Why is the nonpartisan libertarian quirky leftist in Minneapolis?

But skipped Denver?

Huh.

My Friends, That's Not Spelling We Can Believe In.

Bush thinks Bolton isn't credible.

Oh noes! Atlas Juggs is about to blow a gasket.

Some of us have been saying this for years, W.

All those wingnuts who defended Bush 3 years ago look pretty stupid today.

Bush, today.



Bush, three years ago.



And that includes Putz, who said the criticism was just the media trying to make Bush look bad.

UPDATE

I'm breaking my rule against feeding trolls -- but just this once AI.

Now use teh google and begone.

Katrina taught the media that if they all swarmed Bush at once they could do harm even if -- as turned out to be the case -- much of what they reported was outright false.

Lies! All lies to make Bush look bad!

Wingnuts vetoed Lieberman.

More evidence of McSame's maverickness!

Quayle.

Ouch.

There is wide uncertainty about whether she's qualified to be president. In the poll, taken Friday, 39% say she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% say she isn't and 29% have no opinion.

That's the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator Dan Quayle to join his ticket in 1988. In comparison, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was seen as qualified by 57%-18% after Democrat Barack Obama chose him as a running mate last week.....

But James Dobson is happy, and that's all that matters.

InstaPutz Exclusive!

BT and I received the following footage, which astonishingly depicts the collective Republican reaction to the Sarah Palin pick -- once they've sobered up from the long weekend.

Media Notes.

Obama's speech got pushed off the front page by the Palin Pick and Palin, in turn, has been overshadowed by a hurricane.

If I wasn't so concerned about New Orleans, I might just enjoy the irony.

Hand Me the Gun.

My younger sister is getting married later today.

Yesterday, I made a promise to my six-year-old cousin Leah (seen above, making up for the forthcoming humiliation) that I would sit next to her at dinner. Earlier in the day I'd pissed her off by sitting next to her older sister Sophie in the car.

Cousin TS is a master of pre-teen diplomacy.

Anyway, Leah -- who, like her eight-year-old sister, is so wonderful that I would at a moment's notice toss myself in front of an Amtrak if they asked nicely -- and I were talking about The Band (seriously) and she says to me, for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom

So, what if you're 108 and not married and then you die?

I told her, I don't know how to answer the question and anyway that's one of the most horrible things anyone's ever said to me.

"Just kidding!" she said.

Palin wasn't McCain's first choice -- Lieberman was.

In case you missed this:

ABC's Jan Crawford Greenburg reports: It wasn't until Sunday night that John McCain, after meeting with his four top advisers, finally decided he could not tap independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to be his running mate. One adviser, tasked with taking the temperature of the conservative base, had strongly made the case to McCain that it would be a disaster for the party and that the base would revolt. McCain concluded he could not go that route.

So the man McSame thought would make the best vice president was vetoed by his fundie base. And he caved.

But he's very Mavericky!

Romney not rising?

Hew:

With the selection of Governor Palin most of us are convinced he will win.

It's always good news over at Pravda, isn't it?

Duh?

Putz:

THEY'RE SAYING THAT MCCAIN HAS PICKED SARAH PALIN. The Insta-Wife is ecstatic, which may bode well for that demographic.

"That demographic"? I take it for granted that Palin will do well among illiterate Republican advice columnists...

There she is, Miss Alaska...

[via]

More of This, Please.

Newsweek:

More recently, [Palin] has been caught up in a controversy over whether she or her staff tried to get her ex-brother in law fired as an Alaska state trooper. She has denied any wrongdoing, yet it was widely assumed the probe, which is still on-going, may have harmed her chances of being named to the GOP ticket.

If You Need a Laugh...

The Corner is completely lost at sea this morning. Totally flummoxed.

This Nordlinger post is fairly representative.

3. McCain = Bush. He voted with him 90 percent of the time. Alternatively, 95 percent of the time. Or 93.27. (Well, of course McCain has voted with Bush a lot — he’s not a right-winger, and neither is Bush. For example, when the president proposes amnesty, or a type of amnesty: McCain says, sure nuff.)

I have no idea what that means.

Heh. Indeed.

A few hours ago, I think, we got our millionth page view.

That's awesome.

This is a Good Sign.

I'm listening to Imus and I believe Chris Wallace just said he got "tears in my eyes" during Obama's speech.

POW!

McCain can't get anyone to go to his Ohio rally.

Obama has no problem filling a stadium of 75,000 and McSame can't get 10,000.

Very impressive!

...TS ADDS: That's because The Decemberists aren't playing and there's no free beer!

Putz: "I’m not an arm of the McCain campaign."

Yesterday's fun escalates as Russo sticks a shiv in Reynolds' rump.

I think I speak for everyone when I say it would be really, truly awesome if this back-and-forth were to continue indefinitely.

Faster More, please!

Prediction.

By noon EST, K-Lo will link to this and write something that will make me hate her even more.

Sporadic Convention Liveblogging.

...10:44 I assume Biden will rip McCain's balls off shortly. But this is it for me. Night night!

...10:21 Yeah, Jay. Keep beating that drum: The American electorate, he says, is "ignorant" because they don't know how teh awesome the economy is doing. Duh?

...9:38 (Blue Texan) Hey, speaking of K-Lo--remember this?

...9:34 I admit, stuff like this is so damn wonderful I will surely miss the PUMAs:




















I'm sure they'll go from whence they came, to Stormfront threads...

...9:26 In which K-Lo doesn't see the sarcasm...

...9:23 Shit that's funny. I believe Mr. Clinton just said that conservatism has always sucked. We just didn't know it until 2001. Ow.

...9:20 Ah, he's slagging the party of Lincoln. Preach it, Bubba!

...9:07 The Big Dog is good, oh, he's good.

...8:56 Hey, Daschle! Waldo called, he wants his glasses back.

...8:51 Food's here! Jack Reed is kicking ass. I wish I knew he was...

...8:45 ooooh, aaaaaaaah. Mittens!?
















...8:44 Where's my food, Andy's? My stomach is eating itself.

...8:40 If Bayh says "my friends" one more time, I give Albright permission to skullfuck him.

...8:35 Albright's broach is hideous. If she would just take it off, I'd probably give her a mulligan on skullfucking Rwanda.

