Hat tip to Anchoress
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
South Ossetia
NYTimes reported Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent nations has filled people here with hope that other countries will follow. To outsiders, that hope may seem far-fetched; Western leaders have made it clear that they consider the regions part of Georgia.
How about North Ossetia, which is a part of Russia. If Russia feels so strong that South Ossetia should be independent, why does it not give North Ossetia it's independence, and then the two can combine and be an independent country. And then let the Ossetians decide whether they would rather be friends with Russia or with the West.
Palin
NYTimes reported In a surprise move, Senator John McCain announced here Friday that he had chosen Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
And Hillary supporters now have a very good way to show Obama how ticked they are that he did not pick her.Pam Fessler blogged Sarah Palin is no stranger to the "maverick" label often assigned to Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate who has selected her to join him on the GOP ticket. Alaska's youngest and first female governor
And the country's future first woman VP, and if McCain only serves one term, a potential woman President without the Clinton baggage (i.e. Bill).has pushed for ethics investigations of fellow Republicans in her state and bucked the powerful oil industry on a major natural gas pipeline project.
When she ran for governor in 2006, she ran as an outsider and an agent for change.
Obama says the country wants change, here is an agent of change, working with a President that has experience working with the other party.But she's also an anti-abortion, pro-gun fiscal conservative — something sure to please the Republican base.
Politico blogged Conservatives thrilled at "game changer" VP pick
Volokh blogged You would not believe how the Sarah Palin pick is playing out at the Hillary Clinton Forum
Politico blogged McCain aide Jill Hazelbaker:
It is pretty audacious for the Obama campaign to say that Governor Palin is not qualified to be Vice President. She has a record of accomplishment that Senator Obama simply cannot match. Governor Palin has spent her time in office shaking up government in Alaska and actually achieving results — whether it’s taking on corruption, passing ethics reform or stopping wasteful spending and the ‘bridge to nowhere.’ Senator Obama has spent his time in office running for president.
David Freddoso blogged She is everything Obama is not. A real reformer who took on her own party's corrupt establishment and won, defeating an incumbent governor, 80-20. Don't forget that she's also a mother who chose life for her Down Syndrome baby — we can probably guess where she'd fall on the Born-Alive act. If this is the future of the GOP, they're in good shape.
Ed Morrissey blogged Politically, this puts Obama in a very tough position. The Democrats had prepared to launch a full assault on McCain’s running mate, but having Palin as a target creates one large headache. If they go after her like they went after Hillary Clinton, Obama risks alienating women all over again. If they don’t go after her like they went after Hillary, he risks alienating Hillary supporters, who will see this as a sign of disrespect for Hillary.
But the Hillary supporters now have an alternate place to go.For McCain, this gives him a boost like no other in several different ways. First, the media will eat this up. That effectively buries Obama’s acceptance speech and steals the oxygen he needs for a long-term convention bump. A Romney or Pawlenty pick would not have accomplished that.
Second, Palin will re-energize the base. She’s not just a pro-life advocate, she’s lived the issue herself.
With her Downs Syndrome baby that she refused to abort.That will attract the elements of the GOP that had held McCain at a distance since the primaries and provide positive motivation for Republicans, rather than just rely on anti-Democrat sentiment to get them to the polls.
Third, and I think maybe most importantly, Palin addresses the energy issue better and more attuned to the American electorate than maybe any of the other three principals in this election. Even beyond her efforts to reform the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, she has demonstrated her independence from so-called “Big Oil” while promoting domestic production. She brings instant credibility to the ticket on energy policy, and reminds independents and centrists that the Obama-Biden ticket offers nothing but the same excuses we’ve heard for 30 years.
And maybe she can convince McCain to push to drill in ANWR.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Hillary chicken out
Hillary chicken out and ends the role call vote. I know they negotiated that, but I had hoped she had enough backbone to make him at least sweat it out a little longer.
