LSD Inventor Dead

Albert Hoffman, dead at 102. Who was he you ask? A mad chemist perhaps:

Hofmann's most famous discovery happened on April 16, 1943. He was researching the synthesis of a lysergic acid compound, LSD-25, when he inadvertently absorbed a bit through his fingertips. Intrigued by the effect it had on his perception, Hofmann decided further exploration was warranted. Three days later, on April 19, he ingested 250 micrograms of LSD, embarking on the first full-fledged acid trip. That day became known among LSD fans as "bicycle day" because Hofmann began experiencing the drug's intense effects on his bicycle trip home from the lab.

Wow. 102 years old. It's too bad that the drugs shortened his life so. Can you imagine what he would have been able to accomplish if he could have lived a full and healthy life?

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Hail To The Chief

The 'chief white woman' that is.

Duh.... oops.

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Messageboard Madness

This is taken from a comment area at TPM:

Memo to supers:

Do you actually actually want the gop to continue to run ads with Wright and Obama on down ticket races?
Do you actually want to run a candidate with terrible judgement and no credibility on his pastor.
Do you actually want to win this time?

And the classically pithy response:

Dear [commenter]:

Thanks for the note. While we understand your concerns, we are baffled by the implication that (1) Republicans won't run a thousand different ads with Senator Clinton's philandering husband (i.e., President Clinton), the numerous scandalous deals and conflicts of interest that exist between President Clinton's post presidency advocacy and his wife's potential position as POTUS, or any of the myriad of allegations directly implicating the Clintons'. If the standard is guily by association, we believe the association of husband and wife is far greater than that between pastor and congregant. That being said, we refuse to allow our decision to be dictated by the potential machinations of the Republican Party. They are baffoons and we expect them to act accordingly, regardless of who we ultimately nominate.

But thanks again for your letter.

Yes We Can!,

Signed Undeclared (as far as you know) Supers

I thought that it was so good that I had to share.

I must say though - this is getting ugly. I hope that John Edwards, Al Gore and most of the other SuperDelegates get up off of their butts and make a decision. This ugliness needs to end.

But you know Rush is loving it...

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'Old School' Rhetoric

A good commentary on the ruminations of Reverend Jeremiah Wright:



Reverend Rivers needs to get more airtime. This guy is awesome.

Wright is indeed 'trippin'.

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A Scary 'Reminder'

Is anyone else a little wigged out by this? The Meat:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf could serve as a "reminder" to Iran, but he said it's not an escalation of force.
...
Asked if the carrier move went hand in hand with the rising U.S. rhetoric against Iran, Gates said, "I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."

Rrrright. Sending a ship that is nearly the size of four football fields and is loaded to the hilt with high-tech weaponry is not a show force at all.

I wonder if Gates is humming John McCain's version of "Barbara Ann"... ugh.

Oh, and one more thing ::: is it gross irony that this is the SAME VESSEL on which President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" in 2003?

Yikes.

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Another Bushie Goes Bye-Bye

What do you do with an allegedly crooked employee? After all of the allegations of corruption pile-up, the best thing to do have them step-down:

But [head of the General Servies Administration, Lurita Doan], who gained mucky prominence for her clueless cronyism, wants everybody to know that she's not stepping down voluntarily. She was fired. And not only was she fired, but she was fired because she refused to cave to political pressure. Or something.

Her e-mail to her co-workers and employees is after the jump.

Dear Friends and Colleagues at GSA,

Early this evening I was asked to submit my resignation, and I have just done so. It has been a great privilege to serve with all of you and to serve our nation and a great President.

The past twenty-two months have been filled with accomplishments: together, we have regained our clean audit opinion, restored fiscal discipline, re-tooled our ability to respond to emergencies, rekindled entrepreneurial energies, reduced bureaucratic barriers to small companies to get a GSA Schedule, ignited a building boom at our nation’s ports of entries, boldly led the nation in an aggressive telework initiative, and improved employee morale so that we were selected as one of the best places to work in the Federal government.

These accomplishments are made even more enjoyable by the fact that there were lots of people who told us they could never be done.

Best of luck to all of you, it has been a true honor.

Like so many others in the Bush administration - another one bites the dust.

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The Pajama Father

... has a birthday today.
Happy birthday dad!
I'm unsure as to the frequency with which my father reads my blog (if at all) - but if you see this dad, I just wanted to give you a birthday shout-out.

It's also worth noting is that yesterday was my buddy Bill's birthday too. April is chock full 'o' birthdays of people I know.

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Should Obama Fear A Rebuttal?

As I peruse various viewpoints on the repudiation of Reverend Wright by Senator Obama, one question is beginning to trouble me. What will Jeremiah Wright do in response to Obama's statements?

I am apprehensive not because Obama said anything that is necessarily worthy of a rebuttal by Wright. I fear a response from the Reverend because in the last few days it has become painfully obvious to me that Wright is an egomaniac who loves the spotlight.

Andrew Sullivan makes a good point:

No one will ever be able to say that Obama threw his father-figure and pastor under the bus. We all know that the reverse happened. We also know that this clear repudiation of Wright's toxic, indeed "ridiculous" views on AIDS, 9/11 and permanent immiseration of people of color could not have happened unless Wright had made it necessary. Skeptics may wonder whether Wright actually deliberately did Obama a favor. I doubt it. But a favor it unintentionally is.

But If Jeremiah Wright comes back and says that Obama is saying all of this because he is a politician - or because he has been corrupted by 'The Man' (hey, it seems like anything is possible with this guy), then the story stays in the headlines and on blogs large and small. Barack Obama needs this story to go away.

Michael Crowley at TNR addresses the topic directly:

The first big question now is whether Wright comes back at Obama, painfully prolonging the story. If he doesn't, the press might be willing to let it peter out.

Huh huh... he said 'peter'.