...8:24 Not to be sexist or nothin', but CSM Michele Jones is a fox. Apparently, Nominee Obama is a magnet for beautiful women named Michel[l]e.

...8:15 I just ordered Chinese. Andy's is too expensive, but the food is fresh. Apropos of not much, I think I look pretty good in a wife-beater.



















Photo credit: Darragh Murphy

...8:05 Etheridge is doing a nice job, but that Lennon song sucks beyond saving. For some reason -- can't... quite... place... it -- I don't imagine she'd be invited to the GOP's convention.

Senator Clinton's decision to suspend the roll call was a terribly classy move.

PUMAs, you are officially McCainiacs. Congrats, assholes!

...I'm tentatively optimistic and excited, which makes me uncomfortable.

Quirky leftist.

Uh, no.

There's a reason he's Karl Rove's favorite blogger, and it's not because he's a leftist.

Cool old dude.

I'm not sure there's much to add.

Glenn Reynolds: Obama's friends think the wrong side won in Vietnam.

Nice.

Feel free to tell him to fuck off.

pundit@instapundit.com
instapundit@gmail.com

Huckleberry?

...This is seems like a characteristically stupid thing for Lopez to mention. I can't be the only one who neither watches Morning Joe nor gives a wank about the 'sexual orientation' of McCain's probable VPs.

This Has Been Another...

Greg:

Hillary hit a grand slam by any measure. Will it put the "rift" talk to rest?

No. Oh, look...














I'm pessimistic about this stuff. I don't think they'll be even a small bounce from her speech, good as it was.

Everyone's being so mean to McSame.

If you're watching PBS, you're seeing lots of attacking.

If you're not, you're watching talking heads talk about how the Democrats need to attack.

Oy.

Don't Tell K-Lo!

S. Ackerman:

When we at FDL thought we couldn't get in to the PPFA party, Jane Hamsher hatched a plan where she would promise to get me in by saying I knocked her up and was super-supportive during the abortion. Yes, during.

Yeah, I'm so worried about "Democrats for McCain."

These crazies aren't Democrats.



...TS ADDS:

You can tell Matthews thinks you're nuts when he repeats the question. Por exemplo:

This is Why These Fuckers Win Elections.

Ramesh Ponnuru, Reasonable Conservative:

I agree with Jay. The Democrats have a way of talking about how much they support the troops that treats them as a victim group in need of subsidies, but rarely suggests that they have accomplished anything. Note that Michelle Obama closed her reference to the troops by talking about their need for mental health care when they get home. I'm all for mental health services for people suffering from PTSD. But the overall impression is that what the Democrats stand for is post-defeat therapy.

"Post-defeat therapy"? It's morbidly funny that Ponnuru and the gang can simultaneously impugn the patriotism of Democrats and play down the effects of PSTD, which afflicts, and will afflict, an absurd number of vets.

But Who is John McCain, Really?

I'd like to hear more about this POW stuff before I decided who to vote for.

Stick To Domestic Politics, Siri.

The Globe and Mail's political blogger, Siri Agrell, accomplishes the impossible: she makes Maureen Dowd seem lucid by comparison.

That Ms. Agrell can watch McCain parry a question from Jay Leno about his innumerable houses with "I spent five and a half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house" and (apparently with a straight face) call it the "Best Comeback Ever," suggests that she's about a month behind the curve.

A Thought Experiment.

Let's say the following is true:

• Three men were arrested in connection with an inquiry into a possible plot to kill John McCain.
  
• The three men face firearms and drug charges.
  
• The three men had ties to extremist organizations.
• One of the man, a convicted felon, was found with two high-powered scoped rifles, ammunition, sighting scopes, radios, a cellphone, a bulletproof vest, wigs, drugs and fake IDs.
• Another wore a Nazi swastika ring.

Would Putz dismiss this so easily?

Q&A.

Q:

Ted Kennedy devoted his life to pulling his fellow Americans out of poverty, division and injustice and into the sterling dignity of the American promise. What kind of person could oppose that mission?

A:

K-Lo, there's a special place in hell just for you.

A truly ugly slug of a human being.

What a gigantic asshole.

DNC Liveblogging.

Is Claire McCaskill always this irritating? She's pushing the "heartland" bullshit so hard I'm not sure if this is a speech or a spot for Wonder Bread.

...Me and Sullivan don't agree on much, but...

/Snark.

OBAMA'S ASSASSINATION BOUNCE? Interesting, if true.

Classy.

Putz sees this photo...

















...and writes:

OKAY, THIS PICTURE OF THE CANDIDATES AND THEIR WIVES, via Drudge, is perhaps a bit more reminiscent of Swingtown than seems really wise for a Presidential campaign.

Which is funny, because this...



















...is perhaps a bit more reminiscent of Pamela & Tommy Lee: Stolen Honeymoon than seems really wise for a respected forensic psychologist.

[photo via]

Wipe Your Nose, Larry.

Idiot.

Are the Denver Dems downing the stock market today? The Dow is off 230 points, starting right from the get-go. So-called market analysts are blaming financials and the credit crunch as they always do.

...See also.

Uh. When Did This Happen? (updated)

The new Romenesko sucks!

Change it back, please.

...also: since I'm still pretty burnt out from the week off, a bleg: What does 'puma haka' mean? HALP me, K-Wan; you're my only hope!

...Look at me with the Star Wars reference. I fucking hate Stars Wars and was once kicked off a group blog for writing something nasty about the trilogy and George Lucas in particular.

If Lucas would've dropped dead after producing Coppola's American Graffiti, his legacy would be golden.

[presumably speaking for myself only]

...Right on, Charlie:

WSJ: A recent WSJ/NBC News poll found that half of Clinton’s primary voters say they aren’t voting for Obama right now.

Rangel: I don’t believe it. You say “right now” – underline “right now.” They’ll come home.

WSJ: What does Obama have to do to bring them back to the Democratic Party?

Rangel: Nothing. McCain is doing enough to bring those women voters back.

K-Lo raps Pelosi for being too Catholic.

Nothing makes wingnuts more insane than throwing their own religion back in their face.

Greatest concern troll ever.

Pawlenty: Obama should've picked Petraeus.

