iranians

With the British hostage crisis, the Iranians are doing a great job making Tony Blair look like Jimmy Carter.

Where is the strong, decisive, freedom defending Blair we saw a few years ago? He's long gone, his wings clipped by low approval ratings. The old Blair has been replaced by the older Blair, the one that I never liked, the UN-loving, socialist, Leftist Blair.

And it turns out that I've got an Iranian problem of my own. Our across the street neighbors, seem like nice enough people. Well, he seems nice enough. But she's always looking for an argument. And every night, just after sunset, different groups of Middle Eastern men arrive at their house and move things in and out of the garage. And I'm not talking small things either, I'm talking big, heavy things (like a dirty bombs?) covered with sheets.

I might have to call W.

unbelievable

I can't believe I read this in the Los Angeles Times.

now playing

The Hoodoo Gurus concert Tuesday night at The Bellyup was one of the best times I've had in forever.

convictions

I read an interesting piece from Rolling Stone, that journal of fair, objective reporting. It turns out that in the world of political consulting, working for Democrats is substantially more lucrative than working for Republicans.

GOP consultants charge a flat fee for their services, whereas consultants charge Democrats the flat fee PLUS hefty commissions for the media buys. Highway robbery? Not really.

Back when I was in advertising, we'd charge a creative fee for dreaming up the commercial, print ad or website. Then we'd tack on an extra 6%-8% commission for negotiating with the various media companies for the best deal possible for our clients.

And, unlike the Democrats, we were very successful.

pooping on a party

Have you heard about the ridiculous celebration the schmuck Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold are holding this week? They are actually celebrating the five year anniversary of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, more famously known as 'Campaign Finance Reform.'

Let's all recall with great fondness the stated goals of McCain-Feingold: To significantly reduce the corrupting influence of campaign contributions and to enhance the participation of smaller donors in the political process.

So what happened? The extreme wisdom of McCain and Feingold made politics even more DIRTY. Few even thought that was that possible. It gave us 527 organizations AND the inclusion of MORE money into the political process, not LESS. The corrupting influence of campaign contributions has been increased. Hence, prospective '08 candidates, in order to be competitive, must raise $100 million before the end of '07.

As for enhancing the participation of small donors? The Internet did that, not some silly law.

Many of us encouraged President Bush to veto this crap back 2002, but that was when he was still talking about 'the new tone.'

Sidebar: McCain was on Laura Ingraham this morning and I thought she was particularly rude to the Senator this morning. I now realize that when she barked 'I'M BUSY!' into the microphone she was most likely refusing an invitation to this stupid party.

tony

I can't add anything new or novel to today's discussion over Tony Snow. He's almost universally liked and respected because he's a talented advocate for the White House and he's a darn nice man.

BTW, cancer is a bitch, but who says a complete recovery is out of the question?

absurd

Hillary Clinton attempts to parse the 'differences' between her husband firing all 93 US Attorneys in 1993 and President Bush's recent firings of 8 US Attorneys. It's hysterical.

Apparently she's oblivious to the fact that before she moved into the White House incoming Presidents allowed 'inherited' US Attorneys to serve until retirement, at which point they were replaced. Firing all 93 was unprecedented. And the MSM was completely silent about it.

218-212

Telling the enemy what we're going to do BEFORE we do it? Stupid.

Each and every representative who voted to order President Bush to pull the troops from Iraq next year should go see "300." They'll learn a lot about how freedom is defended and secured.

must-have apparel

This shirt and one I saw downtown the other day ("Rehab is for quitters") come in tied for the coolest tshirt, ever.

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painful decisions

I have great sympathy for Elizabeth Edwards. My father died of bone cancer ten years ago and I can tell you that she has a very tough road ahead of her.

Not yet sure, however, what I think yet about John Edwards' decision to continue his presidential campaign. Time is precious in situations like these. I think back and regret times at the end of Dad's life when I wasn't at his side.

BTW, this is human observation on my part, not partisan criticism.

karma

I'm glad to see the House Minority Republicans are making life difficult for the Majority. What comes around, goes around, right Nancy?

logical

I'm much more down with Czech President Vaclav Klaus's thoughts on the subject of climate change:

'Communism has been replaced by the threat of an ambitious environmentalism.'

acnowledged, proven liar

'Crisis threatens the survival of our civilization.'

