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Two Qaeda bad guyz banged in Yemen
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Home Front: Politix
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-Obamacare) to retire
HT Hotair
Posted by: Frank G || 01/05/2010 19:35 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  (Ba-da-bomp-bomp-bomp)
Another one bites the dust....
Posted by: Mike || 01/05/2010 20:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Guess he thought he couldn't make up the 20 point deficit against an undeclared candidate. And he wanted to be able to retire with the unspent bribes in his campaign fund instead of needlessly spending them on an election he was bound to lose.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/05/2010 21:22 Comments || Top||

#3  "You were pushed!"

"NO, I Jumped on my own!"

heh
Posted by: OldSpook || 01/05/2010 23:04 Comments || Top||


Pelosi tells C-SPAN: 'There has never been a more open process'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended Congress' work on a healthcare bill Tuesday saying the process has displayed historic transparency, just as C-SPAN mounts an effort to open the negotiations.

C-SPAN wrote a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday asking that TV cameras be allowed to film negotiations to reconcile the House and Senate versions of healthcare reform legislation.

But Pelosi said Congress has already been transparent throughout the process.

"There has never been a more open process for any legislation," Pelosi said at a press conference.

Pelosi also hinted that holding informal negotiations--likely without TV cameras--might be the most practical way to push the legislation through.

"We will do what is necessary to pass the bill," Pelosi said.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), assistant to the Speaker, said the healthcare bill had been "subjected to unprecedented level of public scrutiny."

Pressed on whether C-SPAN cameras would be allowed in negotiations, Van Hollen hedged.

"We don't even know if there's going to be a conference committee," he said, alluding to the likelihood that Democrats will reconcile the two bills behind closed doors.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/05/2010 17:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Congrats to her plastic surgeon. Mere normal folk would have had their lips fall off after a lie like than.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 01/05/2010 17:46 Comments || Top||

#2  She has that same glazed over drunk with self import look as Murtha and Zero. Guess its in the kool-aid.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 01/05/2010 17:49 Comments || Top||

#3  Sad thing is, she's lying, she knows she's lying, and she doesn't give a damn that we know she's lying.
Posted by: Steve White || 01/05/2010 18:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Sure Madame Speaker, and Oceania has always been at war with East Asia.
Posted by: DMFD || 01/05/2010 19:11 Comments || Top||

#5  The worst of this is the press does not even bother to question her like they would a Republican. The complicit press should be first against the wall when the revolution comes.
Posted by: Jeager Panda5130 || 01/05/2010 19:58 Comments || Top||


C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Health Care Talks to TV Coverage
The head of C-SPAN has implored Congress to open up the last leg of health care reform negotiations to the public, as top Democrats lay plans to hash out the final product among themselves.

C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb wrote to leaders in the House and Senate Dec. 30 urging them to open "all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings," to televised coverage on his network.

"The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of the sessions LIVE and in their entirety," he wrote.

Congressional leaders, however, reportedly are expected to bypass the traditional conference committee process, in which lawmakers from both parties and chambers meet to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. Instead, The Associated Press reports that top Democrats at the House, Senate and White House will figure out the final product in three-way talks before sending it back to both chambers for a final vote.

This format would seem ideal for closed-door meetings, which congressional Democrats have used many times to figure out sensitive provisions in the health care bill -- though President Obama pledged during the campaign to open up health care talks to C-SPAN's cameras.

"That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are," Obama said at a debate against Hillary Clinton in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2008.

Asked about the request to Congress, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he hadn't seen the letter.

"I know the president is going to begin discussions today on health care to iron out differences between the House and Senate bills," he said.

Lamb urged Congress in his letter to fling open the doors in the final stretch of the negotiations.

"President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation's editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation's health care system," he wrote. "Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American."

Lamb said his network would use "the latest technology" to be "as unobtrusive as possible" during the talks.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/05/2010 14:14 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Asked about the request to Congress, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he hadn't seen the letter.

...nor has he opened it.