For Steve.

She's Gone And She Ain't Never Coming Back.

Jeralyn Merritt, that is.

In May I'd been hopeful that JM might one day edge away from the precipice, maybe after the primary craziness ended.

Nah.

She's outsourcing commentary to Robert Stacy McCain, whom she evasively calls a "conservative reporter." Yeah.

That same year Coombs recruited a reporter from a paper in rural Georgia, Robert Stacy McCain, to work at the Times as his national assistant editor. McCain belonged to the neo-Confederate hate group League of the South, which routinely promotes slavery apologias and favors a "second secession" of the South from the Union. By 2002 McCain had been promoted by Coombs to edit the Times's Culture Briefs section. In short order, McCain turned that section into a bulletin board for the racialist far right. At Coombs's behest, McCain attended four American Renaissance conferences as a Times correspondent, only once reporting criticism of the group's white supremacist agenda.

[snip]

McCain's views on race are well-known among his colleagues. In August 2002, according to Archibald, during a discussion in the newsroom about civil rights, McCain defended slavery as "good for the blacks and good for property owners." "We were just appalled," Archibald said. "He is just a complete animalistic racist."

One of the side effects of losing your bearings, as Merritt clearly has, is you align yourself with nasty people -- simply because they share your point of view.

Roger, Roger...

This is why you can't get work.

BARACK

( looking tentatively at Michelle)

Well… what about…?

MICHELLE

(alarmed)

No, not The Witch! I told you a thousand times. I can’t live

with her or that horn dog in Blair House!

BARACK

Okay, okay…

He shakes his head, flummoxed.

MICHELLE

(gets an idea)

Biden!

On the plus side, at least we've got an answer to the age old question, Can anything suck worse than Prague Duet?

Memo to Talk Left: you're approaching No Quarter territory.

Shorter Talk Left: OMG it's not HILLARY OMG OMG!!!11!!!!!1!!

WATBs.

Why I Love/Hate Putz.

In a nutshell:

OBAMA PICKS BIDEN: So Much for Change? That's unfair. He's at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright.

Plus, an epic text message failure? Micah Sifry: "From a tech point of view, the mass txt message seems to have failed." On the other hand, while people who signed up may not have gotten their text messages, Obama got their names for his mailing list.

UPDATE: Not winning over Katie Granju: "'I'm not excited by Obama's choice of Biden. He's got a long record of aggressively supporting the consumer debt machines that have created so much of the subprime lending mess we find ourselves in today.And in a campaign that has succeeded in large part on the idea of change and progress, he's simply a throwback."

ANOTHER UPDATE: Richard Miniter: "Biden is almost a 'neocon' in his foreign policy views. He voted for the Iraq War in 2002. . . . Does his elevation by Obama signal that that the Obama campaign is backing away from its timetable to withdraw from Iraq? Does Biden’s position differ significantly from McCain’s? Isn’t he, in fact, closer to McCain’s view on Iraq than Obama is?"

The thing is: I'm not sure anyone gives a shit what Jennifer Rubin, Richard Miniter and Katie Granju -- who? -- have to say about Obama's VP pick.

Granju may be lovely and smart, but rest are idiots. They are, in short, of no consequence and don't have to be "won over."

When McCain selects his VP, is Putz going to link to CounterPunch, The Nation and Kos while noting gravely that said outlets are displeased?

Whew.

So glad it's not Bayh. I realize the VP is largely inconsequential, but still.

Why does Susan Eisenhower hate America?

What a defeatist, elitist unserious terror-lover.

Glenn Reynolds: John McCain's house gaffe is bad for Obama.

Hilarious.

Yeah, they haven't been flogging Obama with Rezko for months, Putz.

George Bush surrenders in Iraq.

Let the impeachment hearings begin.

Does CAP Require a Loyalty Oath?

From Matthew Yglesias:

In Which Glenn Reynolds Encourages Terrorism. Again.

We are used to Glenn Reynolds encouraging terrorism, such as the targeted assassination of civilians in Iran. So it's not much of a surprise to see him urging the Ukraine to engage in terrorist acts against Russia:

"[i]f I were the Ukrainians I'd infiltrate some folks into Russia with instructions to blow up some pipelines, etc., if that happened. It would be cheap and effective."

Here's an exercise for our readers: replace "Ukrainians" with "Arabs" and "Russia" with "America." But of course it's only those vile lefties who are engaging in moral relativism.

Capitalism

Putz, thoughtfully, quotes The Tall and Awkward One saying "China is proving that American companies will throw freedom of speech out the window if the price is right."

This is strange, coming from The Libertarian. Surely, capitalism and the power of the market will lead to greater freedom for everyone?

Somebody clearly hasn't been paying attention.

Bias!

Via Atrios, this is the greatest sentence in the history of the Associated Press -- preserved for all time:

The Gravy Train Dribbles Downwards.

Putz:

YOU DON'T TUG ON SUPERMAN'S CAPE: But, really, even that's safer than trying to silence Amy Alkon.

UPDATE: Some additional thoughts. (Bumped). See the comment from Francis W. Porretto. Somebody should write a book about this phenomenon!

The sum total of Dr. Mrs. Putz's "additional thoughts"?

Amy Alkon: "My question: Was the reason our founding fathers fought for free speech really so tiny little thugs who call themselves "progressives" can foil any possibility of it on the websites of anyone whose opinions they disagree with?"

Just as farting the ABC's doesn't make me Pavarotti, sticking another gal's writing in quotes doesn't constitute thought.

[via]

Let Me Count the Ways.

Via Putz, the excitable Mr. Llorens asks:

How Can Obama NOT Pick Hillary For VP?

Easily.



Btw, since Armando is on a first name basis with Senator Clinton, he probably shouldn't call anyone -- least of all the pragmatic Nate Silver -- an "Obamabot."

I Took the Week Off.

Posting will be, uh, intermittent.

In the meantime, isn't this just the cutest thing ever?

















Yes. Yes, it is.

...Steve, just this once. Promise.


















[via]

Rick, next time just fax him the questions in advance.

Unreal.

Earth to K-Lo.

Not everyone is obsessed with abortion. Anyway, why is it that the people most likely to ride this hobbyhorse are virgins?

