Apres moi, le something-or-other

So the bailout failed-out. Well.

And it's all because there was a girl in Congress's secret Boys-Only supersonic atomic clubhouse, and she said bad things about the Republicans and they were too busy clutching their pearls to vote "aye". Yep.

Now comes the fun (?) part. For the last week or so we've been hearing dire threats of major collapse unless this passed. Banks failing, credit unavailable, businesses closing, new Great Depression, heroin cut with Clorox, new films from Pauly Shore, the dead rising from their graves, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

It's going to be an interesting week, to say the least.

Shorter John McCain

"Why, no, I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Why do you ask?"

Cripes. THIS is the guy who thinks himself qualified to sit in the White House?

Suppose he's dealing with the Palestinian issue or political instability in Pakistan and something else breaks out simultaneously - say a crisis over Taiwan or more trouble in Georgia or war in South America. What's he going to do - demand that the new guys wait while he's working on the first problem?

By trying to look Presidential, dropping his campaign and dashing off to tilt at economic windmills, he's actually making himself look less and less qualified to be President.

One lil' question

Just as a Gedankenexperiment, let's take the Paulson plan as passed.

So the government spends $700-$1 trillion buying assets or whatever, in the name of this bailout.

What then? What gets done with what they are now owners of? Are they planning to re-sell crap that nobody was buying anyway?

Am I missing something?

1) Bail out Wall Street

2) ???

3) Profit!

:headdesk:

They found a guy named John McCain who's voting for Obama! Imagine that!

How charming! How ironic! Whee!

CNN, how I hate you.

Ladies and gentlemen, revise your scorecards please

Wow.

Media Matters points to the latest smear on Barack HOOOOOOSSEEEEEEIN Obama - he's not a African-American at all, but an Arab:

In a February 14 blog entry, "journalist, op-ed columnist, radio news-interview program host" Kenneth E. Lamb claimed -- without producing any evidence -- that "Sen. Obama is actually Arab-American" and that "Mr. Obama is not legally African-American." Lamb did not cite to any research or government documents, but invited readers seeking "proof" of his claims to "[r]esearch the Kenyan records for yourself," adding: "You will find that his father was officially classified as 'Arab African' by the Kenyan government."

The Pigman repeated this on his show Monday, using Mr. Lamb as a source.

And of course you realize what this means - Obama's someone from a Muslimy Muslim family who's actually an AY-RAB (they're genetically programmed for violence, you know!) posing as the nation's first black President so he can steal the black and "guilty liberal" votes, sneak in and impose sharia law on America! THEN we'll all be sorry!


(Yes, that's me - always on the cutting edge of hip culture.)

Somehow this set off my "wingnut-dar" so I went to the blog post referenced in the Media Matters story. And mirable dictu, what did I find?

Not only a blog link to Crazy Pammy/Atlas Shrugs, but this in the comments:

Kenneth E. Lamb said...

Dear Kerridine:

Thank you for your vote of confidence. It is a great compliment to be published on your site.

I'm not sure if that's this site (which seems to be dedicated to Obama-hatred - he's a "snob" and a Marxist, you know!) or this site (which advertises itself as "A sanctuary where LGFers can huddle whenever LittleGreenFootballs is offline" - whee!) and... um, you know what? This "Karridine" guy actually runs at least FOUR different Blogspot blogs, all with different names but apparently the EXACT SAME content as the first one I linked to up there. Creepy.

So, yeah, I'm going to be just a tad suspect about what comes out the piehole of anyone with associations like that. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas, and the Islamophobic/Obamaphobic fleas are pretty damn thick on Atlas Shrugs and LGF.

"Please pass the sweet-and-sour shrimp"

Caribou Barbie is, indeed, due to meet with heads - or at least one head in particular - of state next week:

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) — CNN confirms that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai next week in New York during the opening meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Oh, good. I'm sure they'll have lots to talk about, according to Sourcewatch, such as Karzai's gun-running for the anti-Soviet muahjideen:

Karzai was brought into the US fold long ago. In the 1980s, as the Afghan mujahideen were fighting Soviet occupiers, the smart-dressing, Quetta, Pakistan-based 'Gucci guerrilla', as American correspondents referred to Karzai's likes at the time, helped organize 'logistical support' (facilitating US weapons shipments).

And the subject of oil pipelines:

And one further thing both men [Khalilzad and Karzai] have in common is that in 1996/97 they advised American oil company Unocal on the US$2 billion project of a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

But I'm sure the biggest issue will be the fact that they BOTH live in areas bordering Russia.

"You mean you can see Russia from where you live, too? Why, Mr. President, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

Should I be worried about this?

Revelations from Barton Gellman's new book on Shotgun Dick:

Cheney and his staffers, especially legal counsel David Addington, were obsessed with the possibility of a "decapitating attack on Washington"—that is, what would happen if the president were to die.

Page 158: Addington didn't like the idea that the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate are included in the order of succession. An unnamed Cheney admirer told Gellman that the vice president and his staff had "plans" for an alternate succession, "and their plans were going to be by fiat."

Ah. Ahem. Well.

On top of this it's pointed out once again that Cheney was selected by Bush to choose his VP candidate back in 2000 - and Cheney chose himself.

Page 23: David J. Gribbin, an old friend of Cheney's who was on the initial vetting committee, told Gellman: "I don't know who vetted Cheney or what process they used. It was not something I was involved in or that anybody ever told me. At some point there was a decision that all these names were going to be set aside, and they were going to select Cheney. It was a shock to me."

Now we're facing the prospect of, basically, a health-challenged Cheney equivalent being elected President and his unvetted Bush-esqe VP being next in succession. Will Cheney be leaving his recommendations for his "alternate succession" with them? What else might he be leaving for them?

Are they actually hoping McCain drops dead in office so Caribou Barbie can take over?

Note to self: buy more tinfoil.

