Quote Of The Day

"In the last eight years, we saw how a president’s political adversaries could be consumed by anger, and even hatred. That is not the spirit that brings us together. We want our country to succeed, no matter who’s in power. We want America to be prosperous and secure, regardless of who gets the credit. At our best, that has always been the mark of the conservative movement — in good times and bad, the interests of this great nation come first." -former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in his address to CPAC. My emphasis added.  I wonder what Rush Limbaugh would think of that line?

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

Dunk them donuts and drink your milk my friends -- it's cartoon time!

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Willam F. Buckley

It has been a full year since the conservative icon's passing. Christopher Buckley marks the somber anniversary with a stirring editorial at The Daily Beast. One paragraph in particular touched me:

My father was a man of devout, unflinching, sometimes exasperating Catholic faith. He believed absolutely in heaven and hell. I lost (or misplaced) my faith, but I find myself on this anniversary hoping that I’m wrong, and that he’s there, correcting God’s grammar. I have on my desk an editorial cartoon showing him arriving at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter whispering to an angel, “I’m going to need a bigger dictionary.”

And now for your viewing pleasure, some video of the man in action doing what he did best: skewering liberals. 







Oh, and by the way, this tribute has become a tradition for me. I enjoy honoring Buckley because he was a no-bones-about-it conservative, but made his arguments without calling anyone a commie-pinko-bastard. Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and all of the other conservative commentators out there would be wise to emulate Buckley.

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Leaving The Family

Or at least relinquishing the reins:

Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago, The Associated Press has learned.

Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning at a weekly worship service, said Jim Daly, the group's president and chief executive officer.

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Why Words Matter

Remember that supposed $8 billion high-speed train from DisneyLand to Las Vegas?

Governor Bobby Jindal highlighted it again in his remarks on Tuesday night. Because of some particular wording, he was speaking a half-truth:

So Jindal was imprecise on a couple of counts—the train won't go to Disneyland and all $8 billion are not for high-speed rail. But he was not out of bounds in employing the Anaheim-to-Vegas train as an example of the sort of project that may be funded by the $8 billion.

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It's On, To The Break Of Dawn

Patrick Gavin's scoop on Michael Steele:

Oh, and as for Stephen Colbert's challenge to Steele Thursday night to come on his Comedy Central show and have a rap-off on conservative issues? Steele says bring it on.

Colbert's challenge:


Head nod: Ana Marie Cox

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Tweet Of The Day Update

For some inexplicable reason, Senator John McCain has amended an earlier tweet. Here is a screenshot:



It formerly read, "#5 $650,000 for beaver management in North Carolina and Mississippi - how does one manage a beaver?" Why the change Senator?

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A Bargain Indeed

Hilzoy suggests retroactive deportation of those who put us in this predicament would have been smart:

I have been hearing for years and years about how the financial services sector pays such exorbitant wages because the people who work there are so immensely talented that they are cheap at $50 million a year. I never particularly bought that line before. But I never imagined that all those Masters of the Universe would do quite this badly. If we had paid them $50 million a year to go far, far away and leave our financial system alone, it would have been a bargain.

Head nod: Sullivan

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A Good Question

... directed at South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. Will he stand-up to Limbaugh?

Probably not.  It is a rare conservative that does.

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More Than Meets The Eye

Head nod: /film

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Who Will Be The GOP Nominee In 2012?

Republicans questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll responded thusly:

Palin: 29%
Huckabee: 26%
Romney: 21%
Jindal: 9%

Let the games begin!

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Random Dumbass Headline Generator

A.K.A. Samuel 'Joe The Plumber' Wurzelbacher.

Justin Gardner is less-than-pleased:

Let’s just forget that Wurzelbacher is giving a thumbs up to violent fascism and instead put the lie to what he’s saying happened in America. Because who reading this post remembers a time in our history when people were routinely shot for criticizing the military? Anybody?

[snip]

As I’ve said in the past, McCain should apologize to the country for elevating this guy as the “Everyman” when he’s anything but.

Indeed. I was already working on a post about JTP and his effect on the conservative movement -- and I will continue to formulate my thoughts on it -- but this clip simply had to be blogged. God help the district that sends this guy to Washington (or any elected office for that matter)... Yikes.