Posted by: Besoeker || 01/05/2010 16:23 Comments || Top||

#2  ION NEWS KERALA > INDIA TO BE DIABETES WORLD CAPITAL BY 2025 [Roughly 80% of Indians suffering from diabetes also suffer from diabetes-related HEART DISEASE]. Rates likely to rise exponentially wid India's population.

* SAME > BIO-PIRACY NEW BATTLEGROUND BETWEEN RICH AND POOR NATIONS. Rich or industrialized countries oppose establishment of international legal framework to share VITAL BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES WID LESSOR-POOR NATIONS [strategic bio-mass/diversity]???

D *** NG IT, DOES THIS MEAN THE BAD GUYS DIDN'Y BUY ALL THOSE APPLES TO EAT IN "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN"???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/05/2010 21:48 Comments || Top||


Grayson Strikes Again
Alan Grayson played a large part in 2009 being termed "The Year of the Political Jackass." It seems he's picked up right where he left off, wondering aloud on MSNBC whether Satan was writing the foreward to Dick Cheney's book.

That's actually a somewhat humorous line, and far more amusing than Grayson's previous dig against Cheney when he said he has trouble listening to what [Vice President Dick Cheney] says sometimes because of the blood that drips from his teeth while he's talking."

Even less funny is the fact that Grayson is one of those rare birds: a petulant demagogue who dishes out the nastiest rhetoric imaginable but who turns into a goose-stepping fascist when someone has the temerity to criticize him.

Hence Grayon's ridiculous 4-page letter last month asking Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute a woman named Angie Langley who set up a website critical of Grayson called "MyCongressmanIsNuts.com."

Among Grayson's complaints - I kid you not - was that "Ms. Langley has chosen a name for her committee that is utterly tasteless and juvenile." Cue the laugh track.

Even the Orlando Sentinel editorial page - not exactly a bastion of right wing nuts - slammed Grayson for the move, calling it "an odd and ironic response from Mr. Grayson, one of the most intemperate voices in Washington."

One can only hope the good folks in Florida's 8th Congressional district will make this Grayson's last year in office.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/05/2010 13:22 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You can't fix stupid..........nuff said
Posted by: armyguy || 01/05/2010 14:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Actually there is a cure for stupid, but those applying it tend to get arrested.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 01/05/2010 15:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Hopefully his new challenger will fix Florida's problem once and for all.
Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie || 01/05/2010 18:19 Comments || Top||

#4  Grayson and Hugo - separated at birth.
Posted by: DMFD || 01/05/2010 19:07 Comments || Top||


Learn to Speak TeaBag

The non-partisan GOVERNMENT SPONSORED people at NPR came up with this.

And guess what - You paid for it!

Learn to Speak TeaBag (link)


NPR should lose its government sponsorship AND tax exempt status.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/05/2010 00:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The really scary thing is that they people who made this probably think that they are nonpartisan.
Posted by: Bisa || 01/05/2010 1:55 Comments || Top||

#2  political animation from an undisclosed location somewhere in San Francisco

Neither part of the location is too surprising, is it?
Posted by: Bobby || 01/05/2010 6:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Palate Cleanser:

Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/05/2010 8:56 Comments || Top||

#4  A feeble attempt at trying to be clever.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/05/2010 10:13 Comments || Top||

#5  Just remember, these are the same people (NPR) who think Garrison Keillor is funny and cutting edge.
Posted by: WolfDog || 01/05/2010 11:32 Comments || Top||

#6  I read some of the comments. Most were critical of NPR but some were lauditory.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/05/2010 14:53 Comments || Top||

#7  The first casualty of any conservative revolution ought to be PBS
Posted by: badanov || 01/05/2010 17:38 Comments || Top||

#8  Make it subscription and donation only.

Socialism for socialists-only always kills it off, or reforms.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/05/2010 17:49 Comments || Top||


Rep. Pete King reconsidering run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Republican Rep. Pete King (N.Y.) signaled Monday that he is reconsidering his decision not to run for Senate in 2010 .

King said he's actively looking at a run for statewide office this year after he'd ruled out such a campaign last summer.