I see a man siting on an IKEA chair, and the chair is biting his leg

I really, really promise this is my last word on this "Some Cranky Guy" assclown.

Upon re-reading my vicious attack on him, I have no idea how he got it in his head he was a wingnut; I can't see anything commenting on his political views beyond my reference to "Mr. Patriotic Crankypants". Score two for jumping to conclusions.

But I said "what the hell" and read a little more of his blog, as he recommended. And it's much worse.

Apparently we've got another James Lileks, folks.

He's a political atheist, "a pox on both their houses" type, unlike The Man From Fuddles, but the signs are there.

Hatred of MOOOOSLIM terrorists (a redundancy! Hah!) and their filthy eastern ways: check.

Fretting about kids these days: check.

There are the usual teen mall rats; guys walking with their pants dragging on the ground behind them like bad wedding gowns, and pre-teen girls wearing Tammy Faye Baker makeup and ultra-mini-skirts. (Makes me wonder if parents even exist anymore…….)

Fretting about our declining culture: check.

In television shows I see people lying and cheating and stealing, and those are the situation comedies! I see no character anywhere who is ethical or honest. Movies? Forget it. Video games? The opposite actually, with games of violence and stealing cars and murdering people.

Riveting accounts of shopping trips: check, check and check.

Anyhoo, IKEA is a Swedish company that is apparently developing a near cult following. Somehow, I’ve managed to go a year, maybe more, without checking IKEA off my list of things I gotta do before I die. My bucket list.

I did it today though. My wife and I were at a really great store - CompUSA, now owned by Tiger Direct. They had all kinds of great computer stuff, from pure geek PC guts to full gaming machines and everything in between. From there we stopped at the Christian bookstore near Sawgrass, and well, we practically had to go right by IKEA to get home, so I figured, what the hell.

Lileks II: Electric Boogaloo.

All he needs now is a small child named after an annoying insect and he's set.

I get lectured

Mr. SCG takes me to the woodshed in comments:

You know, when I posted that Bush should be impeached, I got three comments. When I posted that both political parties are crooks, I got no comments. When I posted something about The Anointed One, His Most High Obama, my service provided threaten to take me down due to the increased traffic, and I received so many retarded screaming comments by ass weasel Lemming Liberals that I had no choice but to take the post down.

"retarded screaming comments" "ass weasel Lemming Liberals"

"people resort to name calling when they are filled with hate and anger and they don’t have any intelligent thing to say".

Ayup.

And I'm still searching in vain for any impartial proof of this flood of liberalism that forced that post off his site.

BTW, SCG, was that "Bush should be impeached" post this one, where you assert he should be impeached not for the illegal invasion of Iraq, or for violations of the Constitution, or malign neglect during 9/11 and Katrina, but for not keeping Mexicans from crossing our designer borders? And that we kill people in this country far too leisurely, and state executions should in fact be done more quickly? (Yeah, I can't see how that could go massively wrong.)

That's edging over into Ron Paul whacko-land, Chucko. What next? Thermite bombs in the WTC on 9/11? A call to return to the gold standard? Rants about the United Nations sending British Guhrkas to confiscate handguns? Black helicopters on the horizon and lizard people living in the tunnels under Crossroads Mall in Salt Lake City?

Perhaps you can explain why people such as yourself become totally immersed in a movement or a person to the point where you shut down your brain? It is the same with the Republicans. Don’t you get it?

Oh, obviously I've "shut down my brain". I mean, the fact that I prefer Obama over McCain as a more worthy Presidential candidate, and don't enjoy seeing him smeared as a black radical Muslim terrorist, obviously means I'm a mindless servant of the dark forces of the Democratic Party. All those times back in the '90s I criticized Bill Clinton for his idiocies in dismantling welfare, supporting the DMCA and the "Defend Marriage Againt Teh Ghey Act", pointless warmongering in Kosovo and Sudan, and edging towards privatizing Social Security in the stock market (thank GOD we skipped THAT idea) I must have been fookin' mistaken. Must have been somebody else I was thinking of. A brown acid flashback, maybe.

Don’t you understand that both political parties are 100% corrupt? Both McCain and Obama are owned lock stock and barrel by special interests? We can never get real change from the current corrupt two party political system!

Well, that's nice. What should we DO ABOUT IT? I see you suggest voting for third parties. Well, boo-yah, that's worked SO WELL. I'm sure it'll really put the fear of god into 'em if people desert them for a third party, given the massive imbalance in political influence between the Democrat/Republican axis and everyone else. More than likely they'd shrug their shoulders and advise us not to let the door hit us on the way out.

I would love to see third and fourth and fifth parties in this country. Ones that actually have some chance at getting elected. I'd like to see us transition to a Parliamentary system as well. I'd like to see a revival of political consciousness as we saw in the Thirties and the Sixties, with people actually debating policies (and real people, not think-tank wonks, either).

I would also love to have sex with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but I don't see that happening anytime soon, either.

And people such as yourself, and those on the right, who sell their souls to one of the approved political movements are just fools! You are doing their work, keeping the population occupied with fighting each other over fake politics!

Until self proclaimed liberals and self proclaimed conservatives drop that shit and start working together to demand real change, meaning statesmen and leaders being elected by the people, for the people, from the people, we will not get anything but the same shit.

Well, when the goddamn conservatives stop describing the side I lean towards with words like "treason", "sedition", subversion", and "traitor" I'll be more than happy to work with them. Until and unless, I'm going to keep hating them. And they'll deserve it.

I seriously encourage you to stop drinking the Kool-Aid and open your eyes. I am not your enemy. The system is!!!

Um, yeah. What-EVER, as the kids say. Once again, like last time, I'm not really thinking for myself unless I'm in total agreement with whoever's spitting venom in my direction. Is it just me, or is there something wrong with that idea?