Head nod: Allahpundit

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Tweet Of The Day II

"#5. $650,000 for beaver management in North Carolina and Mississippi - how does one manage a beaver?" -Senator John McCain. Twittering about an earmark frustration.

Initiating suppression of middle school giggles... now.

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Department Of Racial Ignorance

Or just stupidity?

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) — The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."

[snip]

Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city. Grose said he didn't mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons.

My emphasis.

Well, I will give the guy credit: he issued a real apology. He could have copped-out and said, 'I'm sorry if you were offended...'

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Um...

Now, that's just gross.

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Flight Of The Bumblebee... On Crack

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Quote Of The Day II

"I think that if [Sarah Palin] had been the candidate, if John McCain had stepped aside, she would have clearly won the election. She did not have the weaknesses on the immigration issue and the free trade issue that McCain did. She was stronger against the bailout than McCain was. She’s shown leadership. People are willing to follow her. People believe what she says." -Paul Streitz, national chairman of Draft Sarah Palin 2012.

Rrrrrright.  Because immigration and free trade were key factors in American's voting decision last November.  Nobody was willing to follow McCain nor did they believe what he said.  Are you kiding me?

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Tweet Of The Day

"Politico now calls itself POLITICO. so from now on, please shout every time you say it." -James Kotecki of Politico.

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John McCain Agrees With Barack Obama

On a strategy for troop withdrawal and residual presence in Iraq, at least:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), President Obama's campaign opponent, went to the White House Thursday for a briefing on the president's plan for a timetable for a troop drawdown in Iraq. Before heading down Pennsylvania Avenue, he said he was already largely on board.

McCain said he would not be advising the White House as to what he thought was the best plan, but rather hearing them out.

"They're going to present us their recommendations. It's their plan," he said. "From what I know about it, I agree with it."

For McCain, the plan has virtue because it is backed by the generals and the ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. "I like it best because it's what Ambassador Crocker and General [Raymond] Odierno and General [David] Petraeus also felt was a suitable strategy," said McCain.

Nancy Pelosi disagrees -- which bring us to comments made here by Jitter and others... does it seem that Nancy Pelosi (and Harry Reid) tries to politically 'cock-block' what the Obama administration is trying to do?

Sure Nancy, there may be a larger-than-you-would-like residual force left in Iraq (Obama says approximately 50,000 troops, Pelosi wants closer to 15,000), but most Americans want to see troops leaving Iraq.  With a smaller force there, redeployment rates will decrease.  Stop-loss will decrease or completely end.  Troops having to serve three, four and five tours in Iraq will be a thing of the past.

I don't want to see ANY troops in Iraq, but 50,000 is far less than the current level (142,000).  The whole point is that troops will begin to leave en masse, and to me -- that is nothing but a good thing.

Now, Afghanistan...

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Quote Of The Day

"Here's a simple way to increase intellectual cross-pollination on the web: honest bloggers of the left and the right should try to interview at least one author/historian/politician from the other side of the aisle at least one a month. So -- Media Matters shouldn't just criticize Bernard Goldberg; they should interview him. Glenn Greenwald should, I don't know, see if Jack Goldsmith from Harvard would chat with him online. Bill Kristol should interview Jane Mayer. Pajamas Media needs to interview Democrats and Democratic experts, and not just each other, or Joe the Plumber, or Sen. Jim DeMint. Righties interviewing righties has gotten so boring and repetitive; lefties fawning over lefties is lazy. Who's going to be brave enough to reach out to an ideological or intellectual opponent, promote their new book, or interview them?" -Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic.

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Mike Huckabee On The Warpath

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee takes a jab at John McCain:

“With all due respect, Sen. McCain dramatically suspended his campaign and flew back to Washington not to champion those conservative Republicans [in the House], but to join meekly with Barack Obama in voting for the bailout, a bailout most American opposed,” he said.

Huckabee said he went along with the Republican ticket because he was “a good soldier,” but that the bailout vote may have sunk McCain’s campaign.

“I tell you, that moment was not our best moment,” he said. “It would have been our best shot at winning the White House a chance to offer a true authentic, conservative choice rather than a big government echo, rather than a meek, ‘me too’ way of doing things.”

Seriously Mike. What happened to you? You used to be cool. Has someone been slipping douchebag pills into your Aquafina?  What ever happened to the Eleventh Commandment?