Adolescent humor aside, I think this is a legitimate question - and a legitimate fear. What will Jeremiah Wright do next? I guess that I will have to wait and see - and cross my fingers that he will just fade into the woodwork...

... hey, a guy can dream. Can't he?

------
Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

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Obama The 'Junk' Kicker

The blogosphere is atwitter with prose devoted to Barack Obama's denunciation of Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I think my favorite is John Cole's post entitled "Obama Kicks Wright In The Junk". The Meat:

All the talking heads assured me he had to do this, and now he has. I am not sure why it was necessary, as it was pretty clear to me when listening to Wright the past few days that he was not speaking for Obama, but such is the guilt-by-association bullshit of the media.

Awesome post title.

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Wright Versus Correct

Obama is correct.



This will likely only fuel more media debate about the issue - but I believe that Barack Obama did what he had to do. He took the issue and faced it head-on.

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Stop And Smell The Pansy

Pansy = a homosexual man/boy. I've known that since grade school. I think that any boy who spend the slightest amount of time on a playground with a kickball knows that being a 'pansy' is not a good thing.

What, you don't believe me? Here's the entry at Webster's:

Main Entry: ¹ pan·sy
Pronunciation: \ˈpan-zē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural pansies
Etymology: Middle English pancy, pensee, from Middle French pensée, from pensée thought, from feminine of pensé, past participle of penser to think, from Latin pensare to ponder — more at pensive
Date: 15th century

1: a garden plant (Viola wittrockiana) derived chiefly from the hybridization of the European Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) with other wild violets; also : its flower
2 a usually disparaging : a weak or effeminate man or boy b usually disparaging : a male homosexual

So, when Mike Easley, the Governor of North Carolina said that Hillary Clinton "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy", my left eyebrow shot up. 'Did he just call Rocky Balboa a 'fag' - because it sure seemed that way', I thought to myself.

Oh sure, you can claim that it's an over-reaction, I'm sure many will. but have you ever been called a 'pansy'? Have you ever been degraded in that way? Moreover, how do you think that a person who is gay might feel when they hear a remark like that?

Yeah. Not good.

Now, I'm not suggesting that Governor Easley is a bigot or a homophobe. I'm not suggesting that Hillary Clinton condones this type of language. All I'm saying is that people in the public eye - be they a politician, entertainer or otherwise (I'm looking at you Paris Hilton) - owe it to the public in front of which they appear, to speak carefully. Not careLESSly.

Governor Easley was careless in his speech. Hillary Clinton should have recognized that and addressed it right there. She didn't and that's a shame.

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William Randolph Hearst

"A politician will do anything to keep his job, even become a patriot." - William Randolph Hearst

Happy birthday to Mr. Hearst who was born this day in 1863.

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Some Good News

At least there is some good news for Obama out there:

LOUISVILLE (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama's campaign director in Kentucky says Congressman Ben Chandler will endorse Obama for their party's presidential nomination.

...it's just too bad that this news is completely buried by Reverend Wright-under-the-bus-is-where-I'm-throwing-Obama.

Ick.

UPDATE ::: another Super-D in Iowa goes for Barack as well.

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Hillary's Angels

- M. Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Wright Versus Wrong Redux

Pete Abel at TMV has an interesting 'thank-you letter to Obama' up today.

More after the jump.

A great thought:

[I]f I’ve learned anything during your campaign, it’s this: There remains in this country far too much fear, far too much bias. And yes, far too many simple minds — minds that are either unable or unwilling to realize that, if we were all to be damned by our associations, then we would all be … well … damned.

*a-hem*

This does sound a bit familiar to me... where have I heard this type of reasoning before?

[P]eople should not vote for, or against Barack Obama on a bogus issue like Jeremiah Wright. If we are to hold Barack Obama to the scrutiny of every person he has ever known, talked to or dealt with, we are left with an impossible task of vetting the candidate.

Moreoever, we will have to hold EVERY OTHER political candidate to the same 'smell-test' and our politics will continue to drift further and further away from debate of the serious issues facing our country.

It's always nice to hear other more 'legitimate' bloggers echo the same sentiment about which I have been writing. It's good for the soul.. and the ego.

But mostly the ego.

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Do The Wright Dance

It would be funny - if it weren't so sad.

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Thoughts On The Press Dinner

A particularly entertaining view of the White House Correspondents Dinner:

At the hotel's main doors, the same entryway where John Hinckley Jr. delivered his crazed love letter to Jodie Foster in 1981, a group of adolescent girls gathered to scream at the famous as they entered. Some of the shrieks came for a trio of moppy-headed teenagers, who someone identified to me as the Jonas Brothers, a hot new teenie-bop sensation, like a grade-school version of the Monkees with better hair. They wore tight pants and looked terrified, staying close to their bodyguard, a serious-looking fellow roughly the size of a compact European car.

I cannot say that I wish I was a member of the main-stream press. However, I would bet that there were some fairly inebriated members of the media-elite in attendance. No doubt an entertaining sight for the proverbial 'fly-on-the-wall'.

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Creature Of The (K)Night

How excited am I for this summer's movies?!!

Ironman. The Dark Knight. Hellboy II. Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (loooong title).

It's going to be a good summer. Pop some popcorn baby.

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My View ::: A Blogger's Nightmare

I've been blogging for a couple of years now - nearly a year with my quasi-anonymous pseudonym 'the Pajama Pundit'. I truly enjoy being able to get my feelings out to the world - no matter how many, or how few people actually read what I have to say.

This article at Wired struck a chord with me.

It's a piece about a blogger in Communist-controlled Cuba.

I found it interesting because the government in Cuba has only recently permitted it's citizens to purchase electronics such as cell phones and computers. The main subject in the article is a young blogger named Yoani Sanchez.