Another reason for the GOP to hate science

...Turns out that, in the real world we deluded reality-based DFH's live in, the surge wasn't at all instrumental in the new "peaceful" Iraq:

Night light in neighborhoods populated primarily by embattled Sunni residents declined dramatically just before the February 2007 surge and never returned, suggesting that ethnic cleansing by rival Shiites may have been largely responsible for the decrease in violence for which the U.S. military has claimed credit, the team reports in a new study based on publicly available satellite imagery.

"Essentially, our interpretation is that violence has declined in Baghdad because of intercommunal violence that reached a climax as the surge was beginning," said lead author John Agnew, a UCLA professor of geography and authority on ethnic conflict. "By the launch of the surge, many of the targets of conflict had either been killed or fled the country, and they turned off the lights when they left."

So the question of whether Obama supported "the surge" or not is irrelevant.

"If the surge had truly 'worked,' we would expect to see a steady increase in night-light output over time, as electrical infrastructure continued to be repaired and restored, with little discrimination across neighborhoods," said co-author Thomas Gillespie, an associate professor of geography at UCLA. "Instead, we found that the night-light signature diminished in only in certain neighborhoods, and the pattern appears to be associated with ethno-sectarian violence and neighborhood ethnic cleansing."

[snip]

Lights dimmed in those neighborhoods that Gen. Jones pointed to as having experienced ethno-sectarian violence and neighborhood ethnic cleansing in his "Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq."

"The surge really seems to have been a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted," Agnew said.

Well, that would be pretty much S.O.P. for Bush, now, wouldn't it?

(h/t to Informed Comment for the link)

Cooties

So Obama HOOOOOSEEEEIIIIINNNN isn't a Muslim - well, he spent his childhood around them, so he caught Muslimness and is damaged merchandise:

Summary: On her syndicated Christian radio talk show, Jan Markell hosted "former Muslim" Nonie Darwish, who claimed that "whether he believes in Islam or not," Sen. Barack Obama is a "political Muslim" who, as a child, was "immersed in a culture that was anti-American." She also stated that "Obama was influenced by" Islam, which she called "a very political" and "not a true religion."

This goes right back to what I've dealt with before; folks who seem to believe that "Islam" is something you can be infected with, a hideous disease that disfigures the soul, leaves one with a hatred of America, blue skies, and lil' fuzzy kittens , and inevitably leads to a firey suicidal terrorist death.

They honestly believe that. This is the kind of attitude that fueled the worst excesses of the Red Purges, the fearful Fifties and the McCarthy era. These are the concepts that destroyed families, careers and lives - sometimes literally.

It was, after all, enough to have had contact with Communists, or Communist ideas - a mere exposure metastasizing into a whole-hearted belief in Communism, a devotion to violent overthrow of Western governments and democracy, and a soulless slavery to the dark masters of Moscow. (And, in fact, here's a geenoyus who would like to see a return of HUAAC and McCarthy - applied, of course, to Islam this time.)

It's bad enough idiots want to drag us into another Cold War. We don't need to repeat the witchhunts on top of everything.

Shorter Michael Savage

"Nits grow up to be lice".

Bonus Savage idiocy:

Michael Savage asked, "Why would a nation that is as evolved as America, and as liberal as America is socially, want to bring in throwbacks who are living in the 15th century?"

Lord knows, Mikey, when you guys are growing a bumper crop of 'em here already.

Fret, fret, fret

Hillary Clinton refuses to attend a rally 'cause Caribou Barbie's going to be there and FAUX naturally clouds up and rains all over the place:

Hillary Clinton has pulled out of an appearance at a New York rally next week to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because she doesn’t want to be seen alongside Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a “partisan” event, her aides say.

Several American Jewish groups plan a major rally outside the United Nations on Monday. Clinton had initially accepted an invitation to join, but her aides objected when they learned Palin will also be part of the rally. The Alaska governor is also expected to meet with several foreign ministers during the U.N.’s opening General Assembly session.

Oh, good Barbie can claim that's part of her foreign policy expertise as well. (Didn't "Saturday Night Live" do a sketch at one point on how to become a diplomat? Barbie's claims remind me of that sketch.)

And lordy, lordy, lordy, why, Hillary isn't lining up with the cool kids to shout invective at THE MOST EVIL MAN ON EARTH (until further notice). She must love him! Why doesn't she just marry Ahmadinejad if she loves him so much?

“Governor Palin believes that the danger of a nuclear Iran is greater than party or politics. She hopes that all parties can rally together in opposition to this grave threat,” said spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt.

McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb released a statement criticizing Clinton for withdrawing, “presumably at the behest of the Obama campaign,” and called on Obama to attend.

Ah, yes, she's just following orders from her Satanic master Obama HOOOOSEIN. Why doesn't he get his ass down there as well? MAYBE HE LOVES AHMADINEJAD TOO!

And she's going to cost Obama this election, too!

Clinton, a New York senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, has generally been supported by American Jews. But Micah Halperin, a Middle East expert and syndicated columnist, said it is “problematic” that she decided to back out.

Halperin, who is Jewish and called Clinton “a far better candidate” for Democrats than Obama, suggested that her actions could backfire on the Democratic ticket.

“Jews traditionally vote Democratic, and if a major Democratic leader does not join in the fight against Iran, where are those voters going to go?” he asked.

That's presumably this "Micah Halperin", who seems to have that special understanding of "terror, the Middle East and Muslim Fundamentalism" I've spoke about before, to the point where David "Revive the Crusades" Horowitz's Front Page Magazine reprints his writing. So of course, you know he's a Very Serious Person.

What's all this about "grave threat" and "fight against Iran", anyway? Did I miss something? Are there Iranian troops massing on the Polish border or something? Did Ahmadinejad annex the Sudentenland?

Meanwhile Juan Williams continues the trope of the Vagino-American Alliance:

FOX News contributor and National Public Radio correspondent Juan Williams said Clinton, whose presidential aspirations are far from over, wants to campaign for Obama but does not want to challenge Palin because it would hurt her standing with white, working-class women.