Changing religions
AFP reported Maher al-Gohari converted to Christianity 30 years ago, but the Muslim-born Egyptian only recently took the decision to make his conversion public.... It's ony the second time this year that such a request has been made in a country where converting to Christianity, while not illegal, is practically impossible. In January, a court rejected a request by a Christian convert from Islam, Mohammed Higazi, to have his new religion written on his identity card.... In Higazi's case, the judge based his decision on Sharia, Islamic law, to prove that one cannot convert to an "older religion".
Does that mean the government would allow one to change to the Bahá'í Faith? Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad."Monotheistic religions were sent by God
Actuall religions were invented by man in an attempt to reach God. All God sent to man was His Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.in chronological order... As a result, it is unusual to go from the latest religion to the one that preceded it," the judge said at the time.
Unusual, but should it be impossible?The Higher Administrative Court is due to hear on September 2 the case of Maher al-Gohari, whose chosen Christian name is Peter Ethnassios, and who has been in hiding after receiving death threats from his family.
Not from God, who has known of the conversion for 30 years, but from the man's family, that just learned of it.
Not enough
Washington Post reported when Clinton stepped off the stage and the standing ovation faded into silence, many of her supporters were left with a sobering realization: Even a tremendous speech couldn't erase their frustrations. Do you think Bill Clinton's speech on Wednesday will do it, after what he said Tuesday? Or is Obama going to need to do something, and is he capable of doing it? Or are McCain and Hillary both right?
Hugh Hewitt blogged It was Hillary's night, and despite the assured nomination of Obama, it is looking like Hillary's week. Four years go by in a blink, and if Obama loses,Hillary will surely be the nominee in 2012. And there's no way Obama will have been vetted for her short list.
Ed Morrissey blogged Hillary inspired her delegates … to wish she had won
Jennifer Rubin blogged t is not surprising that Hillary’s devoted supporters had a variety of reactions – and weren’t transformed into Obamaphiles by a single speech.
Patrick Healy wrote in the NYTimes Mrs. Clinton, who was once certain that she would win the Democratic nomination this year, also took steps on Tuesday — deliberate steps, aides said — to keep the door open to a future bid for the presidency. She rallied supporters in her speech, and, at an earlier event with 3,000 women, described her passion about her own campaign. And her aides limited input on the speech from Obama advisers, while seeking advice from her former strategist, Mark Penn, a loathed figure in the Obama camp.... Far from giving a valedictory at the Democratic convention, Mrs. Clinton’s advisers said she wanted the speech to reflect the leverage that she retains in the Democratic Party — that she, far more than Mr. Obama, has the influence to move her supporters to his side. (The Clinton camp did not even provide a final draft to the Obama campaign well in advance of delivery, working on it until the last minute.)
Insufficient evidence
Sky News reported Police in the US say there is "insufficient evidence" to charge three men who were allegedly planning to assassinate Barack Obama.
Do they get their two rifles back? Will they be attending the speech Thursday night? If they are caught on video trying something, will that count as "sufficient evidence". What does Hillary think?
Do they get their two rifles back? Will they be attending the speech Thursday night? If they are caught on video trying something, will that count as "sufficient evidence". What does Hillary think?
Led by Osama bin Laden
Dallas Morning News reported Charlie Wilson -- he of "Charlie Wilson's War" fame -- rallied a midday gathering of Texans Monday with a call to end the war in Iraq. The former Texas congressman said "We should be led by Osama bin Laden," then quickly corrected himself. "I mean Obama and Biden."
Ted Kennedy said the same thing (Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds)
Ted Kennedy said the same thing (Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds)
Hypothetically
TheHill reported Bill Clinton appeared to undermine Sen. Barack Obama again Tuesday.... He said: "Suppose for example you're a voter. And you've got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don't think that person can deliver on anything. Candidate Y disagrees with you on half the issues, but you believe that on the other half, the candidate will be able to deliver. For whom would you vote?"
Gee, I wonder who X is and who Y is.Then, perhaps mindful of how his off-the-cuff remarks might be taken, Clinton added after a pause: "This has nothing to do with what's going on now."