'reasonable'

The President is finally hitting back against the US Attorney non-scandal. Unprecedented access to White House-Justice Dept. communications and emails. Private interviews with senior Bush staff members, but no subpoenas, nothing under oath.

"We will not go along with a partisan fishing expedition aimed at honorable public servants. ... I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse."

One problem: the Democrats are unreasonable people. Nothing in recent history would suggest that they are open to any type of compromise. Still, Bush's openness, combined with open books, will likely carry the day. Of course, the fight still looms.

Democrats want a fight because they must prove themselves relevant. After sweeping into the majority two months ago on an anti-war platform they have yet to pass any meaningful legislation.

I want the President to fight. He's kept his promise to 'change the tone,' these past seven years. He's done his part, but the Democrats haven't even tried to do their part. Bush's refusal to engage in name calling has only elevated his stature. His habit of gracious disagreement with his critics has not gone unnoticed by the American people.

But now that he is in the twilight years of his presidency a fight is just what he needs. Bush going toe to toe with the irrational Democrats would not only embolden the Republican base, it would embolden our military in Iraq.

So I say fight, Mr. President, fight.

plame-gate: the final word

I find Valerie Plame quite attractive. Too bad she's such a liar. It's rather disconcerting knowing that such a person would have access to America's national security secrets.

Byron York agrees, finding key differences between her testimony and the findings of the Senate regarding her 'case.'

iraq: the final word

Christopher Hitchens, a true Liberal, cuts through the phony arguments, and myths, about Iraq.

Was the president right or wrong to go to the United Nations in September 2002 and to say that body could no longer tolerate Saddam Hussein's open flouting of its every significant resolution, from weaponry to human rights to terrorism?

"A majority of the member states thought he was right and had to admit that the credibility of the United Nations was at stake. It was scandalous that such a regime could for more than a decade have violated the spirit and the letter of the resolutions that had allowed a cease-fire after the liberation of Kuwait. The Security Council, including Syria, voted by nine votes to zero that Iraq must come into full compliance or face serious consequences."

Was it then correct to send military forces to the Gulf, in case Saddam continued his long policy of defiance, concealment, and expulsion or obstruction of U.N. inspectors?

"If you understand the history of the inspection process at all, you must concede that Saddam would never have agreed to readmit the inspectors if coalition forces had not made their appearance on his borders and in the waters of the Gulf. It was never a choice between inspection and intervention: It was only the believable threat of an intervention that enabled even limited inspections to resume."

Should it not have been known by Western intelligence that Iraq had no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction?

"The entire record of UNSCOM until that date had shown a determination on the part of the Iraqi dictatorship to build dummy facilities to deceive inspectors, to refuse to allow scientists to be interviewed without coercion, to conceal chemical and biological deposits, and to search the black market for materiel that would breach the sanctions. The defection of Saddam Hussein's sons-in-law, the Kamel brothers, had shown that this policy was even more systematic than had even been suspected. Moreover, Iraq did not account for—has in fact never accounted for—a number of the items that it admitted under pressure to possessing after the Kamel defection. We still do not know what happened to this weaponry. This is partly why all Western intelligence agencies, including French and German ones quite uninfluenced by Ahmad Chalabi, believed that Iraq had actual or latent programs for the production of WMD. Would it have been preferable to accept Saddam Hussein's word for it and to allow him the chance to re-equip once more once the sanctions had further decayed?"

Could Iraq have been believably "inspected" while the Baath Party remained in power?

"No. The word inspector is misleading here. The small number of U.N. personnel were not supposed to comb the countryside. They were supposed to monitor the handover of the items on Iraq's list, to check them, and then to supervise their destruction. (If Iraq disposed of the items in any other way—by burying or destroying or neutralizing them, as now seems possible—that would have been an additional grave breach of the resolutions.) To call for serious and unimpeachable inspections was to call, in effect, for a change of regime in Iraq. Thus, we can now say that Iraq is in compliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty. Moreover, the subsequent hasty compliance of Col. Muammar Qaddafi's Libya and the examination of his WMD stockpile (which proved to be much larger and more sophisticated than had been thought) allowed us to trace the origin of much materiel to Pakistan and thus belatedly to shut down the A.Q. Khan secret black market."

Wasn't Colin Powell's performance at the United Nations a bit of a disgrace?