“I think the big bump that McCain has gotten since the convention has been with white, working-class women, the older women especially who were the core of Hillary Clinton support,” Williams said.

And speaking of idiots:

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the decision to send Palin to the U.N. was “an excellent idea” by the McCain campaign. He said Palin can now use the opportunity to enhance her foreign policy credentials and add to her debate preparation against Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden. That debate is scheduled for Oct. 2 in St. Louis.

“Now in the debate with Senator Biden, Governor Palin will be able to say, ‘Well I was discussing with foreign minister X just a few weeks ago,’ and then go from there,” Bolton said.

Yes, migod, she talked to people from foreign lands! Wow, she's JUST SO QUALIFIED. That's just SO superior to being a mere chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

BTW, here's the SNL sketch I was thinking of - the Ambassador Training Institute! Okay, Ms. Palin, repeat after me - "Delighted to see you again!" "I'll ask the Secretary of State." "Pass the sweet and sour shrimp."

Nobody's qualified to run anything, I guess

Carly "Vagino-American" Fiorina has a new spin on the whole "experience" question:

(CNN) — Hours after top McCain aide Carly Fiorina said Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin isn't qualified to run a major corporation, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO said she doesn't think John McCain is either.

Wait, isn't Caribou Barbie supposed to be the Renaissance Woman - able to leap tall buildings in a single bound while birthin' babies and knitting scarves for our boys on the Eastern Front? Or did I miss something? When was anyone in the McCain caravan given permission to suggest there was something Palin was incapable of?

"But, on the other hand, a major corporation is not the same as being the president or the vice president of the United States," she continued. "It is a fallacy to suggest that the country is like a company. So, of course, to run a business, you have to have a lifetime of experience in business, but that's not what Sarah Palin, John McCain, Joe Biden, or Barack Obama are doing."

So I guess we're officially cutting the mythology ofthe CEO President loose. I somehow envision Bush standing in front of the White House mailbox, tear in his eye, as he realizes he didn't get a Christmas card this year from his BFF McCain...

UPDATE:
unperson fiorina malquote doubleplusungood rectify soonest
(h/t to Blah3)

Addicted to freedom

That's what we are, according to former governor George Allen (Virginia - R):

ALLEN: I love that statement, America is addicted to oil. What an elitist point of view. Americans are not addicted to oil. Americans are addicted to freedom — the freedom and liberty to move where and when we want.

Ah. So if we have to kill some foreigners or devastate some wilderness, it's not because of greed or a sense of entitlement - it's in the name of F*R*E*E*D*O*M!!

This is actually a very long-standing thing on the part of the Right. I remember listening to Limbaugh at one point, I think it was back in 1990 or so (probably around the time of Desert Storm) making similar arguments.

The attitude is that our love of cars and "freedom" is superior to decadent Eurotrash concepts of mass transit and urban planning. It's almost black-helicopter paranoid: "The MAN wants to control where you GO, dude!"

Of course, there's the fact that higher fuel mileage standards don't impact this happy image of Freedom, as you'd still be able to move as you wish without kowtowing to some Bolshevik in the Transportation Department, and yet the conservatives oppose them. Funny how that works.

This is all kinds of encouraging

Madames et monsieurs, perhaps you would like a side order of Third World War with that collapsing economy?

Pakistani troops have fired shots into the air to stop US troops crossing into the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, local officials say.

Reports say nine US helicopters landed on the Afghan side of the border and US troops then tried to cross the border.

South Waziristan is one of the main areas from which Islamist militants launch attacks into Afghanistan.

The incident comes amid growing anger in Pakistan over increasingly aggressive US attacks along the border.

You know -

I realize I am A VERY BAD PERSON to admit it, but there really, really are times I really would like to forget 9/11.

One of those times being, of course, when a tearful indignant wingnut demands he/I/we NEVER EVER EVER forget.

Oh, this is just too funny

Oooh, someone's had his feelings hurt and is taking his toys and going home:

Yesterday my tiny little blog was listed on CNN. My blog entry was also quoted, linked to, and attacked on many other blogs around the country. My tiny little blog started receiving more hits in an hour than it normally would in a week.

[snip]

Perhaps now is the time to conclude SCG. Go out on a high note. I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame. I’ve had my CNN link. My blog has become ten times more successful than I ever imagined it would.

Oh, dear. Little did I know I would create such devastation. I AM BECOME DEATH DESTROYER OF BLOGS

Why?

Because I mentioned Obama. I did not insult Obama. I did not in fact, say anything negative about Obama. I did pose a simple question about him and how he might deal with a certain matter should he become President.

I also indicated that I would never forget the brutal attack by radical Muslims on America on 9/11 that killed about 3,000 Americans.

That was it. My blog became the most hated blog in America. (By liberals)

Just an innocent lil' question about Obama (and his MOOOOSLIM family) and how he might deal with the ISLAMOBOLSHIVSIKI-FASCONAZIS and their evil MOOOOSLIM hatred of America. That's all.

The most hated blog ever (by liberals!). More hated than Crazy Pammy, more hated than Little Green Footballs, more hated than Powerline, more than Free Republic.

Which is funny 'cause, using Google and Clusty, I can't find anything referring to that fateful post, beyond my lil' commetary here.

And it's kind of hard to search for text from the post to prove things one way or another, 'cause SCG had to fling it down the memory hole:

I had to remove the offending post as people were still coming by and the increased bandwidth was going to get my Internet hosting company’s attention soon.

Oh, my, again.

I am also turning off comments for a spell. Once you get the attention of ass weasel Lemming Liberals, it is damn hard to shake them.