"Actually, I am looking at it -- you know, a lot of people have come to me," King said during an appearance on "Imus in the Morning" on the Fox Business Network. "Despite what you say, to me it's a great experience being in the House," King said. "Being the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, I've been in a position to get a lot done for the city and the state. But I am looking at the statewide race."

King had been considered a top-tier challenger to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who will have to win election this fall to fill the term to which she was appointed in 2009.

The Long Island Republican had bowed out of the race, citing fundraising concerns. But what some in the GOP have perceived as an increasingly friendly political environment this fall may lure King into reversing his decision.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Reids, Bidens and Pauls to attempt to follow the Bushes and Kennedys
Voters will see several familiar names on the ballot in 2010 as the offspring of prominent politicians try to follow their relatives into office.

America has a long tradition of political families: the Adamses, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys and the Bushes, to name a few. Some of those offspring, such as George W. Bush, have been successful while others, such as Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, have not. But no matter the result, it's not uncommon to see political progeny try to break into the family business. "This is a long tradition of American politics," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. "If it's a well known name and beloved name, that's an advantage you don't want to throw away."

This cycle, the children of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) are among the political offspring seeking public office. Here's a rundown of those running and the status of their races:

Rory Reid: The son of the Senate majority leader is running for governor of Nevada and is the only Democratic candidate in the race. It's not Reid's first shot at elected office; he's the chairman of the Clark County Commission. But Reid's last name could prove a burden since his father faces a difficult reelection battle. Harry Reid trails his potential GOP competitors in several matchups and the majority leader's disapproval ratings hover around 50 percent.

When Rory Reid was in Washington earlier this month for a Democratic Governors Association meeting, he told reporters he and his father are running separate races. A campaign spokesman said there are no events scheduled with Sen. Reid.

Baker says voters can differentiate between the men. "Voters can distinguish between members of the same family," he said. "I don't think voters punish children."

Rand Paul: In contrast to Reid, Rand Paul is embracing his family ties. The son of Rep. Ron Paul will have his father campaign and fundraise for him in late January as he looks to win the GOP nomination for Kentucky's Senate seat.

Rand Paul, a doctor, faces primary competition from Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson. But Paul tapped into his father's online fundraising network to bring in over $1 million in the third quarter of 2009, giving him the lead in the money race despite Grayson's backing from national GOP leaders.

Robin Carnahan: Carnahan has a double political legacy. Her father was the late Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan (D), who died in a plane crash while campaigning for the Senate. Her mother, Jean Carnahan, was named to the Senate seat after Mel Carnahan won the election posthumously.

After the late governor's win, there was speculation Robin Carnahan would be appointed to the Senate seat. When it instead went to her mother, Robin Carnahan became Missouri's secretary of state. Now she's running for retiring Sen. Kit Bond's (R-Mo.) seat. Polls show her race against Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is a tight one but that's to be expected. Missouri has a history of being a swing state: Jean Carnahan lost in 2002 by one percentage point to Republican Jim Talent, who then lost by 3 percentage points in 2006 to Democrat Claire McCaskill.

The Carnahan name is a popular one in Missouri. Robin Carnahan's grandfather served in Congress and her brother, Russ Carnahan, represents the St. Louis area in the House. She is married to businessman Juan Carlos but uses the Carnahan name professionally.

Baker points out that's common among daughters of political families. "If a woman candidate is married, they usually plug in or hyphenate" their maiden name, he said.

Ethan Hastert: The son of former Speaker Denny Hastert (R-Ill.) is running for his father's old House seat. A campaign spokesman said the two Hasterts have no plans to campaign together. Ethan Hastert has brought in other big-name GOPers, like former Speaker Newt Gingrich, to campaign with him.

But Hastert's biggest challenge may be the state's early primary. Illinois voters go to the polls on Feb. 2, one of the earliest primaries in the nation. Hastert faces a GOP primary with state Sen. Randy Hultgren.

Jason Carter: The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter is running for the Georgia state Senate. Jason Carter, an attorney, told the Associated Press that his grandfather encouraged him to run. "The fact that Jimmy Carter is my grandfather, it gives me a profile and it gives me an opportunity. But in the end I still have to have relevant things to say," he said.