Of course not. This is all hypothetical. Right?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Unity
Rasmussen reported Nearly half of Democratic women (47%) say Barack Obama should have chosen Hillary Clinton for his running mate instead of Senator Joseph Biden as the former First Lady prepares to speak tonight at the Democratic National Convention. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree.
I guess the other 14% don't know what a running mate is.
Pelosi on abortion
TheHill reported In a rare public rebuke of a top politician, the archbishop of Washington said Monday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was incorrect when she recently said the moment of conception has long been a matter of controversy within the Catholic Church.... The release quoted Pelosi as saying the church has not been able to come with a definition of when life begins. “After Mr. Tom Brokaw, the interviewer, pointed out that the Catholic Church feels strongly that life begins at conception, she replied, 'I understand. And this is, like, maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy,' " the release said.... Wuerl pointed out that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear, and has been clear for 2,000 years. He cited Catechism language that reads, "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception … Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”.... Pelosi, a Roman Catholic whose district includes most of San Francisco, said she has not encountered such difficulties in her church.
Maybe Rome needs to change Bishops in San Francisco.“I think some of it is regional,” she said, “It depends on the bishop of a certain region,
So God's law varies depending on the wishes of the local bishop? Does the bishop have his own interpretation of the 10 commandments?and, fortunately for me, communion has not been withheld and I’m a regular communicant, so that would be a severe blow to me if that were the case.”
Why? Does she like to pretend she is a Catholic even though she does not agree with the Catholic faith?Catholic House Republicans respond to Pelosi’s abortion lies and the Obama campaign has asked Pelosi to shut her mouth.
In Search of Catharsis
NYTimes reported “I’m going to the convention because I want to see Hillary,” Ms. Buell said in an interview. “I want to be inspired by her, encouraged by her to do what’s going to be the best thing for all of our futures. She’s trying to help us all get through this.”
They are so sad. Their candidate lost. Do you want some cheese with that whine?“This,” of course, is the formal nomination of Senator Barack Obama as the party’s standard-bearer instead of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who remains the first choice of Ms. Buell and many other Democratic women nearly three months after the marathon nomination race ended.
And not only did Obama not pick her to be his VP nominee, it has just been announced that McCain will not pick her to be his VP nominee either..These stalwarts are looking to Mrs. Clinton, of New York, for “the catharsis” that she has said the convention could bring.
Catharsis means "purification" or "cleansing" derived from the ancient Greek infinitive kathairein "to purify, purge," and adjective katharos "pure or clean". It sounds like what they need is a really strong laxative.... “It’s unfortunate as we circle together if we shoot ourselves,”
Oh go ahead. A circular firing squad would be interesting to see on TV.said Ms. Sebelius, an early supporter of Mr. Obama. “We absolutely cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by.” Mr. Obama’s advisers say there are two kinds of Clinton supporters that he must win over. The first are those, like Ms. Buell, who are more affluent and educated, devoted to causes like abortion rights and universal health care. As liberal Democrats, they may be easiest to reach when the alternative is a Republican who opposes abortion rights, would probably name more justices to the Supreme Court who feel the same
What does that matter. If Roe v Wade was reversed today, it would not significantly cut back on the number of abortions, because it would just go to the states, and most abortions are in the blue states.and supports the war in Iraq.
Actually McCain just supports WINNING the war rather than losing it.The other, larger group includes older, less-educated, working-class women — and some men — who embraced the populist economic message that Mrs. Clinton hit hard in the final months of her campaign. They are a tougher audience, Mr. Obama’s advisers say.
How does the elitest Obama pretend to know what they are thinking.Jane Quinn, a 50-year-old teacher and Oregon delegate for Mrs. Clinton, said: “It’s not really Hillary’s job to bring the party together. It’s Obama’s job.”
And if he can't do that job, he certainly can't do the job a 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
New McCain Ad
The new McCain ad seeks to further outrage the PUMAs about Hillary being passed over. I wonder if he is going to have it broadcast in Denver during the Democratic Convention.
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