I can't help but think that, if they haven't decided yet who veep will be, Team Obama is seriously considering the pro-life...

No, she probably can't. She's stupid like that!

Time is Short, My Friends.

As I understand it, senior citizens are giving Obama lots of trouble. So, while it's demonstrably true that David Plouffe's balls are the size of watermelons...

“Democrats should take a deep breath and realize that there are a group of voters who won’t make up their mind about a candidate until deep in the fall. ... And there are 18 states that are battlegrounds for a reason, and they’ll be decided by 2 to 4 points. I don’t care about national polls.”

...and it's probably stupid to second-guess him, I will:

WHY THE FUCK ISN'T THIS FOOTAGE BEING STREAMED INTO EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN AMERICA?



Election.

Over.

...ALSO: What BT said. Is there something beyond shrill?

Searching for moral clarity when there is nothing but ambiguity.

Hemingway:

When asked "At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?," McCain answered "At the moment of conception." Obama's answer here was flaming-dirigible bad:

Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is, you know, above my pay grade.

That spectacularly inept metaphor is going to haunt Obama throughout the rest of the campaign. News flash: There's not a job on the planet above the pay grade of the President of the United States. If you can't solve every problem and are humble about it, that's fine — but you can't get away with being unsure about the most defining moral issue in politics.

Does Hemingway really think that abortion is "the most defining moral issue in politics"? Not war? Not capital punishment? Not poverty?

And if reasonable, intelligent people of faith disagree about abortion, how can one be absolutely "sure" who is right? George Bush's wife and mother thinks abortion should remain legal. Is Hemingway saying he's sure that they're wrong? Are the majority of Americans who want abortion to remain legal also all wrong?

The moral arrogance of the right -- and their childish need to have moral absolutes when none exist -- is always staggering.

Big tent party!

K-Lo, you're an idiot.

Most Americans favor keeping abortion legal, retard.

Oh Waiter, This Tea is Weak.

From Walter Kirn's review of James Wood's How Fiction Works:

In the second of two short prefaces to “How Fiction Works,” an old-fashioned primer on literature that also functions as a timely primer on the art of modest self-marketing, the esteemed critic James Wood reaches out to assure “the common reader” (that good fellow from the club who tries to keep up with all things cultural but is forever slightly short on time) that his prose is as free as he can make it of what James Joyce termed “the true scholastic stink” of so much academic writing. After noting his intellectual debts to “the Russian formalist Viktor Shklovsky” and “the French formalist-­cum-structuralist Roland Barthes,” Wood goes on to compare his “little volume” to the Victorian critic John Ruskin’s musings on the Renaissance painter Tintoretto. Finally, to make himself even less intimidating, even more approachable, Wood (who writes these days for The New Yorker) has us know that every passage he cites in demonstration of his theories comes from “the books at hand in my study” rather than, as the common reader might fear, the entire New York Public Library or, even more distressing, his memory.

Wood’s study must be vast, with well-stocked shelves, judging by the inarguable erudition displayed in his compact vade mecum of short chapters and neatly numbered sections devoted to such topics as point of view, characterization, fictional detail and, toward the end, nothing less than “A Brief History of Consciousness.” He drops his quotations and references as copiously, easily and freely as a man on a bench in Central Park scattering cups of birdseed. “In Book 22 of the ‘Iliad,’ ” Wood writes in a discussion of wrinkles in narrative time, “Hector’s wife is at home warming his bath though he has in fact died moments before; Auden praised Bruegel, in ‘Musée des Beaux Arts,’ for noticing that, while Icarus fell, a ship was calmly moving on through the waves, unnoticing. In the Dunkirk section of Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement,’ the protagonist, a British soldier retreating through chaos and death toward Dunkirk, sees a barge going by.”

With the whole Western canon at his disposal, apparently, Wood begins to shape a general argument whose moderate, neoclassical simplicity and preference for precision and clarity over mere vigor and potency seem initially like the hard-nosed wisdom of someone who’s read a million pages, seen all writerly tricks a thousand times and attained the detached, big-picture perspective of an orbiting critical satellite. ...

Though Wood’s precise, dialectical approach is well adapted to tracing the paradoxes behind standard literary conventions (“Actually, first-person narration is generally more reliable than unreliable; and third-person ‘omniscient’ narration is generally more partial than omniscient.”), and while he makes many nuanced observations about the fetishes and habits that mark individual writers’ styles (“Nabokov and Updike at times freeze detail into a cult of itself,” “This roughened-up texture and rhythm is, for me at least, one of the reasons that I rarely find Bellow an intrusive lyricist”), he winds up restating more of what we do know than exposing what we don’t, quite. Take his disquisition on detail, which comes down first to asserting its importance, then to questioning its all-importance, and then, after serving up a list of some of his very favorite fictional details, to defining the apt, exquisite detail much as a judge once defined obscenity: as something he knows when he sees it. He operates similarly in his discussions of verbal musicality and the craft of proper word choice, implying that his knowing and his seeing are of a peculiarly high degree and ought to prove persuasive and sufficient simply because he’s known and seen so much....

Let it be noted: Walter Kirn spent the better part of four paragraphs bitching that James Wood, who, um, writes about books for a living, is too well-read.

Ciao, Y'all.

Imabout to party my nads off.

Obama Donor of the Week.

Where's the extra dollar, Foer?


















This is how stereotypes get started.

[via]

K-Lo...

Is quite possibly the most loathsome pundit in America:

"divorced, stigmatized and barred any legal protections" Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Andrew Sullivan says that's how I want gays in America to live. No, I just want to protect the institution of marriage — which is between a man and a woman. That doesn't necessitate marginalizing or making second-class citizens of anyone. It's protecting the integrity of what marriage is.

I know we disagree and that doesn't delight me in any way. But marriage between man and woman, raising children is at the heart of civilization. And we're in danger of losing it. That can't be. Redefining it would be the wrong direction.

It gives me no pleasure to say it, but Sullivan is exactly right. At this point, is it even worth pointing out that Lopez is childless -- presumably because her insides are a rocky place where Goldberg's seed can find no purchase -- so, by her logic, she's just as culpable as the 'mos in wrecking civilization?

If someone pushed her overboard I wouldn't weep. I may be filled with bile, but, unlike Lopez, mine is aimed at those who hold all the cards.