"Yes, it was, as was the supporting role played by George Tenet and the CIA (which has been reliably wrong on Iraq since 1963). Some good legal experts—Ruth Wedgewood most notably—have argued that the previous resolutions were self-enforcing and that there was no need for a second resolution or for Powell's dog-and-pony show. Some say that the whole thing was done in order to save Tony Blair's political skin. A few points of interest did emerge from Powell's presentation: The Iraqi authorities were caught on air trying to mislead U.N inspectors (nothing new there), and the presence in Iraq of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a very dangerous al-Qaida refugee from newly liberated Afghanistan, was established. The full significance of this was only to become evident later on."

Was the terror connection not exaggerated?

"Not by much. The Bush administration never claimed that Iraq had any hand in the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But it did point out, at different times, that Saddam had acted as a host and patron to every other terrorist gang in the region, most recently including the most militant Islamist ones. And this has never been contested by anybody. The action was undertaken not to punish the last attack—that had been done in Afghanistan—but to forestall the next one."

Was a civil war not predictable?

"Only to the extent that there was pre-existing unease and mistrust between the different population groups in Iraq. Since it was the policy of Saddam Hussein to govern by divide-and-rule and precisely to exacerbate these differences, it is unlikely that civil peace would have been the result of prolonging his regime. Indeed, so ghastly was his system in this respect that one-fifth of Iraq's inhabitants—the Kurds—had already left Iraq and were living under Western protection."

I've long maintained that it is impossible to have an intellectually honest opposition to the liberation of Iraq.

tolerant liberals

According to David Ehrenstein and the LA Times, Barack Obama is the 'magic negro.'

final draft

I've been invited to join a prestigious screenwriting class in Los Angeles, so I might be blogging a bit less.

legacy

The WSJ's Matthew Kaminski writes today about the legacy of French President Jacques Chirac:

"Chiraquisme was never about any coherent ideology, and especially so once Mr. Chirac made up a big poll deficit to win the presidency on his third try in 1995. His secret weapon then was a pledge to heal the "social fracture," a theme borrowed from the far reaches of the left, where Mr. Chirac, nominally a man of the right, always felt at home.

"Once in power, he blew it by trying to push through a necessary overhaul of the state that he lacked a mandate for. Massive street protests ensued and the plan was dropped. Five years ago, he promised tax cuts and free market changes, only to give up on most of them at the hint of demonstrations. By always adapting his positions to the situation, Mr. Chirac never won an electoral endorsement for an ambitious governing agenda.

"In 2005, the French rejected his referendum on the EU constitution, in reality on him; the poor suburbs went up in flames; and the president, previously a picture of health, suffered a "minor stroke-like incident." By then, some friends and enemies were amazed that a man who fought so hard to win the highest office did so little with it. "He's far more preoccupied with the conquest of power than its exercise," Philippe Séguin, a former Chirac cabinet minister. Former President Francois Mitterrand, back in 1989, offered another explanation: "[Chirac] lacks inner peace and perhaps as well real character."

'political corpses'

Dick Morris thinks Gingrich and Romney should get the hell out of the way so the 'right' Republican candidate can run for President next year.

econ 101

According to a new Bloomberg poll, people's view of President Bush vary depending on income level.

What a shocker that is.

It's a shame the low income and middle class people who believe Bush's policies 'favor the rich,' aren't smart enough to understand that the President's '03 tax cuts benefited all tax-paying Americans.

lunacy

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to planning 9/11 'from A to Z,' among many, many other plots, but Rosie O'Donnell feels sorry for him.

She should run for President.

gonzalez

Another phony 'scandal' has erupted, this time over the Justice Department firing of eight US Attorneys. Blood in the water!

Sure, Democrats, led by Hillary Clinton, and the MSM, (Time Magazine screams 'Gonzalez Under Siege.') are outraged now, but they all have conveniently forgotten about the Clinton Administration's firing of all 93 US Attorneys back in 1993.

Yesterday's lead editorial in the reminds us that back then, Washington was abuzz over various Clinton scandals. Whitewater, Travel-gate and the 'suicide' of Vince Foster, among them. House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski was being investigated by Chicago's US Attorney Jay Stephens, who has said that he was '30 days away from indicting' Rostenkowski.

Bam! All 93 US Attorneys were fired by then-Attorney General Janet Reno, at the behest of Bill and Hill. At the time this action was unprecedented. Previous Presidents, including Bush, Reagan, even Carter retained the US Attorneys they inherited, replacing them only when others retired.