Beau Biden: The son of Vice President Joe Biden has not said whether he'll run for his father's former Senate seat. The senior Biden resigned from the Senate when he moved to the executive branch and Ted Kaufman, a longtime family friend, was appointed to the spot.

Beau Biden, the state's attorney general, returned in September from a stint in Iraq with the Delaware National Guard. He would face tough competition from popular Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), who announced his candidacy in October. Biden is expected to announce his intentions in January.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Inthat lineup youcan take em' ALL out and TAR AND FEATHER EM'!!!!
Posted by: armyguy || 01/05/2010 11:37 Comments || Top||

#2  You got that right, armyguy. This sort of aristocratic political dynastic crap was a large part of why I voted against GWB in 2000 and why I re-registered as a Democrat in early 2003. I hate this kind of crap.

And yeah, don't bother pointing out to me that Gore was another example of a political dynast. He was second generation, GWB was third. And one of two sitting governors descended from the loins of Bush the First, whom I also voted against in 1992.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike political dynasties yet?
Posted by: Mitch H. || 01/05/2010 16:39 Comments || Top||

#3  WELCOME NEW CONVERTS

Yes indeed. One must remember to choose correctly, when forced to chose between evils.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/05/2010 16:44 Comments || Top||

#4  Reids, Bidens and Pauls to attempt to follow the Bushes and Kennedys

And the Adams, and the Harrisons, and the Roosevelts, and ...

It's an American tradition.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/05/2010 18:06 Comments || Top||

#5  Yokay, I'll bite, and 'CUZIN PARIS HILTON, ETAL???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/05/2010 21:19 Comments || Top||


Rep. Brown to retire
Republican Rep. Henry Brown Jr. (S.C.) is set to announce on Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2010 .

The announcement is expected at an afternoon press conference in his home district.

Brown won a closer-than-expected reelection race in 2008 and was pitted against a number of primary challengers this year.

Brown becomes the second Republican incumbent to bow out in recent days, joining Rep. George Radanovich (Calif.). In both cases, Republicans will likely be favored, but Democrats could have a chance.

Brown underperformed Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) numbers in the district while running against wealthy businesswoman Linda Ketner. McCain got 56 percent, Brown 52.

Those already running on the Republican side include Carroll "Tumpy" Campbell, the son of a former governor. Paul Thurmond, the son of former Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), may also run.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This crap again! I'd be open to the idea of barring children of successful politicians from eligibility for nomination by the GOP. You probably couldn't do it at the constitutional level, but who said parties have to limit themselves to constitutional bars to nomination?
Posted by: Mitch H. || 01/05/2010 16:45 Comments || Top||


Staff walks out on party-switcher Griffith
Rep. Parker Griffith's (Ala.) staff has resigned en masse after his recent decision to switch parties and become a Republican .

In a sternly worded statement, Griffith Chief of Staff Sharon Wheeler announced the exit of herself, along with legislative director Megan Swearingen, senior legislative assistant Brian Greer, legislative assistant Will Crain, press secretary Sean Magers, legislative correspondent Arinze Ifekauche, legislative correspondent Chase Chesser, staff assistant Mary Lou Hughston, congressional fellows Anjali Shah Kastorf and Leslee Oden and intern Andrew Menefee.

Griffith's political consulting team has already parted ways with him since he announced over the holiday break that he would switch parties.

"Alabama's 5th district has deserved and has benefited from great Democratic conservative leadership since Reconstruction. And until now they had it," Wheeler said.

"I appreciate Congressman Griffith's being a very dedicated congressman. But we believe he made a mistake -- a well-intentioned but misguided mistake that is not in the interest of the great people of North Alabama who elected him a year ago as a Democrat. As his staff, we wish him only the best, and we all remain committed to the citizens of the Tennessee Valley. But we cannot, in good conscience, continue working for him."
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Don't let the door hit ya etc., etc..
Posted by: PBMcL || 01/05/2010 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  The lemmings on the march!
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 01/05/2010 8:41 Comments || Top||

#3  "I appreciate Congressman Griffith's being a very dedicated congressman. But we believe he made a mistake -- a well-intentioned but misguided mistake that is not in the interest of the great people of North Alabama who elected him a year ago as a Democrat. As his staff, we wish him only the best, and we all remain committed to the citizens of the Tennessee Valley. But we cannot, in good conscience, continue working for him."