...UPDATE: I'm sometimes surprised what the memeorandum folks will link to.

Noonan's latest.

My takedown of the Pegster's latest WSJ column is up at FDL.

Shorter Lisa Schiffren:

Why won't these Eskimos buy a Sub-Zero?

I don't think "market principles" means what Schiffren thinks it means.

[Insert Witty Headline Here]

Hugh Hewitt says that Jerome "seriously, I got a Ph.D" Corsi is "from the fringe."

So... How fucking far out is the fringe?

Don't worry, Andrew. He'll get to it.

Remember, Putz just said recently that the Swift Boat Liars' stuff "checked out."

This Ad Rules.

"Dear Diary,

"I miss Mickey.





















Love,
Bob"

Shocker.

Putz:

WELL, THAT'S COOL: I just heard from my publisher that An Army of Davids is coming out in a Korean edition. I don't think that any of my other books managed this.

I assume he means North Korea; it makes sense that Glenn Reynolds would be popular in a totalitarian regime.

Check aaaaaaaaand Mate. [updated]

Boy, it didn't take much to appease the nutters, eh? Well played, Obama -- even if the move is meant to placate 404 of the craziest people this side of Bobby Fischer.

...Speaking of nutters: Wow.



If either of these two were halfway decent people, this would be cruel. But they're not and it ain't.

...I see Christmas has come early. Abortions for some, screen caps for others!




















Hmmm.




















Hmmmm?

...See also. (A guy could probably not get away with this.)

[via K.]

Big tent party update.

But didn't Ahnold speak at the '04 convention, too?

Look out, Harvard!

From a Media Bistro listing entitled "Fall 2008 Internships available!"

FOX News has changed the way news is done….redefined the way news is reported! Our internship program is one of the top in the industry, attracting the best college students, and preparing them to be future Fair and Balanced news professionals.

This is a one of a kind internship experience and once chosen for this specialized program, our interns are paired with industry leaders and receive practical hands-on training in a real world environment. Our internships are based in the heart of New York City.

Coming soon: Fox News Channel University. Look out for FNU in the fall 2008, this site will allow you to be apart [sic!!!!!] of our news coverage. You will be able to post videos and report breaking news in your local area.

FNU is an acronym for, among other things, Fusobacterium necrophorum, a pathogen.

Coincidence?

Genius or Stupid? Not Sure!

Seen on Pandagon:

Why don't the troops support the troops?

Dear Putz,

Suck on this.


Cheers,

BT

Watch How Quickly...

Camille Paglia becomes "people":

CAMILLE PAGLIA: "Obama's folksy come-on is as bad as Madonna's faux British -- and both are in desperate need of fresh inspiration." Jeez, if people are comparing him to Madonna, he really has been overexposed. ...

Dope.

QOTD.

Rudolph Giuliani says:

I mean, Senator Obama is, and I think this is clearly true, the most inexperienced candidate to run for president in the last hundred years.

Pretty. Damn. Rich.

Never Thought I'd See The Day.

One Corner crackhead quotes Goldwater in the service of imperialism and another -- rather than hehindeed him -- actually says "hey, wait a minute!"

Moderation in the pursuit of justice is indeed a virtue. Without it, civilization would be very very difficult, and social improvements could only be brought about through violence.

Baby steps!

Confederate Retard figures out the Arkansas shooting.

After getting embarrassed over his epic wrongness on the Knoxville shooting, Confederate Retard has this Arkansas tragedy all figured out.

The national media is slow to catch up on the suspected motivations of the shooter. I'm certain that this is out of concerns for accuracy, and not an attempt to let misplaced anger simmer for as long as possible for those who would ascribe a political motivation.

Yeah, that's it Confederate. They're not acting responsibly, trying to ascertain "the facts." They're just hoping that people wonder if there's a political motive. It's all just to make wingnuts like Michelle Malkin look bad. Because, obviously, it would be wildly off the mark and crazy to wonder if there's a political motive when a political official is shot to death.

Ass. Hole.

I'm Going to Say This Only Once.

Anyone caught being an asshole in comments is banned.

I'm pretty sure I don't have to define 'being an asshole.'

...To be clear, I'm not talking about incivility. By all means, call John McCain a withered-up, diaper-wearing lunatic. Fuck, shit, piss, heck, even cunt is okay with me.

But if you take shots at other commenters, i.e. make it personal, that's a problem.

If I am out of my mind, it's all right with me.

Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaargh. I just finished writing a four-page paper on alternative betas.

My brain hurts.

Wow.

This strongly suggests...

SO THE PHONE RANG JUST A BIT AGO, AND IT WAS SEN. BOB CORKER, calling to talk about the "gang of ten" energy compromise plan.

...that Kathryn Jean Lopez has a social life that Bob Corker would positively envy.

Sad.

I figured Jeralyn Merritt had hit her nadir when she got outclassed by Ann Althouse.

I was wrong. If the Atlantic's Clinton memos revealed anything, it's that, contra Ms. Merritt, Senator Clinton's campaign was doomed from the get-go.

When Harold Ickes -- the only adviser of the bunch who a) understood the importance of amassing delegates and b) kept tabs on the campaign's depleted coffers -- is the only thing keeping you from total immolation, your campaign is fucked.

End of story.

Well, I'm Bound to Get Lucky, Baby. [update]

Yes, your TS is seeing Mr. D at the Prospect Park Bandshell this evening. Deeeeelicious.

...UPDATE: It was good. The Times review is pretty close, even if they neglected to inform the reader of the weird-ass celebrity stalking. That is, your TS was stalked by Geraldo Rivera.

First, whilst waiting in line for Two Boots, Geraldo insisted on using a nearby porta john. ("Dude, is that Geraldo headed to the can?" says my neighbor. 'Twas!) Then, your humble correspondent was thirsty and went back for some IPA... and there he was again! Also waiting in line for booze! Not, as you might imagine, giving away U.S. troop movements!

When I got back to my seat, which, ha ha ha Actor was really good!, this red-headed whacked-out crazo seated to my left said, "Who's that guy with the mustache four rows up?"



















At which point I was like, please, Geraldo, leave me the fuck alone!