Fast forward to today. Why did President Bush decide to fire the eight US Attorneys? For under-performance on election fraud cases, among other cases.

The WSJ:

"The supposed scandal this week is that Mr. Bush had been informed last fall that some U.S. Attorneys had been less than vigorous in pursuing voter-fraud cases and that the President had made the point to Attorney General Albert Gonzales. Voter fraud strikes at the heart of democratic institutions, and it was entirely appropriate for Mr. Bush -- or any President -- to insist that his appointees act energetically against it.

"Take sacked U.S. Attorney John McKay from Washington state. In 2004, the Governor's race was decided in favor of Democrat Christine Gregoire by 129-votes on a third recount. As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and other media outlets reported, some of the "voters" were deceased, others were registered in storage-rental facilities, and still others were convicted felons. More than 100 ballots were "discovered" in a Seattle warehouse. None of this constitutes proof that the election was stolen. But it should have been enough to prompt Mr. McKay, a Democrat, to investigate, something he declined to do, apparently on grounds that he had better things to do.

"In New Mexico, another state in which recent elections have been decided by razor thin margins, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias did establish a voter fraud task force in 2004. But it lasted all of 10 weeks before closing its doors, despite evidence of irregularities by the likes of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn. As our John Fund reported at the time, Acorn's director Matt Henderson refused to answer questions in court about whether his group had illegally made copies of voter registration cards in the run-up to the 2004 election.

"As for some of the other fired Attorneys, at least one of their dismissals seemed to owe to differences with the Administration about the death penalty, another to questions about the Attorney's managerial skills. Not surprisingly, the dismissed Attorneys are insisting their dismissals were unfair, and perhaps in some cases they were. It would not be the first time in history that a dismissed employee did not take kindly to his firing, nor would it be the first in which an employer sacked the wrong person."

No 'scandal' here. So why the hell is current Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez apologizing? If he's really that much of a pansy maybe he should resign. We need an Attorney General with balls.

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death of a comedian

Richard Jeni was an extremely nice man. Harlan and I met him at the Improv in Pacific Beach, probably '87 or '88.

He shot himself in the face today in an apparent suicide.

Look at the photo of Jeni and Rock -- Jeni looks ill.

in blank we trust?

A number of George Washington dollars are missing the "In God We Trust" edge inscriptions.

chilling

Drudge is reporting that the NYT is going to report that 'scientists argue that Gore's warnings are full of exaggerated claims and startling errors.' William Broad's story will be called 'A Call To Cool The Hype.'

"Criticisms of Mr. Gore have come not only from conservative groups and prominent skeptics of catastrophic warming, but also from rank-and-file scientists like Dr. Easterbook, who told his peers that he had no political ax to grind. A few see natural variation as more central to global warming than heat-trapping gases. Many appear to occupy a middle ground in the climate debate, seeing human activity as a serious threat but challenging what they call the extremism of both skeptics and zealots."

tomber

Segolene Royal is falling behind in new French polls due to the success of centrist Francois Bayrou. Bayrou's numbers are now even eroding Nicolas Sarkozy's lead.

'easy target'

Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero is a socialist, a pacifist, a coward and a vandal of Taliban-ish proportions.

Since becoming Spain's 'accidental' PM in the wake of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid, Zapatero has systematically and ceremoniously torn down 'rusted' Franco-era statutes. The church, the so-called bourgeoisie and anyone on the Right are called fascists.

And now Zapatero's negotiating with terrorists, even recently allowing Basque ETA member José Ingnacio De Juana Chaos to serve out his remaining prison term at home, outraging many Spaniards. More Spanish blog reaction here.

The LA Times ran an article this past Saturday about how much danger Spain now finds itself amid the widely held belief that terrorist networks are mobilizing, organizing and preparing for more attacks. Spain, they believe, is an 'easy target.'

I was amused to learn that the 'accidental' prime minister Zapatero isn't all that well-traveled himself. He doesn't speak any foreign languages, and, according to the WSJ, possesses an "an undistinguished academic and political record." Yet I've heard no criticism from the same Leftist snobs who criticized George Bush for not having traveled the world prior to becoming President of the United States.

If, and when, Spain suffers another domestic attack, Zapatero's head will roll.

travesty

President Bush's appointees at the Justice Department are serving him quite badly.