See, he just a poor misunderstood lil' innocent:

Starting in 2003 I have been ranting against the concept of people dividing themselves into two camps, liberals and conservatives. Democrats and Republicans. The theme of my blog for five years has been that both political parties are filled with crooks, liars and professional politicians, and their goal is to keep us, the people, divided and fighting among each other.

And the names he was called!

[. . .]people resort to name calling when they are filled with hate and anger and they don’t have any intelligent thing to say.

Thank god he didn't resort to name calling.

ass weasels
every brain dead Lemming Liberal
All the Lemming Liberals of the world
brain dead Lemming Liberals
Lemming Liberals
mouth breathing Lemming Liberals
ass weasel Lemming Liberals
such retards. (Yes…I said Retards!)

Yup.

So he took down not only the original post but the comments as well, so there's nothing to prove his story of "ass weasel Liberal Lemming" attacks beyond his own word. And he has nothing against Obama and hates those who keep people "divided and fighting among each other", but terms some of his "favorite blogs" as ones that call Obama "The Insidious Mr. Obamaramalamadingdong", self-describe the author "the scourge of liberal nutcases in the Democratic Underground", and which post a jingoistic youtube video (complete with obligatory "God Bless the USA soundtrack!) while "trying not to be political or anything here".

O-kay.

Shorter SCG: "You won't have Some Cranky Guy to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last blog post and it will be one in which I have welcomed the opportunity to test wits with you."

Wow. Um.

7 comments so far on that last post - cripes, for my lil' crappy blog that's like one of Atrio's 900+ comment threads.

5 out of 7 positive - not a bad figure. The other two - well, let's do the usual Pere Ubu "answering the critics" post, shall we?

"Daniel" writes:

This is too funny to read.

Oh, thanks I try to be humorous... oh, wait, you're being facetious, aren't you?

So you feel we'll be at war with the Russians if Palin is in office? What's she's going to usurp McCain?

In order, "yes", and "possibly". There are, after all, people are actually praying for McCain's death so she can take over.

Does talking about how foreign policy might be handled frighten you?

Well, yes, when it's someone who's so clueless on foreign policy that she honestly seems to think being able to see Russia makes her qualified.

ANWAR will not give us energy independence, but the House and Senate are re-evaluating their stance on expanded drilling off the coasts, so maybe that's worth talking about?

It would be worth talking about if it was done in a mature manner, free of idiot fantasies about $2 a gallon gas and bigger oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. ANWAR would provide about six months worth of US oil usage (less if people started driving more on the assumption of cheaper gas), the federal Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration estimates production from ANWAR is roughly 10 years off, and has this to say on the impact it would make on world oil prices:

It is expected that the price impact of ANWR coastal plain production might reduce world oil prices by as much as 30 to 50 cents per barrel, relative to a projected 2025 world oil price of $27 per barrel (2002 dollars) in the AEO2004 reference case. Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries could countermand any potential price impact of ANWR coastal plain production by reducing its exports by an equal amount.

So, yeah, let's talk about it. But I don't trust Caribou Barbie to be honest about it.

Meanwhile the ever-popular "anonymous" lays into me for my baseless attacks on po' lil' defenseless Sarah:

These posts are all an intent to smear Palin’s comments. She never said to go to war with Russia, read the transcript. She was asked the hypothetical question that if Georgia joins NATO and then is invaded by Russia if she thought an obligation by the USA to intervene. Her answer was “perhaps” which is the right answer but she also mentioned other ways besides war. I could imagine this forum if she would have answered “no” - all the posts regarding Palin with no clue on the contractual relationship of NATO. Do you know what Obama will reply before so much critique of Palin? May be this is something the Obama’s fans should know before throwing so many stones (remember FISA).

Oh, yes, entirely "hypothetical" apart from the fact that she endorses Georgian membership in NATO. And I see from consulting Teh Gazoogle that yes, indeed, Obama has endorsed a Membership Action Plan for Georgia, though there's this from NATO's Handbook:

The MAP gives substance to NATO’s commitment to keep its door open. However, participation in the MAP does not guarantee future membership, nor does the Plan consist simply of a checklist for aspiring countries to fulfil. Decisions to invite aspirants to start accession talks will be taken within NATO by consensus and on a case-by-case basis.

So it's less of a promise and more of a "we'll review your application and let you know if anything comes up in the future". In addition, from what I've seen of Obama vs. Palin, I'd like to think he's more open to the idea of reconsidering the matter; she's more of the G. W. Bush school of ignorant stubbornness. (That, though, is assuming Obama isn't pressured into dumbass Clinton-esque hawkishness to "prove he's tough on national security", as if the key to national security is blowing the crap out of as many foreign civilians as possible.)

And she terms the Russian assault "unprovoked", which is arguable:

The defence ministry in Tbilisi announced that it had sent troops into South Ossetia "to restore constitutional order in the entire region".

Fierce fighting erupted around the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, and Georgian war planes were reported to be in action bombing the town and surrounding areas.

The Georgians said they had been forced to retaliate after coming under continuing and sustained attack from the South Ossetian side.

Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, speaking on the morning of 8 August, said there had also been reports of an incursion of "so-called volunteer fighters" from North Ossetia coming through the Roki tunnel, which links South Ossetia to Russia.

In a news conference six days later, the prime minister amplified this, referring to "a massive column of 150 units" crossing through the Roki tunnel during the night. It was this, he said, that had triggered the decision to send in the troops.

So far there have been no independent reports about this alleged incursion, although there were reports of Russian military exercises in the area around the Roki tunnel in the days leading up to the fighting. It is just one of many questions about this war which have yet to be answered.

Within hours Russia had launched its own "peace enforcement" operation in support, it said, of Russian peacekeepers and civilians in the region.

But of course it would be the height of absurdity to expect a candidate for the Vice Presidency to understand such subtleties.

One might get a feeling for her depth on foreign affairs from her response to Gibson's question about violating Pakistan's border:

In order to stop Islamic extremists, those terrorists who would seek to destroy America and our allies, we must do whatever it takes and we must not blink, Charlie, in making those tough decisions of where we go and even who we target.

