once again reviving hope that conservatives will have a battalion in this exceedingly influential battleground of the broader culture war.

You gotta love it with scenes like this;

The set jumps to life. Two young men--both terrorists--enter the station. They are surprised to see a security checkpoint manned by two NYPD officers. "I'll need to see your bag, please," says one of the officers. The lead terrorist glances nervously at his friend and swings his backpack down from his shoulder to present it to the cops. Just as the officer pulls on the zipper, however, a small army of ACLU lawyers marches up to the policemen with a stop-search order. The cops look at each other and shrug their shoulders. "This says we can't search their bags."

The young men are relieved. They smile fiendishly as they walk toward the crowded platform. As the lead terrorist once again slips the backpack over his shoulder, he mutters his appreciation.

"Thank Allah for the ACLU."
.......

The holiday in An American Carol is not Christmas and the antagonist is not Ebenezer Scrooge. Instead, the film follows the exploits of a slovenly, anti-American filmmaker named Michael Malone, who has joined with a left-wing activist group (Moovealong.org) to ban the Fourth of July. Along the way, Malone is visited by the ghosts of three American heroes--George Washington, George S. Patton, and John F. Kennedy--who try to convince him he's got it all wrong. When terrorists from Afghanistan realize that they need to recruit more operatives to make up for the ever-diminishing supply of suicide bombers, they begin a search for just the right person to help produce a new propaganda video. "This will not be hard to find in Hollywood," says one. "They all hate America." When they settle on Malone, who is in need of work after his last film (Die You American Pigs) bombed at the box office, he unwittingly helps them with their plans to launch another attack on American soil.

The entire film is an extended rebuttal to the vacuous antiwar slogan that "War Is Not the Answer." Zucker's response, in effect: "It Depends on the Question."

Should be interesting. Can't wait.

h/t BigDog

Happy Anniversary Rush!

Now, this should send the left into a snarling, gnashing of the teeth, pulling hair out, complete breakdown.

Wrap that up with a pretty bow and you have the perfect anniversary gift for Rush!

Heh.

Are Republicans getting their MoJo back???

By God, I think so.

From NRO:

I just heard that the House G.O.P. wrapped up their protest session at 5:05 by singing "God Bless America" and left the chamber with the crowd chanting, "USA! USA!" Unbelievable.

Also, I there's this little tidbit — after the Democrats shut off the microphones, Rep. John Shaedegg ran out to turn them on. In an update to the post I linked to earlier, the Politico reports:
Apparently, the fiesty Arizona conservative started typing random codes into the chamber's public address system and accidentally typed the correct code, allowing Republicans brief access to the microphone before it was turned off again.

"I love this," Shadegg told reporters up in the press gallery afterward. "Congress can be so boring. ... This is a kick."

John Culberson of Texas has been twittering the whole thing and it has been a hoot to read. Twitters like this:

This is a huge peprally to give America a vote - just let us vote - to drill here drill now to get us through the next 10 to 15 years

House floor and gallery are full of Americans who came to the Capitol to see Congress work yet Speaker Pelosi sent us all home

And she turned off the lights on her way out apparently.

More:

Cong Mike Rogers says every day Pelosi wastes America sends 50 million to Putin 200 million to Saudi Arabia 180 million to Hugo Chavez

I just told the House chamber We the People can take back the Capitol with these new media tools by networking and shining sunlight everywhere

Go twitter and the Internet. Shine the light into the darkness that is the operation of Congress!

John Culberson is the Congressman that gets the new media. Check him out! (Follow me on twitter too!)

It gets even sweeter:

In total, 48 Republicans spoke on the floor Friday, offering remarks ranging from the impassioned to the plainly partisan. Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter declared, “This is the People’s House. This is not Pelosi’s Politburo.” He later pretended to be a Democrat, walking to their side of the floor to announce all the votes they had prevented.

Let's combine this with McCain not letting Obama get away with his snarky barely hidden remarks on race and I would almost think that Republicans are remembering where they put those thing that Jesse Jackson wanted to cut off Obama!

;-)

How about no one play the race card

It's beyond ridiculous for anyone to believe that Obama was not referring to race when he said this:

They are going to say he "doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency, he’s a got a funny name.”

The obama campaign is saying:

"He was referring to the fact that he didn’t come into the race with the history of others. It is not about race."

Right. Give us all a frickin break. We all know what he was talking about. Flash back to June 21.

Obama: “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid."

“They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?”

At the time I thought, "Excuse me? who mentioned that you are black?"

The truth of the matter is that Obama is the only one who brings up race. The Democrats from Hillary to Rev. Wright brings up race.

But McCain and the Republicans never bring it up. Why? Because it honestly doesn't matter to us. At all. Only his beliefs and his policy, and his vision concerns us. We don't care what color Obama is, except for the fact that he is green.

That is his biggest problem.

Honestly, I don't think Obama himself wants to play the race card. I think his campaign is pushing it. It's a mistake. Don't accuse people of looking at race, when that is not what they do. That backfires.