Sanchez blogs from wherever she can gain access to a computer and an Internet connection:

Yoani Sanchez writes the "Generacion Y" blog and gets more than a million hits a month, mostly from abroad - though she has begun to strike a chord in Cuba. On her site and others, anonymous Cubans offer stinging criticisms of their government.

But it isn't simple. To post her blog, Sanchez dresses like a tourist and slips into Havana hotels with Web access for foreigners. It costs about $6 an hour and she can't afford to stay long given the price and the possibility someone might catch her connecting without permission.

The moral of the story kids; just when you think that you have got it rough, take a good look around.

The way that I see Yoani Sanchez' situation is a complete nightmare in my mind. To be oppressed and censored to the point that you have to sneak around to write a post on your blog is absolute insanity to me.

All you have to do is click the 'George W. Bush' or 'Dick Cheney' labels in my tags sidebar to see that much of what I write is criticism of the ways in which our government is run. I'm proud of the fact that I can voice my dissent without fear of reprisal - and I cannot imagine what it must feel like to post to a blog and then be constantly looking over my shoulder.

The audacity of blogging. Who knew that it was out there?

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The Media Loves Wright

My thoughts in sum:

Isn't it a relief, by the way, for the MSM to have a presidential campaign in which no issues are actually discussed? This Wright-stuff is amazing to me. It's all the MSM seems to care about. Even coverage of McCain is now about his attitude toward an unhinged black pastor from Chicago.

Hey: it beats discussing war, debt, the economy, torture, and terrorism. Because it enables America to return to the classic boomer racial-cultural wars that are all the MSM truly knows how to cover. There's nothing to be done right now but to duck and cover. And emerge when actual questions of actual salience emerge.

I've wanted to crawl into a hole for a while now. Ugh.

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Housekeeping

No, not that kind of housekeeping - although I did just scrub my bathtub...

In case you haven't noticed, I've added a new feature to the blog. Thanks to Ramani at Hackosphere, I've added an expandable posts feature to help conserve space on the front page of my blog. More after the jump.

↓ Go ahead, click it! ↓

See that! Pretty neat-o, huh?

Okay, so I'm totally a nerd now - in case there was any doubt in your mind.

But, since I have your attention, I'm working on two separate blog-projects right now (or would they be 'blog-jects'?) that I'll be unveiling in the next month.

Stay tuned!

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Hillary Plays Politics

Okay, so the North Carolina GOP is set to run it's now infamous ad against some North Carolina Democrats who have endorsed Barack Obama. The logic set forth in the ad is basically, "if you vote for these Democrats, you are voting for Barack Obama who is offensive because of his former pastor".

Never mind the ill-conceived logic behind the ad, I have already addressed that in a previous post. What I think is more interesting about this whole ordeal (if it can be called that) is Hillary Clinton's response.

When asked about the whole Reverend Wright issue, Clinton speaks out of both sides of her mouth. On one hand she said:

I regret the efforts by the Republicans to politicize this matter and I believe that if Senator McCain were serious he would do more than just send a letter he is the putative nominee I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party tell the Mississippi party that he would not tolerate those kinds of advertisements and I’m waiting to see if he does that.

And yet, only moments earlier she did exactly what she accused John McCain (and the Republicans in general) of doing:

I have said that that that was a personal decision of his I answered one question about it that made it clear I would not have stayed in that church under those circumstances.

Oh, and also of note:

When asked if Wright’s comments were a reflection upon Obama, Clinton quickly and matter of factly said, “You will have to ask him that.”

Give me a friggin' break. Why do people actually support this woman?

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Re-heated Chinese Food

How is it that re-heated Chinese food (American) tastes just as good, if not better, than when it is fresh?

Mmmm.

I love me some sweet and sour chicken.

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Karl Rove Is Right

I just read a Newsweek op-ed by Karl Rove (head nod Pete Abel @ TMV). A few observations:

1:: I'm shocked that I read something that Karl Rove wrote.
2:: I'm shocked that I agree with something that Karl Rove wrote.
3:: My world is now crumbling down around me.

Look, I've never said that Karl Rove isn't intelligent - he got 'Torture McWarrington elected president. Twice. The guy definitely has some brains (Bush's).

But it seems to me that the advice that Rove is giving Obama in this article is, for the most part, dead on. I thought that his first point was particularly good:

Your stump speech is sounding old and out of touch. You made a mistake by not giving the bored press (and voters) something new last Tuesday when you lost Pennsylvania. Come up with something fresh that's focused on the general election. Recapture the optimistic tone of your start and discard the weary, prickly and distracted tone you've taken on.

I think that if Obama had come out of the Pennsylvania loss with a speech similar to that of his New Hampshire loss, the media talking-points would be very different.

Wow. I agree with Karl Rove.

... on this topic anyway.

------
Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Wright Versus Wrong

Oh come on now!

Just when I thought that this issue was finally (for the most part) gone - this clown is back on TV squawking away at a microphone again. Here is how I see it:

The issue here is calling into question the validity of scrutinizing anyone who has ever been associated with a political candidate. So, in Senator Barack Obama's case there are two very good examples of what should, and should not be, political issues.

1:: Antonin Rezko - Yes, the whole Rezko ordeal is a valid issue for Obama. While I believe that the Senator has skillfully addressed - and put to bed any concerns - the issue of Tony Rezko's support of the campaign, the mere fact that Rezko is indicted on federal charges makes his a viable target of scrutiny. If an elected official has any kind of dealing with someone who is beleaguered by a cloud of suspicion, there is definitely a reason to investigate.

2:: Jeremiah Wright - Not an issue. Jeremiah Wright has made no contribution to the Obama campaign. I will concede that he has made blatantly offensive comments - of that I have no doubt. But to continue to use him as an example of why Senator Obama is unfit to serve as President of the United States is beyond me. The Furious One made a great point on an earlier post of mine:

If I was in church, and my pastor would spout Nazism and talk about White Power. I can assure you that I wouldn't stay, especially not for 20 years. Not even 1 year. Not even a couple of months.