Said by someone who lives in either MD, VA, or DC. This is the Beltway(tm) talking telling the people back in the district that they know what's better for them. It's really not about party as much as about power.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/05/2010 9:20 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm sure they already have other jobs lined up (most of them, anyway). Not like it would be that hard to replace them with 10+% official unemployment, however.
Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie || 01/05/2010 9:24 Comments || Top||

#5  Weren't doing there jobs very well anyway if they are so partisan and the Representative switched sides. Wonder how many stayed.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/05/2010 10:11 Comments || Top||

#6  Find the words or phrases that don't fit in the following paragraph and draw a horizontal line through each please:

"Alabama's 5th district has deserved and has benefited from great Democratic conservative leadership since Reconstruction. And until now they had it," Wheeler said.

So much for employee loyalty to the guy that signs the checks.



Posted by: Besoeker || 01/05/2010 16:18 Comments || Top||


Stimulus Watch: Now it's fake zip codes
Recovery.gov, the Obama administration's supposedly transparent attempt to let citizens know how every dollar of the $787 billion stimulus package was spent, is turning out to be a lot more comic fiction than fact.

Not only have fake jobs been reported in phantom congressional districts, Steve Allen Adams of NewMexicoWatchdog.org discovered that some of the $27 million of federal money his state received also went to nonexistent zip codes:

http://newmexico.watchdog.org/2010/01/03/federal-stimulus-funds-reportedly-spent-in-nonexistent-zip-codes/

"Closer examination of the latest recovery.gov report for New Mexico shows hundreds of thousands of dollars sent to and credited with creating jobs in zip codes that do not exist in New Mexico or anywhere else. Moreover, funds reported as being spent in New Mexico were given zip codes corresponding to areas in Washington and Oregon."

The next quarterly report by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board - the federal agency in charge of tracking stimulus dollars that responded to the fake congressional district scandal by labeling them "unassigned" - is due January 30.

It should be hilarious.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Mistakes and typos happen. Follow up, find out who cashed the checks. Send them to jail if required. Repeat as necessary.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/05/2010 10:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Hey, thanks for the cash suckers!
Posted by: Friends of Barack || 01/05/2010 19:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Wonder where the Enron/Arthur Anderson accountants went to? /rhet question
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/05/2010 20:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Many of them suffered severe financial setbacks as a result of the bankruptcy of the partnership. As they deserved to. As more CPAs deserve to.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/05/2010 21:29 Comments || Top||

#5  Nonexistent zip codes for nonexistent congressional districts, of course.

Time to send their programmers copies of SQL in a Nutshell. Lesson 1: Foreign Key Constraints.
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 01/05/2010 21:52 Comments || Top||


President Obama Names Transgender Appointee to Commerce Department
President Obama recently named Amanda Simpson to be a Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department.

In a statement, Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's board of directors, said that "as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."
If she is qualified, law-abiding, and honest, I'm really not interested in such details.
While Simpson is clearly one of the first transgender presidential appointees, Democratic officials say they're unsure if she is the very first one.

The White House had no comment on her appointment.

A 2004 YWCA "Woman on the Move," Simpson recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona.

At Raytheon, Simpson -- a former test pilot who had worked for the company for more than a generation -- transitioned from male to female and was instrumental in convincing the military contractor to add gender identity and expression to its equal employment opportunity policy.