At issue is the mishandling of 'national security letters,' the subpoenas for counterterrorism cases that don't require the approval of a judge. The WSJ reports today that Inspector General's audit has found that not only were some of these subpoenas were improperly issued, but that 'the FBI lacked the means even to monitor how many were issued, leading to misreporting to Congress.'

Criminal? No. Stupid? Definitely. Director Robert Mueller should go.

And equally as stupid are the members of Congress, who have angrily responded to the December firings of 8 US attorneys, one of which, was San Diego's Carol Lam. Yet these very same elected officials said nothing back in 1993 when Clinton fired 93 US attorneys.

amen

I don't go to church on Sunday mornings, but I do listen to Jesus.

$70 million

The biggest opening weekend ever for 300.

I was supposed to see it yesterday with Leon and Montgomery but somehow I ended up downtown for an art thing and became occupied eating wine and drinking cheese.

friday round up

Krauthammer wants Libby pardoned now. I don't disagree. End the charade.

Whenever I see Hugo Chavez making an ass of himself it just makes me appreciate George W. Bush all the more.

Democrats are refusing to participate in a Fox News Channel-sponsored debate in Nevada. A very dumb political decision, in my opinion.

A leading terrorist has been captured in Iraq. Viva Bush! Viva America!

The FBI apparently misused the Patriotic Act. A bureaucratic snafu, perhaps?

I'm on my way out the door to Silk with Scott and Brian. Have a great weekend.

a great american

I have nothing but respect for Debra Burlingame. Since losing her brother Chip on 9/11, she's been a tireless advocate for the truth.

First, she told us about the American-hating groups involved in building the World Trade Center Memorial. Now she's unearthing the facts about the public relations campaign meant to discredit the American detention center at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay.

the hand that feeds

They hate President Bush despite the fact that he's providing more financial aid to the region than any previous American administration.

stick this

It is precisely because I use my brain that I reject the cowardice of the Loony Left and repeat my wholehearted support of spreading democracy and freedom across the broader Middle East.

Intellectually honest Liberals should agree.

stuck

Last night on the drive home I noticed these two stickers on a white car driven by a blond 50-ish looking woman. Clearly she doesn't have a brain in her head.

'Missing Bill' strikes me as completely stupid, since he, more than anyone else, is the one who allowed al Qaeda to (1) become 'a gathering threat' and (2) believe that the United States was 'a paper tiger.' The responsibility for the deaths of 3,000 innocent people will forever be on his head and his head alone.

Then, of course, the idea that America should 'Coexist' with the very terrorists that attacked us on 9/11/01 seems absurd, moronic and sophomoric. A person so detached from reality shouldn't be trusted in operating a motor vehicle or in voting.

now playing

Very Smashing Pumpkins-ish.

bad strategery

How smart is it to announce to the world when we plan to exit Iraq? Isn't that assisting the terrorists?

simulation

The Department of Homeland Security is planning for a 'possible mass exodus from Cuba' in the aftermath of the death of dictator Fidel Castro by holding simulations with fictitious Cubans trying to "reach" US shores.

And while all of this was going on, 40 actual Cubans sneaked into Miami Beach aboard two boats.

latin america

President Bush, ahead of a tour of Latin America, gave a wide-ranging interview to Estado Sao Paulo of Brazil, El Pais of Uruguay, El Tiempo of Colombia, Prensa Libre of Guatemala and Reforma of Mexico, the leading newspapers of the five countries he'll be visiting beginning tomorrow.

He took some shots at nutball Hugo Chavez:

"I strongly believe that government-run industry is inefficient and will lead to more poverty," Bush replied to a question on Chavez's economic model, which includes nationalizations and muscular state intervention.

"So the United States brings a message of open markets and open government to the region. I fully recognize that until people actually feel progress in their pocketbook, that there's going to be frustrations with forms of government. But that doesn't mean you kind of revert to something that I don't believe will work," he said.

About the planned rally in Argentina featuring Chavez that will coincide with Bush's visit he said:

"I go to a lot of places and there are street rallies. And my attitude is, I love freedom and the right for people to express themselves. I bring a message of goodwill to Uruguay and to the region."

Castro came up in the conversation, too:

"I don't know how long he's going to live -- but, nevertheless, I do believe that the system of government that he's imposed upon the people ought not live if that's what the people decide," Bush said.

"We believe it ought to be up to the people, the long-suffering people of that island, to decide their fate, not the fate -- not to be decided because somebody is somebody's brother," he said.