Now you did make a good point that Obama made a good speech about this topic and race relations.

This is what makes Obama such a good candidate. Americans want a John K. Kennedy again. Someone who is a great public speaker and Obama is definitely the best public speaker running for President.
...
Now this is definitely not an issue with me the reason why I wouldn't vote for him. I have a long, long list of reasons I wouldn't vote for him.

I will did vote for Obama - and I can assure you that Fury is correct - people should not vote for, or against Barack Obama on a bogus issue like Jeremiah Wright. If we are to hold Barack Obama to the scrutiny of EVERY PERSON he has ever known, talked to or dealt with, we are left with an impossible task of vetting the candidate.

Moreover, we will have to hold EVERY OTHER political candidate to the same 'smell-test' and our politics will continue to drift further and further away from debate of the serious issues facing our country.

Simple summary :::

Rezko = legitimate issue for debate.

Wright = irrelevant to Obama's ability or inability to execute the job of the presidency.

And once again, I have washed my hands of this.

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Got My Hammond

That's right kids.

My 'new' 1963 Hammond L-101. It. Sounds. Great.

For those of you who are not a nerd like me, a Hammond organ is a work of art. It's an electric organ that was popularized in church/gospel music as well as rock and soul bands in the 1960s. Eventually the signature Hammond sound lost ground to more 'synthesized' instrumentation in the late 70s and early 80s (think Devo).

A church near my house was having a 'yard sale' where the congregation and community were invited to donate their 'junk' to be sold. All proceeds would benefit the church.

I got this Hammond for $25.

That's right - 25 bucks.

Needless to say, I had a pretty good weekend.

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

Except that it's Sunday. Enjoy!

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NCGOP = Stupid

The now notorious ad in question:


Now, there are several things wrong with this ad - I'm going to cover what I feel are the TWO most glaring.

1::: Am I the only person in America that feels that this manufactured controversy is OLD NEWS? Come on people. We've had the debate over Jeremiah Wright. Barack Obama has come out and said - without reservation - that he denounces this stuff. Obama delivered a great speech on race relations in our country - their triumph and shortcomings. What more can he do?

2::: So it has come to this. For the Republican Attack Machine (in North Carolina) to go after NC Democrats for endorsing Obama, whose former pastor has said offensive things is basically the political version of "Six Degrees of Separation". Doesn't anyone else think that this crap is complete nonsense? It really seems to me that the NCGOP is likely going to have their asses handed to them in November (like much of the rest of the nation) and they are grasping at straws to find something with which to hit Democrats.

Apparently, they see Jeremiah Wright as just that opportunity. Sad, really.

However, the big question is; are North Carolinians above this type of baseless and seemingly desperate attack?

I certainly hope not.

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Jeff Goldblum On The Sauce

I thought this was funny. Jeff Goldblum is great - even slowed down.

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Hillary Clinton On Foreign Policy

She's a friggin' gaffe machine. The Meat:

In addition to it not being nice to tell jokes about former heads of states, it is also not nice to refer to Helen Clark -- the current prime minister of New Zealand -- as the former prime minister.

Read the HuffPo piece as there are several examples of reasons to doubt Hillary's foreign policy 'experience'.

35 years, right?

'Ready on day one', right?

If I'm to believe that is the case, it would help to know that she knows who the world's various leaders are.

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Savage Acts :: Obama Is A Muslim

When will people let this go? Savage on Obama:

Look who we inherited in this country, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Hussein Obama, in one generation. A war hero to -- a war hero who commanded the Allied operations against Nazi Germany was running for the presidency then. Now we have an unknown stealth candidate who went to a madrassas in Indonesia and, in fact, was a Muslim despite what Straw Hair will tell you on Softball.

You would think that after the whole Jeremiah Wright controversy that people would - at the very least - believe that Barack Obama is a Christian. Then again, people like Michael Savage aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Oh, and that's a cute little jab at Chris Matthews in there. "Straw Hair... on Softball" eh? Is that the best that you've got you dried up douchebag who gives the goatee a bad name?

Yeah. That's how I roll.

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Hackers For Clinton

Why is it that you only hear about Clinton supporters pulling out the dirty tricks?

Maybe Obama's supporters are just nicer people.

That, or they don't get caught...

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Clinton's Spin

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Clintonian Defined

clintonian

Main Entry: clin•to•ni•an
Pronunciation: \klin-tō-nē-ehn\
Function: adjective
Etymology: New English, genus name, from William Jefferson Clinton
Date: 2008
: manipulative, scornfully deceptive, given to corrupt greed, tenacious until death (of one who is perceived as a roadblock to power), masking a desire to be harmful or destructive to someone for mere pleasure or sordid gain.
“Robert used political affiliations and clintonian tactics to defeat his opponent.”

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Springtime

I love this time of year. It's only 9:30 a.m. and already I've got the windows open.

I mowed the lawn yesterday. The smell of freshly-cut grass is wafting through our house.

Sweet.

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Depression

I knew that Hillary would win Pennsylvania. I knew that, despite her talking-point that Obama outspent her 2-to-1, she would still garner enough votes in the Keystone State to chalk-up a 'W'.

But, I held out hope that Pennsylvanians would come to their better senses. Fury-D posted a comment here yesterday that I think rings very true:

Why anyone would consider voting for Hillary is beyond me.

I'm pretty sure there's a memory erasing tool embedded inside our TVs and people have completely forgotten how to think for themselves.

Yeah.

I apologize to you all for not posting as regularly as usual. Yesterday I spent the majority of the day outdoors - because I loves me some springtime - and today I just need a break from all of the political chatter. I nearly threw my television out the window this morning when I heard Joe Scarborough sucking on Hillary Clinton's teat. Seriously. Suckling away. And he's a f**king Republican!