She later ran unsuccessfully for Congress and was a delegate for then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, to the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Pretty cool - I hope she does a good job. Then again, the big 0 likes her, so she's probably worthless.
Posted by: Bisa || 01/05/2010 1:46 Comments || Top||

#2  I guess the person from Mars turned down the offer.
Posted by: HammerHead || 01/05/2010 10:17 Comments || Top||

#3  I don't care what the hell she is as long as she is competent. However, competence is a rare commodity in Washington these days. Unfortunately. such appointments seem to be more about making a social statement than getting the job done. It's almost as if some diverty czar in human resources is looking at a Chinese menu and selecting two from column one, one from column two, etc. in making these appointments.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/05/2010 10:37 Comments || Top||

#4  #3 I don't care what the hell she is as long as she is competent. However, competence is a rare commodity in Washington these days. Unfortunately. such appointments seem to be more about making a social statement than getting the job done. It's almost as if some diversity czar in human resources is looking at a Chinese menu and selecting two from column one, one from column two, etc. in making these appointments.
Posted by: JohnQC 2010-01-05 10:37


JohnQC, unfortunately this administration is nothing more than a high school Social Studies term paper; and a poor one at that.
Posted by: WolfDog || 01/05/2010 11:23 Comments || Top||

#5  Rumor has it the O-Team really wants to name an Eskimo for some position but seeing as how Sarah Palin is from Alaska the complete diversity rainbow is just gonna have to wait.
Posted by: DepotGuy || 01/05/2010 11:35 Comments || Top||

#6  If she is qualified, law-abiding, and honest, I'm really not interested in such details.

Unfortunately, "qualified, law abiding and honest" is the exact opposite of an Obama appointee.
Posted by: Frozen Al || 01/05/2010 13:02 Comments || Top||

#7  Amanda, Simpson, trans-whatever. 1:05PM EST and not one Amanda Hugginkiss joke.
Posted by: ed || 01/05/2010 13:05 Comments || Top||

#8  Trying to shore up the gay vote. Hopefully the appointee has paid up all of her taxes.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/05/2010 17:10 Comments || Top||

#9  She or he originally?
Posted by: Clyde Jeger2762 || 01/05/2010 21:47 Comments || Top||

#10  oh a he! everyone is just being PC by saying she. To me, it's still a he.
Posted by: Clyde Jeger2762 || 01/05/2010 21:50 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Obama aide defends trial for suspect in Christmas Day attempt to bomb plane
It's a new year, but the battle between the Obama administration and Dick Cheney rages on, as the president's top terrorism adviser was sent out to defend the move to try the underwear bomber in civilian court rather than jerking him into the less-accommodating military tribunal system as an enemy combatant.

As full-body scanners are popping up for more flights and the administration's systemic review continues, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has got a public defender and a better understanding of the Fifth Amendment.

Writer Karen DeYoung explores:

"Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said it was a 'very serious mistake' to send Abdulmutallab to federal court.

'He was trained, equipped and directed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,' Lieberman said on ABC. 'That was an act of war. He should be treated as a prisoner of war, held in a military brig, questioned now, and should have been ever since apprehended for intelligence that could help us stop the next attack or get people in Yemen.'"
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ION ISRAEL FORUM > ABDUMUTALLAB: FOURTH PRESIDENT OF UCL ISLAMIC STUDENT SOCIETY TO FACE TERRORIST CHARGES IN THREE YEARS. UCL = University College of London, UK.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/05/2010 2:10 Comments || Top||

#2  "Exuberant Incompetence" - Col. Ralph Peters
Posted by: Black Bart Ebberens7700 || 01/05/2010 9:31 Comments || Top||

#3  A supreme screw up for our Justice System.

He is a NONCOMBATANT and a Non-Citizen.
Posted by: newc || 01/05/2010 18:19 Comments || Top||

#4  Perhaps you meant enemy combatant, newc?
Posted by: lotp || 01/05/2010 18:27 Comments || Top||


With shoe on other foot, a Democrat cries foul
When Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill was trying to unseat incumbent Jim Talent in 2006, she frequently bashed President George W. Bush for being incompetent on terrorism. As she told NBC's Tim Russert, "This is not an administration that's ready to protect us."

McCaskill argued throughout her campaign that Bush had made the nation more vulnerable to terrorism by invading Iraq, and she harped on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as proof that Bush had left the nation susceptible to attack.

McCaskill, who used a wounded Iraq veteran and a woman with Parkinson's disease in her ads attacking Talent for budget votes and stem cell policy, also attacked Bush for domestic wiretapping.