As did protectionism:

"People shouldn't take for granted that the United States wants to have trade agreements. As a matter of fact, there's a strong protectionist sentiment in America. I strongly resist those temptations," he said.

Bush called his upcoming meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva "very important." High on the agenda is the Doha round of international trade negotiations to lower barriers.

"The Doha round, in my judgment, is a vital round that we would like to see progress, because I'd repeat to you that a system that trades fairly and a system with more open markets is one that allows people to more likely rise out of poverty. A successful round of Doha is by far the most effective poverty-alleviating program in the world."

justice

Thankfully John Couey was found guilty after kidnapping, raping and killing 9 year old Jessica Lunsford in February 2005.

confusion says

The record will reflect that Scooter Libby has been found guilty on four out of five counts of perjury. He lied under oath about the dates and times of conversations he had with three different reporters. No confusion there.

What Libby didn't lie about was anything relating to the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame, which was the only reason for special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate this case in the first place.

Fitzgerald knew from day one of his investigation that Richard Armitage, the former number two at State, outed Plame. No charges should ever have been brought against Libby, but charged he was, to the confusion of many.

Are we to believe that Cheney's former chief of staff is the only government official to lie? Is he the only White House official to have ever lied? Is Libby even the first government official to lie under oath? I don't believe he is.

What a bunch of irony. Bill Clinton lied under oath about sex and it was no big deal. Scooter Libby lied under oath about when he talked to reporters and it is a huge deal.

If the Libby matter is as serious as the Democrats are claiming, then they must now be ready to admit that Clinton's lying under oath was even more serious. Context is badly needed here. Libby was just an appointed official. Clinton was the President of the United States. Reasonable people aren't confused about this.

Most importantly, the jury was confused about the case. During deliberations, they asked Judge Reggie Walton if Libby had been charged with lying to Matt Cooper from Time Magazine, an absurd question. Lying to a journalist is not, and will never be, a crime.

A mistrial should have been declared at that point.

(red)

I hear the 'Red' campaign has raised only a piddly $18 million in twelve months, after a $100 million ad push. The Red people dispute the heft of their marketing budget.

I can't speak about the efforts made by Apple, American Express, Nike, Sprint or the other participating brands. But if the contribution provided by the Gap is/was any indication, the failure should come as no surprise.

Gap's line of 'Red' clothing was the cheapest, tackiest things I've ever seen. Torn jeans are one thing, but torn tshirts? As a Gap shareholder, I'm greatly offended. Is it 'socially responsible' to contribute inferior products to a worthwhile charity?

coulter & reed

Ronald Reagan set the bar for political dialogue. Never mean or nasty, his method was more a type of gentle bluntness.

Republicans rarely get down in the mud the same way the Democrats do, because we don't have to sling mud to gain the attention of the electorate. We don't have to call people names to make the evening news. Our policies speak volumes.

I've been known to drop some rhetorical bombs, but on balance I think I'm tough but fair in my analysis of politics. I call it as I see it. Sometimes, I lose my temper, but I've always found that explosive, hot hyperbole almost always sounds ridiculous.

I initially liked Ann Coulter because of her bombastic ways, especially during the Clinton '90s. She was a breath of fresh air when few others spoke frankly and openly. You'll never hear Coulter refer to a Democrat as 'my close friend.'

Like everyone else I think Coulter's comments linking the words 'John Edwards' and 'faggot' were both wildly unfunny and altogether inappropriate. Debasing one's self or one's political party is always a bad decision, although, one would think that if being gay is as great as gay people claim, the term 'faggot' would have no negative connotation.

The more offensive story to me is the emerging Walter Reed Hospital scandal. How do we not provide high quality medical care for America's wounded members of the military? One word: bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy is the enemy of progress.

the keystone state

What's this? Good news for Republicans in Pennsylvania?

gaining ice?

The celebrated French scientist and socialist Claude Allegre doesn't believe in global warming anymore.

And he's not the only one. Read the entire series about flip flopping scientists from Canada.com's National Post.

down arrows

As I go to bed I notice the Asian stock markets are down dramatically...Let's hope it improves.

race baiting

Tornadoes brought death and destruction to Alabama last week. Today Hillary and Obama are there today trolling for votes.

Since when does Hillary have a southern accent? Does she think black people in Alabama are so stupid they won't notice?