Anyway.

I'm not feeling very inspired right now. Maybe later in the day I'll be up for it - or perhaps later in the week - but right now I just need a little break.

You know. A break. Like what is happening to the Democratic party.

HA! *zing*

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Best Conversation Ever

I'm watching Hillary's victory speech tonight - and here's the best line from B-Diddy via our IM conversation:

She [Hillary Clinton] is suuuuuuuch the worst person in the world. And Scott Peterson is still alive.

Agreed.

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Clinton Wins Pennsylvania

Ugh.

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George W. Bush ::: Disapproved

Duh.

I could have told you that this was coming long ago...

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"McTruthyism"

McTruthyism.

A great read.

A sad tale of lies spread in the form a question or qualifier like Hillary's comment that Barack Obama is not a Muslim, "as far as I know."

The only real defense against such blatant untruths is a well-informed citizenry. But how do we as the citizenry stay informed? How do we discern between the 'McTruths' and the real truths?

Read. Learn. Decide.

I sit in front of this very monitor for several hours each day (some more than others now that the weather is nicer). I read conservative blogs and news sites. I read progressive blogs and news sites. I gather as much information as I can - I process it - and only then do I form my own opinions. Whenever I hear about an attack or alleged controversy (I'm looking at you Jeremiah Wright), I research it to decide whether or not it is a legitimate issue.

My hope is that ALL Americans do the same. Alas, I fear that they do not.

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Bill Clinton Mouths Off (Again)

Listen to the last few seconds of the clip - right after the former president says "goodbye".

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Obama On The Daily Show

Even though he wasn't actually in the studio - it was still a great interview.

Part I :::



Part II :::

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Feeling Patriotic

Since I just actively participated in one of the many reasons that make our country fantastic, I'm feeling a bit patriotic.

Pajama reader Ryan forwarded this clip to me. I've always been a big fan of Phish - and while this is not their usual performance style, I still thought it was good. Then again, what is a usual style for Phish?



If you are a fellow Pennsylvanian, get out and vote.

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Done And Done

The view from my car window this morning:


Simple enough. "Vote here."
And after I did my civic duty and walked out of the polling place:


Did you? (if you are from Pennsylvania that is)

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My Long Weekend

One word to describe my mini-vacation: Wow.

The Pajama Wife and I took the kids to my parents' house on Wednesday night. We slept there so that we could wake up and wish my brother a happy birthday on Thursday. He was under the impression that we were heading on a weekend baby shower excursion. Little did he know that we would be going to the birthday party that his fiance was having for him on Friday evening. But that comes later...

THURSDAY:::

We hit the road to Philly at about 10:00 a.m. It was an awesome drive. I had put together four mix ceedees for us our listening pleasure - and as the Pajama Wife will likely confirm, I make a damn-good-mix. The weather was picture perfect for our quasi-picnic lunch in Harrisburg. We arrived at our hotel in Frazer, Pennsylvania at about 2:30 p.m. We checked in and gave B-Diddy a call. He told us that we would definitely want to be on-line for the Colbert Report by 4:00.

We hustled to his apartment in Conshohocken and the three of us carpooled into the city. After parking 'Tinafan' in the garage adjacent to the Annenberg Center at UPenn, we picked up our tickets and began the long process of waiting-in-line. Two-and-a-half hours we stood in the lobby of the Annenberg Center. (I must also say that it was a very unruly crowd. On several occasions the crowd would burst into insults toward the organizers of the event - due to the excessive time that we were made to wait in the lobby. Sad really)

After our long wait, we were called into the auditorium by groups of 100. B-Diddy, the Pajama Wife and myself were numbers 561, 562 and 563 - so we were some of the last to be called. Despite being in the last row (also known as the 'nosebleed' section), we had a great view of the entire show. Here's the Pajama Wife's ticket:


Stephen Colbert was hilarious (as usual). The show was great for several reasons: 1) it was the last show in Philadelphia 2) it was really funny and 3) the guests.

As Chris Matthews had spoiled the surprise earlier in the week, everyone knew that Hillary Clinton was going to make an appearance (also of note: her appearance on the show is likely the reason that we waited so long in the lobby - what with all of the Secret Service and all). Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-Pa) was also a guest on the show. BUT, what nobody expected was the surprise appearance by Senator John Edwards and his segment, "the Ed-WØRDs". Pure genius. Finally, as Colbert was signing off, he mentioned that he had hoped to have Barack Obama on his show that week - and then Obama appeared on the monitor and put 'political distractions'... "On Notice". It was great.

You can check out the entire episode here.

Unfortunately, all cameras were completely prohibited - so the best I could do was a grainy-cell phone shot of the set. Check it:


Yeah I know... weak. While I thought about trying to sneak my DSLR into the show - it's too large to be inconspicuous, and the management said that if you got caught taking pictures of ANY KIND you would be promptly removed. I wasn't about to take chances with that.

So, after tCR, the three of us headed out for dinner as it was 9:00 p.m. by now and we hadn't eaten anything since lunch. We grabbed some food at a Houlihan's that was surprisingly busy for such a late hour. We bid B-Diddy farewell and headed back to Frazer for a good night's sleep - AFTER we watched the Colbert Report air at 11:30 p.m.

Friday:::

The Pajama Wife and I awoke to another B-E-A-utiful day in southeastern Pennsylvania. We got up and grabbed breakfast in the hotel, because it was free and we are SUPER-cheap. Oh, and I must also add that out of ALL of the hotels/motels in which I have stayed over the years, the Holiday Inn Express in Frazer has the best hotel shower that I've ever used. EVER. The water pressure was so awesome, my guess is that using soap is completely optional as the pressure simply knocks all of the dirt off of your body.