And she favored withdrawing all troops from Iraq by 2008 because the Bush troop surge was "a wild failure" that had bred a "culture of dependency" in Iraq. "We are not breeding a democracy," she warned.

But that was a long time ago, politically speaking -- before McCaskill became one of the first senators to endorse Barack Obama, before she voted to extend the same domestic wiretapping she once deplored, before she joined her fellow Democrats in congratulating the Iraqis on their new framework for national elections, before Obama committed 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and before he became responsible for keeping Americans safe from terrorism.

Now Obama is under attack for the way his administration handled the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound jetliner, and McCaskill and other Democrats are crying foul.

"I think it is unfair and, frankly, political to take pot shots at the president as we respond to this failure in our systems," McCaskill sniffed to guest host Gloria Borger on CNN's "State of the Union."
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  C'mon now, everybody knows the rules/guidelines don't apply to Democrats.
Posted by: WolfDog || 01/05/2010 11:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Quintessential Politicians, We must remember , be they GOP or Donks, they are first, Politicians. And Politicians are the MOST honest and trustworthy group out there, next to teachers and firemen of course.
Posted by: 746 || 01/05/2010 11:33 Comments || Top||

#3  That was then, this is now. it'll be then again soon enough.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/05/2010 17:11 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
John McLaughlin: Freedom is 'Most Overrated' Political Concept
How out-of-touch is the D.C. pundit class with the rest country? Look to John McLaughlin for the answer.

During part two of "The McLaughlin Group 2009 Year-End Awards," McLaughlin, who has hosted the program since 1982, declared the concept of freedom, at least from a political standpoint in the United States, is overrated.

"The most overrated is freedom," McLaughlin said. "When faced with economic uncertainty, people don't want freedom. When they can't see their economic future, they want the nanny state."
Not when they see the nanny state as the key agent obscuring their economic future.
McLaughlin's troubling view doesn't necessarily square with polling data and other anecdotal indicators. Even back at the height of economic uncertainty, only 30 percent of Americans supported the TARP bailout to save the financial system, according to a September 2008 Associated Press poll.
No doubt Mr. McLaughlin would explain that as conscious desires versus unconscious needs, the latter which he is clearly more qualified to tease out that are the pollsters.
And since then, the entire bailout culture introduced by former President George W. Bush and continued under the presidency of Barack Obama has faced the backlash of the tea party movement, inspired by CNBC's Rick Santelli voicing his opposition to a housing bailout.

Other members of "The McLaughlin Group" pointed to other "most overrated" factors that affect the economy. For MSNBC political analyst Pat Buchanan, it was global warming overrated. Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, providing the left-of-center voice on the panel, said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was overrated. Conservative talker Monica Crowley called the so-called "boy genius" Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner the most overrated. But U.S. News & World Report editor-in-chief Mort Zuckerman took a shot at the leaders in the business community.

"The leaders of most of our major financial institutions in this country," Zuckerman said of the "Most Overrated."
I would be interested to know why it is that that these clever men and women think their choices are overrated, although I am not willing to spend an hour of my time listening to them explain. The nice thing about being able to read is that one can skip to the important bits.
Posted by: Fred || 01/05/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I saw this on t.v. - the writer is distorting a bit - John McLaughlin was actually being sarcastic. He meant that a lot of people talk big about freedom until it comes to a truly free market and then they want the nanny state to step in to save them when things don't go peachy. He doesn't think "freedom" itself is truly overrated.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 01/05/2010 0:15 Comments || Top||

#2  BTW - I can't stand Eleanor Clift - I don't think the woman ever had an original thought - 90% of the drivvel that comes out of her soup-cooler is nothing but dem talking points.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 01/05/2010 0:17 Comments || Top||

#3  FOX NEWS AM > GLENN BECK Show = THE "SOCIALIST TRANSFORMATIOJN OF AMERICA" IS GOING ON, right now as we speak???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/05/2010 0:36 Comments || Top||

#4  The reason the democratic revolution has been so successful, since the US got the ball rolling way back when, is *not* freedom and liberty.