So, yes, taken as a whole, I'm not exactly filled with warm fuzzy confidence about her perception of Russia and possible conflict.

How reassuring

Remember what I said a few posts back about idiots trying to get us into a shooting war with Russia?

Well, Her Highness Caribou Barbie spouts off to Charlie Gibson on matters Russian, and it's just every bit as bad as we anticipated:

Palin also said she supported membership in the NATO alliance for former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine -- a move that Russia strongly opposes -- but added, "We cannot repeat the Cold War."

Oh, christ, no, if we're lucky it'll be a hot war this time around:

When pointed out that NATO membership would require the U.S. to come to Georgia's aid in case of war, Palin said, "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help."

Considering there's speculation that part of what drove Saakashvili to act last month was an assumption of aid forthcoming from the West. I'm sure he'd be even more careful and deliberative before acting if he knew that NATO would be legally obligated to intervene to pull his ass out of the fire next time. Yup.

Palin said Putin's goal is "to control energy supplies" coming from or through Russia, and "That's a dangerous position for our world to be in, if we were to allow that to happen."

But but but I thought drilling in ANWAR was going to make us energy independent and we'd never need to bother with icky foreign countries in the first place.

Oh, she means controlling energy access for other countries. Wait, we're supposed to give a damn now about OTHER countries? Isn't that against everything the GOP stands for these days?

And it's a message that indeed resonates with idiots, as Sadly, No! points out:

Gavin adds: On the other hand, here’s what Pam Atlas got out of the story:

PALIN WARNS WAR WITH RUSSIA

ABC EXCLUSIVE: GOV. SARAH PALIN WARNS WAR MAY BE NECESSARY IF RUSSIA INVADES ANOTHER COUNTRY

G-d bless this woman. This is exactly what America has been lacking. The era of a foreign policy driven by an impotent and dhimmi State department is over.

WHY CNN HATE MERICA?

Boy, there's nothing like jumping to conclusions, unless it's super-leaping to conclusions like the Hulk after a few Red Bulls.

Some Cranky Guy (his words!) logs onto CNN.com first thing in the morning on TEH MOST IMPORTANTEST DAY IN THE UNIVERSE and finds not only do they not have proper respect for TEH DEAD, they're busy being all icky Muslimy:

At 6:45 Am, not one reference to 9/11 in their list of critically important news. Oh, they did mention Ramadan though. Bastards!

Yes, CNN.com wasted precious space in which they could have been mentioning that it's been SEVEN YEARS, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU FORGOT YOU COWARDLY TREASONOUS BASTARDS to mention inconsequential trivial matters such as "Major quakes strike Japan, Indonesia", "Sex, drugs, gifts uncovered in federal oil probe", and "Pakistan bans foreign troops after U.S. operation". (Of course there's also fluff like "Michael Jackson’s undies up for sale", but cripes, it's CNN so what do you expect?)

I somehow envision this guy waking up in the first light of dawn to log onto the various news sites to check on their coverage of the occasion. And what does he NOT see on CNN? Any mention of 9/11! At 6:45 in the A.M.! Hell! I bet FAUX had nothing BUT 9/11 all over their web page at 6:30, like some weird cross between Rudy Guliani and Being John Malkovich. "RAAAR CNN FORGET 9/11 GRRRR CNN 'MEMBER RAMADAN CNN HATE AMERICA HULK SMAAAASH!!!!!"

He then goes on to point out the eeevil Muslimy Muslimness of Barack HOOOOSAYN Obama's family, then, in comments, points out that, well, he's just sayin', y'know?:

I never said if Obama was or wasn’t Muslim. I just said his family is, and it is Muslims who attacked and murdered thousands of Americans.

So, just to be clear on this, Barack HOOOOOOOSAAAAAINN Obama may or may not be a traitorous Islamofascist Manchurian Candidate, but his family sure as heck is all Muslimy and WELL YOU CAN DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS, BUDDY. *nudge, nudge*

Of course, CNN.com went on to obsess properly over the anniversary later during the day, when people were actually awake and reading the news, though you'd never believe that from Mr. Patriotic Crankypants, who went on in his next blog post, Lileks-like, to wax lyrical on a cute lil' lizard.

I bet that lizard has no idea what day it is. Lucky lizard.

UPDATE: SCG responds:

It is amazing how you can take a short, simple, clear post of mine, and twist it into something it isn't. You must have a great imagination.

Well, I do, but that's as may be. All's I know is I read a post by someone who was so SHAKING WITH RAGE that CNN.com neglected proper 9/11 observation rules, to the point that you admitted yourself you couldn't type clearly. And then going on about how MOOOSLIMS killed Americans and OBAMA HOOOSAAAAAAIIIIN's family is MOOOSLIM and MOOOSLIMS KILLED AMERICANS and what the hell was I supposed to gather from all that?

Thanks for the link, as it pushed my daily hits higher.

Oh, yeah, my HIGH TRAFFIC blog's going to push your hits through the roof. YUP. (I actually got your link from CNN.com's Sphere, so they're the ones you should be thanking.)

However, I encourage you to read more than that one post. I'm not who you paint me to be.

Well, I wouldn't want to increase your blog hits, after all. Again - all I know is what I read in the post and your comment responses. Maybe all that was satire. Maybe. Awfully dry humor if it is.

I would not judge you by one of your blog posts. If I did, I would paint you as someone who is 100% liberal. And anyone who is 100% liberal, or 100% conservative, is an idiot.

Well, does being a Left-Libertarian who comes from a history of pro-technology Libertarianism count? I dunno, I'd like to think someone could indeed get a fair idea of my feelings on a subject by reading a blog post I did - say, on the subject of 9/11.