After a leisurely breakfast and showers, the Pajama Wife and I hit the mall in King Of Prussia. We shopped for my brother's birthday gift as well as Mother's Day presents for both of our moms. We grabbed lunch at Maggiano's Little Italy - and if you've never experiences Maggiano's, I would highly recommend it.

After lunch and a little more shopping, we headed to Exton, Pennsylvania and checked into the Fairfield Inn - our second hotel. (side note - the reason for two hotels is the same basic area is simple: we have been saving up reward points at various chain hotels and decided to use them on this trip. We didn't have to pay for either hotel OR breakfast on either Friday or Saturday. Like I said earlier, we are SUPER-cheap.) After checking in, we hit the pool for a while and enjoyed a swim. After some quick showers and a call to my brother's fiance, we headed out to the party. His reaction to us walking in the door:


SURPRISE! Oh, and yes, my head is actually that big.

What ensued was a looong night of partying with a bunch of my brother's friends - who are in fact very cool people. So much fun was had by the Pajama Wife and myself, that we were forced to call a cab and drop 45 bucks, JUST to get back to our hotel. Getting our car back the next day is an entirely different story...

SATURDAY:::

The Pajama Wife and I awoke to pleasant weather - yet again - except that this time we were both pretty hungover. Once you become a parent, nights of 'fun' like that are few and far between. After free breakfast, shower and LATE check-out (1:00 p.m. Sweet.), we had lunch with my bro and his wife-to-be and hit the road. We spent the night at my parents' house again, and got back to our house yesterday just after lunch time.

WHEW. What a weekend.

Can you believe that it's already time to vote for Barack Obama tomorrow? Time sure flies when you have weekends like that one.

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Another Break

Just when I was starting to get warmed up...

I'm hitting the road again gang. The Pajama Wife and I are leaving today to drop the kids off at my parents' house - then we are continuing on to the City of Brotherly Love.

If you are a fan of the Colbert Report, you know that Stephen Colbert and his unique brand of funny are visiting the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia this week. It just so happens that a friend of mine was able to score some tickets for the Thursday evening show and graciously offered them to me and the Pajama Wife. Of course, we graciously accepted his invitation.

We decided to make a long weekend out of the trip because on Friday, my brother's fiance is throwing a birthday party for him in - you guessed it - Philadelphia. So we are dropping in as a surprise (don't tell him).

Wednesday: Take Kids to Grandparents.
Thursday: Colbert Report, Dinner and Drinks with B-Diddy.
Friday: Shopping, Lunch @ Maggiano's, Relaxing Day, Birthday Party for the Pajama Brother.
Saturday: Sleep in. Pick-up Kids, Go Home.

All in all, that's not a bad weekend in my book.

However, because I lack the funds for a laptop, you will not experience any of this until my triumphant return on Monday - hopefully with pictures. If you'd like to donate the aforementioned funds for a laptop, e-mail me.

Anyway, I hope you have a great remainder of the week - and a marvelous weekend as well.

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Obama's Rap

If you read Human Events regularly (if so I'm sorry to hear), you may have caught this article about Barack Obama's "other Jeremiah Wrights".

These include Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, Nas, Will.I.Am and others.

What the author, Evan Gahr, is saying is that because Senator Obama has accepted the support of these artists, he is condoning all of the lyrics in their songs.

It’s high time the media ask some tough questions. Why has Obama collaborated with rappers? Is he familiar with their words? How could he not be? The senator’s spokesperson said that when he and Ludacris met the two men found common ground on AIDS prevention. How do you find common ground on sexual behavior with someone who calls women “b------?” [he means bitches, but he won't write it]

Have any rappers donated to his campaign? Will he return the money? Why has he not renounced support from rappers? Is this going to take 20 years like it did with Reverend Wright?

The irony is that this column actually reads like something from the Onion. Like satire. That said, it is worth reading to see that there are whack-jobs out there who buy this kind of drivel.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

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In Case You Forgot

It's April 15th.

Happy Tax Day.

Fortunately, the Pajama Family's taxes were filed two months ago.

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That 'Boy' Comment

As if Kentucky didn't already have a PR problem when it comes to race relations.

If you haven't heard Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis' "boy comment", check here.

Now that you have heard (and probably want to take a shower), check out this column by Roland Martin. The Meat:

[I]t’s the ultimate sign of disrespect, and is often more offensive than calling them [black men] the N-word. For years black men were summarily dismissed and treated with disregard. It was as if their stature was diminished when someone white called them a boy. I’ve heard black men describe the hurt and pain of growing up and having someone white call them a boy in front of their own child.

Now, normally when I see Roland Martin on CNN he annoys me. I'm not sure why - he just has a 'look at me, I'm on TV!' quality about him that is grating to me. That said, this piece really spoke to me. Martin makes it clear - in real terms - exactly why this is offensive.

Incidentally, I should also mention that Congressman Davis has since apologized to Senator Obama for his "poor choice of words".

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Madam Is Guilty

Breaking:

The so-called D.C. Madam has been found guilty. The Meat:

A federal jury convicted a woman Tuesday of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington's political elite.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, sighed as the verdict was read. She had repeatedly denied the escort service engaged in prostitution, saying that if any of the women engaged in sex acts for money, they did so without her knowledge.

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Recipe-Gate

Potential First Lady and Beer-Baroness Cindy McCain (or an intern employed by the McCain campaign) has been accused of stealing her "McCain Family Recipes" straight from sources like The Food Network.

Though this is indeed laughable, I'm not kidding.

Screen capture:


On the left - the McCain website. On the right - The Food Network website.

I wish this was a joke. It is entertaining though.

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Lanny Davis ::: Becoming Tolerable?

For the folks out there in PoliticoLand who are unfamiliar with Lanny Davis, he is an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter and was a lawyer for former president Bill Clinton. He frequently appears on political shows like Hardball and, in my opinion, makes a fool of himself and his candidate.