Which, to his credit, he did. And a good time was had by all.

...Here's the set list and here's some supremely shitty news.

Bleg.

Rectal wart Patrick Buchanan, writes

Partial-birth abortion, said the late Sen. Pat Moynihan, "comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary."

I've looked far and wide and I can't find the context for this quote. I'm not even sure when PM said this, tho I've found an old Bob Dole speech from May '96, in which he says

When the vote to override that veto is cast, I may no longer be a Senator. But if I am, I will stand proudly with all the Democrats who voted against the President on partial-birth abortions. I would vote with Senator Moynihan, a man of conscience who calls the practice "too close to infanticide."

Halp?

A Day Late.

My condolences to Tom. Given the precedent, expect Satchmo to get one fucker of an obit.

Oh, Putz. (updated)

This post will prove to be embarrassing. By and by some wag will say, "Who could've foreseen that a scandal pushed by The Load and Jammy Wearing Tool would implode?"

...UPDATE: Aaaaand the walkback begins:

Update: As some readers have noted in the comments, it appears Georgia is not the only country that comes up blank on Google maps, so it seems this just happens to be coincidental. Note Armenia and Azerbaijan, for example. Still, it would be interesting to know why this is and whether it's related to security issues and/or requests by those countries to not be mapped in detail.

...Aaaaand continues:

Update: Georgia isn't alone. One of many emails:

Jonah,

The reason Georgia is blank on Google Maps is because Google has yet to add detail data to it. This is the same reason Armenia, Paraguay, and Samoa are blank too. I don't see any bias here (even though Google clearly has political bias elsewhere).

Putz? Oh won't you please follow the Load's example?

Hmmm.

Imus on McCain:

I didn't realize he was out of his mind when I endorsed him.

I may never stop laughing.

Still Bush worshipping, even now.

BUSH TO RUSSIA: Back off Georgia. We'll see how much impact this has.

Yes, let's wait -- with breath bated -- waiting to see if Putin listens to Big Bad George. Any minute now, I'm sure he's going to turn those tanks and bombers right around.

(still laughing)

Is it Clark?

Hmmm. Signs point to yes.

(Securing America's Future is the name of Wes Clark's PAC).

McCain's Wikithievery.

Oops.

Needless to say, if Obama got caught doing this...

Smack fail.

FAIL

Russia and Obama's veep.

Can't help but wonder if Russia's sacking Georgia will affect Obama's choice.

Another Question.

The question Putz is asking, "Where are the anti-war groups?", is evasive and half-assed. I like this one: "Where's George Bush?"

Since the conflict began, Western leaders have worked frantically to broker a cease-fire. But for Georgians — so boisterously pro-American that Tbilisi, the capital, has a George W. Bush Street — diplomacy fell far short of what they expected.

Even in the hinterlands, at kebab stands and in farming villages, people fleeing South Ossetia saw themselves as trapped between great powers. Ossetian refugees heading north to Russia gushed their gratitude to Dmitri A. Medvedev and Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian leaders. Georgians around Gori spoke of America plaintively, uncertainly. They were beginning to feel betrayed.

“Tell your government,” said a man named Truber, fresh from the side of the Tbilisi hospital bed where his son was being treated for combat injuries. “If you had said something stronger, we would not be in this.”...

Tatiana Gobozoyeva was riding in a van with 20 other refugees, many of whom had spent four days huddled in dirty basements. She said she considered the United States responsible for the Georgian aggression.

Pyotr Bezhov, who fled the violence with his daughter Oksana on Sunday, stood by a dusty dirt road.

“The biggest problem here is you, your country,” he said. “You said that the Soviets were an evil empire, but it’s you that are the empire.

“Not you personally, of course,” he added. “But your government.”

On the other side of the line of battle, Georgians had begun to question the strength of their alliance with the United States.

Since Putz is reportedly a reasonable, non-partisan libertarian, I assume he will address this issue posthaste.

Sorry. I Don't Understand the Question.

This is to laugh:

TIGERHAWK ON GEORGIA: "Where are the anti-war groups?"

Hey, they're not against all wars. Just ours!

Someone needs to factcheck TigerHawk's ass:

...Let it be noted that TigerHawk is a good sport.

Jew-hater!

Putz:

When I consider that my life sometimes depended on two-ply, polyester, Israeli-made bias recaps, well, I kinda shudder now . . . .

There are conservatives and there are crazy, stupid wingnuts.

American Conservative beats the crap out of Pajamas.

Fire Megan McArdle.

Shorter MM: "Liberals are so stupid. This post at the National Review proves why."

Eternal life as a robot.

Roy:

I've had fun with the Perfesser's visions of eternal life, not to be a killjoy, but because it seems integral to his horrible politics. He belongs to a school of conservative-libertarians who take a cheery view of human progress, and while that is usually preferable to the end-is-nigh attitude of crunchier conservatives, it too often serves as a glib evasion of even our most obvious problems.

If Peak Oil ravings are unhelpful, for example, so too may be comforting assurances that we can just drill our way out of our recently acute but observably chronic energy problems. That sort of optimism flips off despair, which is reasonable, but it also flips off any suggestion of how progress might be better achieved by means other than those endorsed by the Republican Party, as shown by the Perfesser's suspicious lapses in confidence when the scientists he expects to grant him immortality take global warming seriously.

Heh.

Paranoid Android.

It bespeaks a foul mind, one that equates infidelity with genocide:

SO NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THE PRESS COVERED FOR EDWARDS -- just as, pre-invasion, they covered for Saddam -- that raises a question: What else are they not telling us for fear it will hurt the Democrats' prospects?

I wonder, at such moments, what exactly this hobby is doing to my soul.

...UPDATE: I've been away from the computer all day, getting my ass handed to me in a ping-pong tournament. I feel much better, thank you.

...GK, concise as ever:

Professor Reynolds, I'll see your Eason Jordan, and I'll raise you a Judith "I was proved fucking right" Miller.

Edwards.

I agree with this:

I’m not going to get on a high horse about his judgment, because he didn’t get on a high horse with me about mine.

I Miss The Kippies.

Pretty sure this, from Tits on a Blintz, is the funniest thing I've seen all year:









In the face such elevated levels of stupidity, I admit I'm powerless.