And I'm sorry - if you're doing the "MOOSLIMS BAD MOOSLIMS KILL FEAR THE MOOSLIM" thing that got us Iraq, the PATRIOT Act, unlimited executive power, spying on American citizens, and (indirectly) last week's pepper spray and concussion grenade quashing of First Amendment rights - well, as they said back in the Sixties, you're part of the problem.

The lizard was a cute lil' guy, though, I'll admit.

In which I steal respectfully borrow from better bloggers

Shorter Jefferey Goldberg:

We should be paralyzed in fear that Al-Qaeda doesn't have nuclear weapons, because they'd kill us all if they could get them.

Shorter America:

Who gives a rat's ass what the rest of the world thinks?

As Sadly, No! says, ‘Shorter’ concept created by Daniel Davies and perfected by Elton Beard.

And to kind of poach from Atrios - just think! Under a McCain/Palin regime, every day would be just as exciting and patriotic as 9/11! Whee!

"Good War" defined as one we're fighting

Lovely. The geenyouses who sold us the ever-popular and successful War In Iraq have evidently skipped over the thorny problem of Iran's lack of nuclear weapons and gone right to the source:

Moscow has already signaled that any move to supply the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili with the advanced weapons that he has long sought - including the powerful hand-held anti-tank rockets and Stinger surface-to-air missiles which contributed heavily to Russia's defeat in Afghanistan - will significantly increase tensions with Washington, which soared to a post-Cold War high in the wake of the Russian intervention.

[snip]

While McCain has not explicitly endorsed filling Saakashvili's wish list, some of his key neo-conservative advisers, such as Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, have pressed the administration to take such a course. Their appeal has been supported by two of McCain's closest senate colleagues.

"Specifically, the Georgian military should be given the anti-aircraft and anti-armor systems necessary to deter any renewed Russian aggression," wrote independent Democrat Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham, in the Wall Street Journal late last month. "We avoided giving the types of security aid that could have been used to blunt Russia's conventional onslaught. It is time for that to change," according to the two senators.

Why waste nukes on a country who can't fight back with them like Iran when you can push the Russians to the brink? Lots more exciting stuff-blowing-up action to be had there, and lord knows that's 'way more manly.

Some detail on how close we are indeed getting to a shooting war with Russia:

_ In Ukraine, the government of U.S.-backed President Viktor Yushchenko is splintering in a power struggle. If Yushchenko or his opponents use force, the country could split between pro-Western and pro-Russian factions, creating pressure for Washington and Moscow to take sides, if not become directly involved.

_ American warships are deploying in and near Georgian ports, carrying humanitarian aid. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has suggested that they're also bringing military aid to the defeated Georgian army. On Friday, the USS Mount Whitney, the command ship for the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet, docked in Poti, Georgia, not far from Russian outposts on shore.

_ Russian warships have been sent to the coast of nearby Abkhazia, a breakaway province of Georgia now occupied by Russian troops and recognized as an independent state by Moscow. In the relatively close proximity in which the Russian and American ships operate there and elsewhere in the Black Sea, one misunderstanding could create an international incident.

But by all means let's continue fretting about miniature black holes and lipstick.

CNN.com stays classy

Who'd win a McCain-Obama dance-off?

Maybe I should go ahead and go to bed before I start calling down hellfire on the U.S. media.

Well, what does he know?

John Dean dares to make a legal, Constitutional-based arguement that Sarah Palin is in no way qualified to be Vice President:

Consider this parallel: Does anyone believe that if John McCain were president and had selected Governor Sarah Palin under the Twenty-fifty Amendment to fill a vacancy in the vice presidency, Congress would have confirmed her? Not likely. In fact, it is even less likely that McCain would have even attempted to do so, for he would have embarrassed himself.

Yeah, well, what does he know about the subject, huh?

I served as minority counsel to the House Judiciary Committee when the Committee was working on the Twenty-fifty Amendment. Accordingly, I recall well the difficult debates and discussions on how vacancies in the vice presidency should be filled. The procedures under discussion ranged from a special national election for the vice president, to a convening of the Electoral College to make the decision, to the selection of a vice president by the Congress.

The process that was actually settled on, as I mentioned earlier, codified the procedure that had evolved over the years, through which the candidate selected his running mate. In line with that procedure, presidents were similarly given the power to fill vacancies in the office of the vice president. But there was a crucial difference: Under the Twenty-fifth Amendment, presidents can only fill that office with the approval of a majority vote of both the House and Senate. Confirmation thus entails not only ratification by the public, but also scrutiny by political pros who assure Americans that the new vice president is up to the task of taking charge.

Oh.

When Nixon selected Ford to be his Vice President, and Ford selected Rockefeller, the government was divided, with the Democrats controlling Congress. Yet a Democratic Congress approved both Ford and Rockefeller to be Vice President based on inter-branch comity. Surely no one would argue that Sarah Palin is in a league with Ford and Rockefeller when it comes to experience.

Nor does Palin possess anything close to the experience qualifications of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, or the President pro tempore of the Senate, Robert Byrd. Indeed, I feel confident that Palin could not get confirmed for any of the top presidential succession posts, namely the posts of Secretary of State, Treasury and Defense. Palin's lack of qualifications have been widely noted. Newspapers from her state have raised questions of her qualifications.

Seems pretty clear to me.

"Things that won't happen" for $200, Alex

Cnn.com:

McCain vows to have Democrats in Cabinet

Promising a "very bipartisan approach" to how he'll run his administration, Sen. John McCain said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would appoint Democrats to his Cabinet.

Oh, then again, maybe I shouldn't be so cynical about this. I mean, there's always Zell Miller, and it isn't too difficult to convince people even now that Lieberman's still a Dem.

Still, the lede is meant to have you thinking "Chuck Schumer" or "Barney Frank". Nawgawnhappen.

More from Grumpy:

On Sunday's program, McCain also responded to the low participation of African-Americans in last week's GOP convention.[ . . .]