They are just necessary side effects of democracy. The real selling point, that is obvious around the world, from peasants to kings, is that democracy is more "efficient". It works better, for everyone, than the alternatives of monarchy, collectivism, theocracy, even technocracy.

It is such a potent idea, that even pure tyrannies like North Korea must pretend to be democratic, to adopt the labels of democracy, even if they are nothing of the sort.

Compared to this, the concepts of freedom and liberty are nebulous indeed. I like to cite how Germans "cling to" their precious high speed Autobahns, as a cherished freedom. But Americans in America see it as rather silly and even dangerous. Certainly it couldn't work here, because our vehicular maintenance doesn't come close to Germany's.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 01/05/2010 8:58 Comments || Top||

#5  Anonymoose, I agree mostly, but does North Korea really have a pretense of Democracy to those within the country or did they just name themselves that way to help manipulate useful idiots in the western world (like the PRC and DDR).
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/05/2010 10:09 Comments || Top||

#6  Braodhead6-
The male (I can barely say that) version is Allan Combs on Fox...he's the most pathetic wonk ever...also never an original thought with him.

BTW - I can't stand Eleanor Clift
Posted by: HammerHead || 01/05/2010 10:15 Comments || Top||

#7  It seems that the broad support in opposition to governmental policies, expansion, and spending is a strong statement about loss of freedom.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/05/2010 10:30 Comments || Top||

#8  The McLaughlin Group is still on the air? Eleanor Clift is still alive, let alone employed?

Yet more proof that the world isn't fair.
Posted by: Mitch H. || 01/05/2010 16:42 Comments || Top||

#9  Moose, the founders mostly disagreed. That is why they formed a republic with balanced monarchical, democratic and oligarchic features, most assuredly not a democracy which they feared. From their reading of Polybius they understood that “Monarchy degenerates into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into savage violence and chaos”

The balanced mechanism the founders developed was eroded by the Progressives, particularly the 16th and 17th amendments, in the name of greater democracy. Having established the democracy that knows that the majority of the poor can steal from the minority of the wealthy we are now headed to the savage violence and chaos that will inevitably follow the bankruptcy of our citizens, states and nation.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/05/2010 18:16 Comments || Top||

#10  The universal direct election of Senators was as much to get around the utter corruption at the State level as it was about democracy. Machine pols who controlled the state governments controlled who those states sent to Washington. The Senate got what the controlling state party thought would represent their interests and damn anything else. You wouldn't have a Lieberman in the seat from Connecticut today under those conditions.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/05/2010 20:01 Comments || Top||

#11  The party would represent the state's interest as well as the party's. So we wouldn't have unfunded mandates on the states or a Department of Education or a nationalized health care system with Medicare costs shoved down the states' throats. The federal government would be controlled to some extent by the states. Now the states have been subsumed under the federal government such that they are little more than administrative districts. Do as Uncle tells you or your funds are cut off. Yeah, I'd trade a Lieberman to get back some state power.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/05/2010 21:28 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2010-01-05
  Two Qaeda bad guyz banged in Yemen
Mon 2010-01-04
  Fresh US drone attacks kill 5 in Pakistain
Sun 2010-01-03
  Yemen sends more troops to al-Qaida strongholds
Sat 2010-01-02
  At least six killed in two drone attacks in North Wazoo
Fri 2010-01-01
  US drone strike leaves two dead in Pakistan
Thu 2009-12-31
  7 CIA workers killed in suicide kaboom
Wed 2009-12-30
  Iran MPs call for 'maximum punishment' of protesters
Tue 2009-12-29
  Iran MPs rally against populace
Mon 2009-12-28
  13 turbans titzup in N.Wazoo dronezap
Sun 2009-12-27
  Mousavi's nephew banged in Tehran
Sat 2009-12-26
  Delta boomer wasn't on no-fly list
Fri 2009-12-25
  Nigerian attempts to detonate on Delta flight from Amsterdam
Thu 2009-12-24
  Yemeni strike kills 30, targets cleric linked to Ft. Hood attack
Wed 2009-12-23
  Iran militia attack pro-reform cleric's home in Qom
Tue 2009-12-22
  Clashes at Montazeri funeral

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