Match.com Was Clearly a Failure.

K-Lo seems willing to try other means:

There’s a great lady looking for a roommate to share her “Large Ocean View” cabin on the National Review 2008 Post-Election Caribbean Cruise. If you’re interested, contact chart@the-cruise-authority.com. For complete information on this bon voyage, visit www.nrcruise.com.

It would be sad if, you know, it weren't so damn funny.

Weird.

Say you're a U.S. soldier carrying a suitcase filled with $960,000 in shrink-wrapped bricks of newly printed $100 bills through the streets of Iraq.

Should your picture be in the paper?















Given that the photo was taken by the reporter, I assume The Journal had Sgt. Keller's consent to run it. Still, doesn't this make him something of a target?

Oh Stewardess, I Speak Wingnut.

Any idea what this means?

As the Olympics opens, most of us will be taking pride in athletes who grew up in a free society powered by a free economy fueled by abundant energy. They will of course not all win medals, but each of them represents a decades of free choices and individual decisions reached independently of government command and pursued without government interference. The pride deficit the Democratic nominee feels about our country may get a much needed repair, and then he can begin to retool his absurd energy plans.

The last sentence is a real head-scratcher.

Bank on it.

Putz:

AIRLINES CUT 60 million seats for Christmas.

And K-Lo blames this on godless liberals in 3, 2, 1...

Alright, I'll admit it.

I miss Tweety.

Asses Factchecked.

Specifically:

Putz
RedState
Say Anything
Gateway Pundit
The Jawa Report
Right Wing News

The claims in these posts -- that more soldiers died during Bill Clinton's term than have died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are self-evidently retarded, but Factcheck.com has kindly put the nail in the coffin.

Shrill.

Sis B:

I got to sleep at about 2330, or 11:30 PM for most of ya'll. The nurse came in and... wait for it..... turned the motherfucking light on at 12:00. I was in so much shock that there could be two (TWO!) nurses in this establishment who could be so inconfuckingsiderate that I couldn't even squeek out a word of protest. I was seriously in shock. I stirred (read: cried out in dismayed alarm) when she turned on the light, so she asked if I would like her to feed the baby.

Yes... we have already discussed this earlier.

So...

Get this...

she sat down with him with the light on and fed him. For 30 minutes. With the light on.

I am not fucking kidding.

Not to mention the fact that this room is never really dark anyway.

At first I was shocked, and next I was so fucking pissed that I couldn't say a word or all hell would break loose.

Plus, it is very difficult to be openly cross with people who are caregiving for your child.

What the motherfucking bloody hell.

InstaPutz just got that much more profane. Oops.

Bush lectures China.

With Republicans, especially Chimpy, it’s always ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

Case in point, here's a sample of the finger-wagging lecture the Decider is going to deliver at the Olympics (note: my links added for illustrative purposes).

“We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly, and labor rights not to antagonize China’s leaders but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential.”

Is he serious with this crap? Whoever wrote this speech has a brilliant future with "The Onion."

“The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings…So America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists.”

I may throw up.

(Cross-posted at FDL)

Dear Hillary Supporters,

If Senator Clinton isn't VP, it's her own fucking fault.

So please keep the bitching to a minimum.

Love,
TS

Amen.

Savage elucidates perfectly why the buffalo chip stuff is waste of energy:

Democrats and progressives straining to make an issue of this by playing “if Obama said it!” are making a mistake. We’re not the party of idiotic, knee-jerk prudery and we look ridiculous when we pretend that we are.

Why They Hate Us, Vol MCXIC.

K-Lo:

Can the Triumphalism, Putz.

Putz:

IF ONLY WE HAD A HEALTH PLAN LIKE BRITAIN'S: Hospitals 'infested with vermin'. "Vermin were found in wards, clinics and even operating theatres. A patients' group said the situation was revolting."

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind...

"Building 18! There is a rodent infestation issue!" bellowed the commander to his troops one morning at formation. "It doesn't help when you live like a rodent! I can't believe people live like that! I was appalled by some of your rooms!"

Life in Building 18 is the bleakest homecoming for men and women whose government promised them good care in return for their sacrifices.

One case manager was so disgusted, she bought roach bombs for the rooms. Mouse traps are handed out. It doesn't help that soldiers there subsist on carry-out food because the hospital cafeteria is such a hike on cold nights. They make do with microwaves and hot plates.

Army officials say they "started an aggressive campaign to deal with the mice infestation" last October and that the problem is now at a "manageable level." They also say they will "review all outstanding work orders" in the next 30 days.

Austin Bay is such a massive assclown.

Back to that Austin Bay piece, I cannot let this slide. Bay starts his column with this bullshit.

Victory in war is tough to define.

No, it's actually, Austin -- it's not.

Victory in WWII? Not hard to define.
Victors of WWI? Allies.
Victory in the Russo-Japanese War? Wasn't the Russians.
Civil War? A clear victory for the Union.

How about the Napoleonic Wars? I'd say when Napoleon was sent to St. Helena, that sucker was pretty much over.

War of 1812? United States.
How about the Revolutionary War? Ditto.
Mexican-American War? Ditto.

Gulf War I? Saddam lost. Not hard to define.

We can do this all day. Who won the American-Indian wars? Who won the French and Indian War?

All pretty easy. No ambiguity at all.

Memo to Bay: victory in Iraq is tough to define, because you can't win totally pointless wars. You only win them by not fighting them.

In addition, Iraq isn't a stand-in for the stuff we typically call "war" because it's an occupation/ insurgency combined with a sectarian civil war, sprinkled with healthy doses of fundamentalist terrorism and foreign meddling. No "victory" here -- for anyone. Especially the United States.

Moron.

Hanson.

Busted by Media Matters.

A good cause.

(bumped for my fdl homeboy Thers)

Communications Workers of America has a petition.

Give them some love, and use local number 51026.

St. Petraeus Punts. (Update)

Via BT's link, Austin Bay (to his credit) asks Gen. Petraeus a good question:

I asked, bluntly: "Do you have an idea of what victory would be in Iraq or the Global War on Terror?"

We'll have to see the transcript for the context, but clearly the answer is a resounding "no fucking clue, dude."