That said, it looks like he might be turning over the proverbial 'new leaf'. The Meat:

First, while I am still a strong supporter of Senator Clinton, I hope that others like myself, who consider themselves to be loyal, progressive Democrats but still have some concerns about the Rev. Wright issue, will read Jeh [Johnson]’s comments and gain a better understanding, as I did, of Senator Obama and his speech about Rev. Wright’s sermons.

Second, I hope that, by reading Jeh’s comments, thoughtful supporters of both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton will realize that continuing this type of respectful and civil dialogue helps, not hurts, the Democratic Party’s chances in November.

You have to read Mr. Johnson's commentary to truly understand what Lanny Davis is talking about. It's worth a read for anyone who is interested in the race for the White House - regardless of your political leanings.

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Swimmingly

A reminder:

Things are going just great in Iraq.

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Bush Speaks With Jon Stewart

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Hillary On The Attack

A great take on this ad.

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A Great Letter

A great letter. It makes some excellent points:

Dear Fellow Pennsylvanian,

We live in small towns and rural areas throughout Pennsylvania and we support Barack Obama for President.

A few days ago, Sen. Obama made some comments that his opponents are now using to make him appear as if he is something he is not. Instead of speaking to us honestly about how they intend to solve the problems we are facing, they are playing the same old Washington games that accomplish nothing.

What Sen. Obama said is that over the last 25-30 years, working class people in places like Pennsylvania have been falling behind, and that politicians in Washington haven't been looking out for them. He also said that, as a result, many people have become frustrated, angry and even bitter about all the broken promises.

He was right.

The politicians who are now saying that we shouldn't be frustrated are the ones who are out of touch.

People in the towns and communities we live in have seen their jobs shipped overseas. We've seen our pensions disappear. We've seen our health care costs skyrocket. We've seen everything from the cost of gasoline to a gallon of milk go through the roof.

As our families have struggled to make ends meet and our communities fought to stay intact, how has Washington responded? By giving tax breaks to the wealthy, rewarding corporations who ship jobs overseas, and turning the levers of power over to the lobbyists and special interests.

It's easy to feel a little frustrated when you see these Washington politicians continue to ignore you. But it's not the only emotion we feel. When someone comes along who is untainted by the system in Washington, who doesn't take money from federal lobbyists or special interests and who promises that things can be different, we feel something else--hope.

That's why we're supporting Barack Obama. Others have come along and promised change, but failed to deliver. Sen. Obama is different than the rest. He doesn't take money from the special interests, and he speaks honestly about the issues we are facing.

In addition to supporting his plans for jobs, health care and education, we believe that he can deliver on his promises to ensure economic opportunity for family farmers, to provide support for rural economic development, to promote renewable energy in rural America, to protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns for the purposes of hunting and target shooting, and to preserve open land for hunting and fishing.

Unlike his opponents who have been part of the Washington establishment for decades, Barack Obama understands the struggles we are going through. We welcomed him with open arms as he made his way through small towns and rural areas on his recent bus tour across the state. And we will work day and night from now until the primary on his behalf not only because he has heard our frustrations, but because he speaks to our hope that Washington can actually work for people like us.

Sincerely,

Ted Alter, State College
Westmoreland County Commissioner Tom Bayla, Greensburg
Mayor John Brenner, York
Lloyd Casey, West Chester - President, Pennsylvania Forestry Association
Mayor John Fetterman, Braddock

Mayor Rick Gray, Lancaster
Scott Harrison, Warriors Mark
State Representative Bryan Lentz, Swarthmore
State Senator Sean Logan, Monroeville
Carl Majji, Claysville - Corporal, U.S. Army
Mayor Thomas McMahon, Reading

State Senator Bob Mellow - Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader
U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, Doylestown - U.S. Congressman (PA-08)
Perry County Commissioner Steve Naylor, New Bloomfield
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien, Dunmore

Fran Rodriquez, Lancaster
State Representative Josh Shapiro, Abington - Deputy Speaker, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Major General Walter Stewart, Berks County - Former Commander, 28th 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard

State Representative Dan Surra, St. Marys
State Representative Thomas Tangretti, Greensburg
Lackawanna County Commissioner Michael Washo, Scranton

Sign on to the letter and share your story with us: http://pa.barackobama.com/paletter

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China Versus... Nepal?

Just in case you don't pay attention to the news or listen to the Beastie Boys, China is oppressing Tibet, not Nepal. Isn't it nice to know that the highest people in our government - particularly National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley - actually know what is going on in the world?

Ugh.

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The Roast, Part Deux

[B-Diddy, escorted by Erin]

Picture it.

Approximately 200 guests - of which I know only 20 or so - all dressed to the hilt in 1980s apparel. The Guest-of-Honor is decked out in true 'Hulkster' fasion - without the 'Hulkster' figure. His garb was the fodder for much of my material such as, "Look at this guy - it looks like Hulk Hogan had sex with a pear."

It was a memorable evening, of that I have no doubt.

The Roast.

As the Roastmaster, I had the honor of going first. However, this honor was a double-edged sword. Sure, I was able to get my jabs and insults in early - as not to be duplicated by others - BUT I also was responsible for setting the tone of the entire roast. If my jokes were too nasty or offensive, the other roasters could modify their insults accordingly. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.

After my sixth beer however, my nerves began to calm (thank you liquid confidence). As I stood on that stage, behind the podium with the Moose emblem on the front, and began to hurl insults toward B-Diddy and others in the room, I felt quite at home.

My greatest challenge was not roasting B-Diddy himself (because I've known him for some time now), but rather throwing barbs and insults at other roasters that I did NOT know prior to the event.

The irony here is that despite my usage of several off-color and possibly quasi-offensive words, I was quite likely the least offensive roaster on stage. I wish that we would have recorded the event for it surely would have made YouTube proud.