The way that I see things, McCain did screw-up that opportunity to really draw a distinction between himself and Obama.  However, it's really easy to criticize him in retrospect -- hindsight being 20/20 and everything -- a real man would have criticized him in the moment.  If John McCain had voted against the bailout last fall, then I would have said that you were right on.  Today?  Not so much.

In other news: does anyone else think that it's a bit strange that CPAC brings out such negativity in these guys?

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Want a Revolution?

A poster over in the forums of Sean Hannity's site posted this poll.

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Ah, CPAC

That's Cliff Kincaid everyone. Be sure to tip your wait staff and bartenders. He'll be here all week...

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Bill Clinton: 'I Worry About Newspapers'

In an interview with WhoRunsGov.com, the former president opines about the downfall of traditional print journalism:

“I’m worried about the future of newspapers,” Clinton told me, adding that their future was looking bleak in part because of “blog sites.”

“There are so many of them in trouble because people can get their news from so many other places,” Clinton continued. “I think that newspapers are really important for the country because they have the time to do lengthy thought pieces, which are important. I get information from newspapers I can’t get from the evening news.”

“Every time I real about another one in economic trouble it bothers me,” he said.

While that is all well and good, Mr. President, I would submit to you that everything you get in a traditional newspaper is available to you from any one of about a million 'blog sites'.

Oh, and the 'lengthy thought pieces' are available here for free... if you are interested.  Nooch.

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Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Want Assault Weapons Ban

... yet.  This made me raise an extra eyebrow:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tossed cold water on the prospect of reinstating the assault weapons ban, highlighting Democrats’ reluctance to take on gun issues.

Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat “no” when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.

“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it's clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”

Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president, that phrase is the stock line of those who don’t want to pass new gun control laws, such as the National Rifle Association.

Nevermind the dig at foremer-President Bush -- Nancy Pelosi is spouting NRA talking points?  Hey is that cat going to get married to that dog?

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Quote Of The Day III

"I love it. ... some slum love out to my buddy. Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing a friggin' awesome job in his state. He's really turned around on some core principles — like hey, government ought not be corrupt. The good stuff ... the easy stuff." -RNC Chairman Michael Steele in an interview with ABC News.

'Slum love'? Really?

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A Shift In Policy

Change:

A Senior defense official tells NBC News that Defense Secretary Gates has decided to lift the ban against media coverage of U.S. war dead returning to the United States, and would leave the decision entirely up to the families.

Making the war(s) that much more real to Americans.

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Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Rocky Mountain News Closing Up Shop

Ouch:

Colorado's oldest newspaper will publish its final edition Friday.

The Rocky Mountain News, less than two months away from its 150th anniversary, will be closed after a search for a buyer proved unsuccessful, the E.W. Scripps Co. announced today.

"Today the Rocky Mountain News, long the leading voice in Denver, becomes a victim of changing times in our industry and huge economic challenges," Rich Boehne, chief executive officer of Scripps, said in a prepared statement. "The Rocky is one of America’s very best examples of what local news organizations need to be in the future. Unfortunately, the partnership’s business model is locked in the past."

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Follow

Over the past few months, ThePajamaPundit.com's readership has gradually increased -- for this I am extremely grateful.

Now, the ever-omniscient minds at Blogger have opened up the 'following' possibilites beyond those who have Google accounts:

Now, anyone with a Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account can log into Blogger and "follow" any Blogger blog. Choosing to follow a Blogger blog effectively adds the author to a user's social network, as they receive activity updates for that blog, and they can see what blogs that author, his friends and their own friends are also following.

So, if you are a Figurative Follower and would like to step into the realm of Literal Followers, you no longer have an excuse not to do so. Hit the sidebar and click 'follow'. Nooch.

And, as always, thank you for reading!

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MSNBC: The 'Oh God' Network

According to the Huckster:

Former Arkansas Governor and current Fox News host Mike Huckabee mocked MSNBC Thursday as the network of "MSBS."

"It's not MSNBC, but the MSBS channel," Huckabee said in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Huckabee, who appeared on the cable network many times during his 2008 presidential run, chided "Hardball" host Chris Matthews for saying "oh god" as he watched Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) walk out to respond to President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

"I'm in competition with the other cable networks, and one of them finally found religion," Huckabee said to loud applause. "I call them the 'oh god' network."