Asked how his party can survive "if you become just the party of white people," McCain responded, "We can't. We can't ... We've got to reach out. We've got to do a better job. We have to have the Hispanic as well as African-American voters."

Or maybe, just maybe, your problem's a matter of demonizing immigrants, long-standing casual racism, disenfranchisement of black voters in Florida and Ohio, and juxtapositions like this:




y'think?

New Caribou Barbie

Cripes, I was joking about the "11 pre-recorded sayings", but evidently that's what we're going to get, pretty much:

According to Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether Sarah Palin can answer specific questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show -- the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on the campaign trail and in campaign ads.

My god, what are they going to do about the VP debates? Feed her the responses like Bush had done in 2004, maybe?

By the way

Not the best phrase they could have chosen:

Sen. John McCain: 'Fight with me'

Oh, we'll fight with you, Grumpy, just not the way you intend.

CNN.com, keepin' it classy

One might conclude that what with St. Paul police arresting journalists and the riveting speeches CNN might have been flailing for something to cover on the last day of the RNC.

Well, it's not as if they couldn't find something:

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Sex columnist Dan Savage and author of the popular syndicated sex advice column "Savage Love," made his way to St. Paul, Minnesota, to attend the Republican National Convention where he is filming a piece for HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."

Planted in the CNN Grill, Savage shares his thoughts on John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, tells us what a sex columnist is doing at a political convention, and gives us his take on who's sexier, Democrats or Republicans.

Whee. Sex columnists and gossip columnists. Thanks, CNN.

What the hell is up with McGrumpy?

He does remember that his party has been in power for most of the last eight years, right?

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- John McCain promises "change" in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday, according to excerpts of the speech released by the party.

"Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country second Washington crowd: Change is coming," the Republican presidential candidate says.

He must mean stuff like this and guys like this.

And is a guy who's willing to risk a new Cold War with nuclear-armed Russia over the defense of crappy little tinpot dictator-wanna-bees like Saakashvili really putting "country first"?

I see as well McGrumpy's doing the "Alaska borders Russia" thing, too. Cripes. I expect the next iteration of this kind of thing to be "Sarah Palin goverened a state with lots of wilderness. Wilderness where polar bears live. They eat people, you know!"

If it's good enough for Attaturk

New Facista Yukon Barbie! Pull the string in her back and she says 11 exciting pre-recorded phrases such as:

"Tee-hee! Fuerering is hard!"

"Alaska is historically NOT part of America!"

"Let's go to the library and ban some books!"

"I live next to Russia!"

"I'm a mommy and I have a job!"

"Did I mention Russia?"

I think you're going about it the wrong way, guys

CNN.com:

Huckabee: U.S. wants 'less government'

"The fact is, most Americans don't want more government; they want a lot less."

Well, yeah, if by "less" you mean fewer warmongering idiots, flat-earth ideologues, Glibertarian privatisers and corrupt douchebags, yeah, I can see that.

Cripes. I don't know how the folks who are watching the RNC from our side are doing it. Reading the "news" sites is bad enough; there isn't enough alcohol in the continental U.S. to enable me to actually WATCH this circlejerk.

Worth 1,000 words

Busy lil' buggers

While the attention of American media is riveted on Palin/Gustav/Hanna/McGrumpy, the Bush regime is trying to cement its noxious place in American history, according to the NY Times:

Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Bush’s advisers assert that many Americans may have forgotten that. So they want Congress to say so and “acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us and who are dedicated to the slaughter of Americans.”

They're not afraid we forgot what happened - they're just afraid we forgot the right way to think about what happened.

“This seems like a final push by the administration before they go out the door,” said Suzanne Spaulding, a former lawyer for the Central Intelligence Agency and an expert on national security law. The cumulative effect of the actions, Ms. Spaulding said, is to “put the onus on the next administration” — particularly a Barack Obama administration — to justify undoing what Mr. Bush has done.

[snip]

The language recalls a resolution, known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed by Congress on Sept. 14, 2001. It authorized the president to “use all necessary and appropriate force” against those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks to prevent future strikes. That authorization, still in effect, was initially viewed by many members of Congress who voted for it as the go-ahead for the administration to invade Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban, which had given sanctuary to Mr. bin Laden.

They're setting this up as a last bastion for the warmongers - either Obama wins and they assume he'll have to appear "weak" by negating the cool manly macho torture/fear/bombing regime they've created, or McCain wins with a pre-made justification for continuing Bush's militaristic foreign policy.

And we once again see what a great asset Mukaskey has been for Bush:

“As Sept. 11, 2001, recedes into the past, there are some people who have come to think of it as kind of a singular event and of there being nothing else out there,” Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey told House lawmakers in July. “In a way, we are the victims of our own success, our own success being that another attack has been prevented.”

That's the head of the Justice Department speaking - evidently "justice" means something totally alien to these guys.

I guess Justice is blind except for her steely-eyed gaze of rage at the head-cutting Islamomooninboshinazis. Well, we tried to warn folks about Mukaskey.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis gets a front-row seat at the right wing's reaction to the free press. I dunno, maybe the reason we haven't heard about hijinks like this this year is that the journalists can't get anywhere near the RNC without getting a face-full of pepper spray.

We all knew it was coming,,,

Fiorina: Dems launching sexist attacks against Palin

“Because of Hillary Clinton's historic run for the Presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms. They will not tolerate sexist treatment of Governor Palin.”

Well, isn't THAT special. I guess they're still shilling for the PUMAs with comments like that. Carly Fiorina, concern troll.

So you see, portraying Obama as an uppity you-know-what isn't racist at all, yet questioning anything about a lightweight like Palin is a personal attack. Yup, heads we win, tails you lose.

(And there's this gem on CNN.com's Ticker right underneath that story:

Bush: McCain 'ready to lead'

Oh, if that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.)