Petraeus said the campaign plan had "near-term objectives for summer 2008" and the security objectives have been met. If the Iraqi government passes "the provincial elections law, then it can be declared that they have met them (plan objectives) in the political line of operation ... ." Diplomatic and economic objectives are also being achieved.

Awesome. That makes it all worth it!

...The General's full answer is no better:

GENERAL PETRAEUS: Well, what we have is a comprehensive campaign plan. It is a plan that is joint. It’s between the embassy and embassies, because not just the U.S. Embassy, Ambassador Crocker and his great team, but also the U.K., Australia and other embassies of the Coalition and the Multi-National Force - Iraq have combined in a joint campaign plan. Very, very comprehensive. It has lines of operation that include not just security but also political, economic, diplomatic. Then there are other supporting lines, rule of law, governmental capacity, informational line, and so forth.

And for each of those lines of operation, we have objectives. And we had near-term objectives which were for the summer of 2008 time frame. And, frankly, we met those in the security line of operation. Very nearly met them. If they can pass a provincial elections law, I think that it could be declared that they have met them in the political line of operation.

There’s been very good progress in the diplomatic line, and actually in the economic line as well, all certainly founded on the progress in the security line.

We have similar objectives, or another set of objectives for the summer of 2009. And then there is an end-state as well. And the shorthand for the end-state is a country that is at peace with itself and its neighbors, a government that is represented of and responsive to people, a productive member, if you will, of the region and the global economy, and so forth.

But, again, we have considerable drill-downs, if you will, that describe the objectives relative to, in the security line of operations, relative to the enemies, the bad guys, if you will, relative to Iraqi forces, the different types that are here, and so forth.

David Petraeus hearts right wing hacks.

Way to politicize the military, General.

Fascinating comment thread going on at Instapundit's.

This is what it would be like if Putz allowed comments.

And note this bitchy comment about Bob Barr.

From Glenn Reynolds in reply to Jose Frum on August 6, 2008 at 8:43 am. IP Logged, 160.36.68.x Report Abuse

Don't belong to the party anymore -- broke with them over the war.

But Paris Hilton is funny. Bob Barr, not so much.

Bob Barr says mean things about George W. Bush and the Republican Party, so Bob Barr is lower than Paris Hilton. Bob Barr must be shunned.

It's so cute that people still think Putz is a libertarian, isn't it?

Feel free to civilly participate (cough!) in the lively (cough!) discussion.

UPDATE

You can almost hear Billy Bob Thorton in "Sling Blade" saying this line, can't you?

Doesnt matter the polls, Obama will not be President in this lifetime - Nor the next one

Hmmm.

Alterman:

Speaking of such things as they relate to Washington Post columnists, we at Altercation are not fans of Robert Novak. The fact that he is retiring immediately because of a brain tumor does not change that. Still, I am interested in the question of how bad a person needs to be before it is OK to be nasty about them when they die or are likely to die soon.

We'll see, I guess. Novak's a good test case.

A Prediction.

The '08 Olympics will be such a disaster that people will actually be nostalgic for Mittens.

Stuff like, oh, this, this, this, this and especially this -- which pretty much guarantees that American athletes will be fucked with in retaliation -- does not inspire confidence.

Interesting.

Putz runs a poll of his readers' presidential predilections and the results are, uh, predictable:










Please note the inclusion of Ms. Hilton, who is not running for president, and the exclusion of the libertarian candidate, Mr. Bob Barr, who is.

BT keeps telling me that Putz is a reasonable libertarian, but I dunno. I'm starting to think he's not.

...BT adds,
Hey, it's kinda fun over there. You can leave comments on the poll. Heh.

More Please.

Via comments at TNR, I bring you this little bit o' genius.

Sorry, Kos...

This is retarded. I a) agree with Ben's response and b) worry that Markos is entering Malkin ragegasm territory.

This ain't a fight worth picking.

"That woman is a woman!"

I know, I know. It's hard to believe a racist would be... racist! The news that Toby Keith's braincells have continued to publicly atrophy reminds us of our old pal, Michael Ledeen:

Barbara and I went to Indianapolis for a Toby Keith concert, where we partied with something like 25,000 happy rednecks, most of them young, most of them wearing boots and cowboy hats (and cheering Keith's great song "I Should Have Been a Cowboy"). It's a great show, and he's a wonderful performer, not least because of his deeply moving patriotic songs like "American Soldier," "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," and " The Taliban," etc.

It's great to get out of the Washington culture of narcissism and spend some time with the rednecks, a.k.a. real Americans. And it's simply great, as the encores end, and a downpour of red, white and blue confetti covers the crowd, to see Toby say "don't ever apologize for your patriotism," and then lift the middle finger of his right hand to the skies and say, "F*** 'Em!"

Which, after a week of disgusting anti-Americanism in Washington, nicely summed up our feelings.

You ought to try it. Does wonders for the spirit.

I bet it does.

It's Hard To Get Angry At Little Lulu.

She tries so darn hard to be a real media macher and, well, let's just say the results are underwhelming:

Intrepid Jason Mattera is back with another Hot Air/Young America’s Foundation joint production from Capitol Hill.

He asked Democrat Rep. William “Cold Cash” Jefferson, the accused freezer cash-stashing subject of a 16-count criminal indictment whose public corruption trial is scheduled for Dec. 2, for some handy storage advice and an autograph last week.

Rep. Jefferson refused to provide either.

Jason’s first question: “”I was wondering if you could give me some advice? In your opinion what is the best way to stuff $90,000 in a freezer: a Hefty or a Ziploc bag?”

Heh heh. So funny! And, may I say, eerily reminiscent of the Great Durbin Caper of ought six. Ah, good times.

He's Joking, But Not Really.

Paul Campos turned out to be a wise draft pick, LGM. We think you should keep him:

After various rumors that he might sign with some sufficiently desperate team failed to pan out, it seems increasingly likely that Barry Bonds has played his last major league game. If so, then Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa will all be appearing on your Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2013. Raphael Palmiero will show up the year before (correction -- in 2011).

Are any of these guys going to get in?

[snip]

My guess is that the only guy who makes it out of this group is Clemens. This will lead to a big argument about how much Bonds' race was a factor, which will be just one more domestic crisis that President Obama will have to deal with.