Since when does a feminist need a man? Does Hillary think people are so stupid they won't recognize her presidential campaign is totally dependent on her husband, the former President? Some feminist.

She's been called 'the smartest woman in America,' but is she really?

iraq

Prime Minister Maliki will reshuffle his cabinet within the next two weeks.

The push into Sadr City has begun.

fair trade?

The lunar eclipse occurred around 2.40 pm in southern California but I missed it because I was watching 'Babel.'

straw poll

The CPAC Straw Poll:

Romney 21%
Giuliani 17%
Brownback 15%
Gingrich 14%
McCain 12%

booming

Larry Kudlow correctly refers to the American economy as 'The Prosperity Boom.'

smile

You know I'm optimistic about '08. Bill Kristol gives five reasons why Republicans are smiling.

If you're in DC this weekend drop by CPAC.

analysis

This is the best thing I've heard yet about Iraq from a member of the American mainstream media.

forced labor

From the WSJ:

"For Big Labor, this week's "card check" victory marked the ultimate payoff for past Democratic election support. For House Democrats, it marked the end of the honeymoon.

"Democrats won in November in part by playing down their special interest patrons -- unions, environmentalists, trial lawyers -- and by playing up a new commitment to the moderate middle class. The big question was whether the party had the nerve to govern the way it campaigned, and card check was the first test. The answer? AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney isn't smiling for nothing.

"Up to now, Speaker Nancy Pelosi had kept her troops in line and her party's liberal wing in check. The vaunted first "100 hours" was run like a military operation, and revolved around a carefully chosen legislative agenda that would unify every faction in her party. It was small potatoes, but it worked, and it was a lesson in how Democrats can practice smart politics.

"The card check, in contrast, is a lesson in how the party's liberal base forces Democrats to back political losers. The legislation's only purpose is to give unions an unfair advantage in organizing, namely by eliminating the secret ballot in union elections and instead allowing thugs to openly bully workers into joining up. Americans understand and despise this, with polls showing 90% of the public thinks card check is a racket."

majestic

This photo is a mosaic of 36 images taken by the international Cassini spacecraft as it passed by Saturn. Wow. Cool shadow.

those northeastern liberals...

Brian Williams has lost 570,000 viewers over the past 12 months?

Could it be the condescension?

getting 'nasty'

"Nobody will out-mud the Clinton's." Who knows it better than Newt?

taking out the trash

Breathtakingly stupid is today's post by the dolt Jon Soltz on the Huffington Post, in which Soltz takes Joe Lieberman -- America's only decent Democrat -- to task for his recent pro-war op-ed in the WSJ.

"Senator Lieberman, I have a challenge for you. Let's call it the American Troops Challenge. Here's how it goes.

"First, your office needs to give up the basic tools that it uses everyday to make it function and allows people to do their jobs. Let's say you'll only have one pen in your office, for starters.

"Of course, you'll have computers, but only two of them. Then let's look at your staff. Your legislative assistants will be replaced by highly qualified gym teachers. Even though they're not trained properly to work the legislative process, they are excellent at what they do. They'll adapt the best they can, and work incredibly hard, but be patient. Remember, they were never trained for the job.

"Your office staff, and you, will have to stay in the Capitol for eight months, without the chance to rest or go home. At the eight-month mark, we'll have a little surprise. You and your staff will be involuntarily extended for another few months. You know, just until you pass a couple of more pieces of legislation and complete your job.

"Now, if Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi or Jack Murtha tries to get you some pens, computers, trained staff, and rest, we're going to trash them in the media and call them weak. Your job is too important to worry about such trivial things."

This garbage about the troops not having what they need is just more Liberal fecal matter, and the lies this time are especially egregious since Soltz is an Iraqi war vet. He knows what he's saying is untrue.

But in the dreamland inhabited by the Democrats, all's fair in bashing Bush, no matter how scandalous.

heroes

Bruce Crandall, Paul Smith and Jason Dunham are the type of people Americans should admire and celebrate. Yet few have ever heard of them.

Who are these distinguished men? They are all recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest public tribute our nation can pay to a member of our military.

OpinionJournal.com's Dan Henninger writes a brilliant piece about Crandall being honored at the White House on Monday, 42 years after his valiant service in Vietnam. Tuesday, nearly non-existent media coverage.

The press was busy covering important news like Anna Nicole and Britney.