It goes without saying that the credit for the great evening goes solely to B-Diddy for putting the show together. If any of you read his (somewhat infrequent) work, you know him to be a good, albeit opinionated, fellow. My guess is that he will write something about this memorable evening sometime. If not, I might have to post my entire Roast for you all to read.

He'll love that.

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Required Viewing

If you have a couple of minutes, watch these clips.

#1 ::: Barack Obama on the Charlie Rose show in 2004.



#2 ::: Barack Obama rebutting the ridiculous claim that he is 'out of touch'.



#3 ::: For fun, a supporter-made movie trailer for "Baracky".

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Fun With FireWorks

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Bitter About What?

The story continues to baffle me. How is this relative to the campaign?

It's clear that, if you look at Barack Obama's upbringing, his career choices and the current number of donors to his campaign, he is not an elitist. An especially good point:

Clinton's strategy has been to load the Republican arsenal with enough Rev. Wrights that she can point to him in front of her own party as unelectable. Where is the unity? Shouldn't an inner party fight be over the issues, not off handed comments by tertiary persons like Wright, or blatant misrepresentations of statements such as BitterGate. The term for this type of campaigning was forged in the 2004 election, "Swift Boating."

Yup. I too am a bitter-voter.

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Hillary ::: Pot Vs. Kettle

I know that it's a cliche, but Hillary Clinton really appears to be using the 'pot versus kettle' attack:

After a weekend spent making direct appeals to gun owners and church goers, Hillary Clinton said Sunday a query about the last time she fired a gun or attended church services "is not a relevant question in this debate” over Barack Obama’s recent comments on small town Americans.

“We can answer that some other time,” Clinton said at a press conference held in a working class neighborhood here. “This is about what people feel is being said about them. I went to church on Easter. I mean, so?”

So? SO?!! Not a relevant question?!!!

She just doesn't get it.

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The Roast

I will give you all of the juicy details later - because I'm still unpacking from the weekend - but I will say this: The Moose Lodge Roast of B-Diddy was fantastic. A hoot. A good time was had by all in attendance (which was close to 200 people), as far as I could tell.

The picture above is one of the roatERS with the roastEE. Yes, my head is actually that large.

Oh, and it was an 80s themed party, so that is the reasoning for B-Diddy looking like Hulk Hogan (with a majority of my jokes addressing just that).

More to come. Right now I must hang laundry out to dry.

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Long Weekend

I'm getting ready to hit the road (again). April is a busy month for the Pajama Family.

Today, dropping the kids off at the in-laws'. Tomorrow, the Pajama Wife heads to a baby shower for her best friend. Tomorrow evening, I'm the Roastmaster/emcee at B-Diddy's birthday party/extravaganza. I hope my material goes over well.

I'll be back on Monday. Have a great weekend.

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More Bosnia

Jake Tapper at ABC News really puts the hurt on Bill Clinton about the continuing Bosnia saga.

Better than I did.

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Obama: I Would Have Canned Penn

So would I. The Meat:

“I think it was surprising to me that a high ranking, if not the highest ranking, member of Senator Clinton’s team would be engaged in business activities and lobbying that was directly contrary to the position Senator Clinton had taken,” he said.

But if one of his advisors had done the same thing?

“Let me put it this way: I’m not surprised that Senator Clinton found herself in an uncomfortable position as a consequence. And I know that if staff of mine were putting me in that kind of position, I would get rid of them.”

------
Photo: Donna McWilliam/AP

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Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire

Fire burns a new Clinton campaign headquarters.

Thankfully, no one is hurt.

[Fire Department spokesman John] Gardner said nothing so far had indicated the fire was arson.

Clinton-favoring-bloggers begin to suggest that the fire is somehow Obama's fault in 3, 2, 1...

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Obama On Parenting

Some straight-talk from Barack Obama to the parents in our country:

"Parents if you don't parent, we can't improve our schools," he said. "You've got to parent. You've got to turn off the television set in your house once in a while, you've got to put the video game away once in a while."

So much for me playing Guitar Hero all day long...

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Miers And Bolton In Contempt

From The Hill:

"Not since the days of Watergate have the Congress and the federal courts been confronted with such an expansive view of executive privilege as the one asserted by the current presidential administration and the individual defendants in this case," House General Counsel Irvin Nathan and other House lawyers wrote in their lengthy motion.

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Hard Wuerk

- M. Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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The Daily Show Vs. Fox News

Part I :::


Part II :::

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The Bosnia Thing (Again)

Thank you Bill Clinton. You are continuing to provide fodder for those of use who believe that the Clintons are liars. Plain and simple.

The proof in video form:


Now, after watching that, or reading articles like the one to which I link below, why would anyone believe one single word that comes out of the Clintons' collective mouth?

Here is what former president Bill Clinton said:

And, you know. I got tickled the other day. A lot of the way this whole campaign has been covered has amused me. But there was a lot of fulminating because Hillary, one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995. Did y'all see all that? Oh, they blew it up.

I've have added emphasis to the two points for discussion. So, let's break this one small quote down:

1:: Fact: Hillary 'misspoke' (pronounced "LIED") about the Bosnia trip on at least three different occasions.
2:: Fact: On at least one of these occasions, Hillary 'misspoke' about the trip in the morning.
3:: Fact: Hillary did not admit the 'misstatement' for a week after she had been challenged on her story.
4:: Fact: Hillary visited Tuzla, Bosnia in 1996, not 1995.

Okay, so the last point is splitting hairs, but come on Bill! You are trying the 'blame the media' bit for this scandal and it's clear that she was at the very least grossly embellishing her story and at the worst blatantly lying about her experience as First Lady.

There is no way that anyone who supports Hillary Clinton can defend this without sounding completely insane. Seriously, I challenge any of you Hillary supporters to rebut this post. Keep it civil - and back up your claims with facts.

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