Loud applause, at CPAC? You're kidding...

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Jindal Vs. Kenneth The Page

And as a bonus, Joe Scarborough's reaction to the 'Octo-Mom' news is priceless.

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Byrd: 'Be More Transparent'

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd on more Presidential transparency:

Robert Byrd, the Senate pro tempore from West Virginia, said in a letter to the president he is concerned the appointments of new so called 'czars' in the offices of health, urban affairs and climate change are not subject to Senate approval and could therefore shield information from congress under the right of executive privilege.

"Too often, I have seen these lines of authority and responsibility become tangled and blurred, sometimes purposely, to shield information and to obscure the decision-making process," Byrd wrote in the letter.

Byrd has a great point here: these so-called 'czars' have little-to-no accountability with the public. I'm not saying that they are going to be corrupt or negligent, I'm merely saying that it's a slippery slope when the President appoints staffers through back channels rather than through the Senate.

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Barenaked Departure

Via the AP:

TORONTO – Singer-guitarist Steven Page has left the Barenaked Ladies.

The news comes several months after drug charges against Page were dropped in the U.S. His arrest came after the band, known for its clean-cut image and whimsical lyrics, released an album of children's songs titled, "Snacktime."

Weird. I, too, was caught-up in the squeaky-clean image that the band has/had. I had no idea that Steven Page had gotten into trouble like this... and after releasing a children's album. Yikes.

On a side note, I've always felt that the Barenaked Ladies was an inspired name for a band. Can you imaging walking down the street and seeing the marquis outside of a club, "Tonight Only: Barenaked Ladies".

This is why I've always wanted to be in a band named Free Beer or Everyone Gets Laid...

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Quote Of The Day II

"A federal bank takeover is a bad thing obviously. I wonder though if we conservatives understand clearly enough why it is a bad thing. It’s not because we are living through an enactment of the early chapters of Atlas Shrugged. It’s because the banks are collapsing. Obama, Pelosi, et al are big-spending, high-taxing liberals. They are not socialists. They are no more eager to own these banks than the first President Bush was to own the savings and loan industry – in both cases, federal ownership was a final recourse after a terrible failure. And it was on our watch, not Obama’s, that this failure began. Our refusal to take notice of this obvious fact may excite the Republican faithful. But it is doing tremendous damage to our ability to respond effectively to the crisis." -David Frum, daring to suggest that conservatives are just spinning their wheels. Indeed.

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Department Of Bad Puns

It's a Locke.

President Obama has got it Locke-d up.

Commerce under Locke and key.

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'Oh God'

Oy vey.

Even better? Matthews tries to explain his comment.

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Governor Iceman

Wow... I was trying to be funny before.  However, it appears that he may actually go for it:

A funny thing happened when Val Kilmer started suggesting that he just may run for governor of New Mexico next year.

He was serious.

At least he’s serious enough to reportedly hire a political strategist, to seek out the advice of lawmakers among the state’s congressional delegation and to push back as the state’s journalists mine celebrity profiles and tabloid coverage.

[snip]

Arnold Schwarzenegger preceded his run for governor of California with a campaign for after-school programs. Sonny Bono was mayor of Palm Springs before he was elected to Congress. Jesse Ventura was mayor of the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park before he won the governorship of Minnesota.

By contrast, Kilmer, 49, has no comparable political credits. In fact, the idea of Kilmer in elective politics is just as surprising among Hollywood’s political class as it is elsewhere.

Hey man, any excuse that I have to suggest that Iceman might be governor of New Mexico is just fine with me. Political theater folks -- I eat it up!

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Quote Of The Day

"You know, this was like following Led Zeppelin with nothing but a harmonica." -Republican strategist Kevin Madden, commenting on Bobby Jindal's response to President Obama's address on Tuesday night.

According to just about everything that I've read and seen, Jindal was attempting to play "Ramble On" on that harmonica (or perhaps "The Song Remains The Same"?).

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My Response To The Response

So, where to begin?  In case you missed it, the video of Governor Jindal's response is here.

Governor Jindal did... okay. He didn't strike out the way that many talking heads and bloggers have suggested -- but it was far from a home-run.

Look, I understand the need to introduce yourself to America -- seeing as how this was the first time that many folks were seeing the governor from Louisiana. But, Jindal really didn't get into the 'meat' of the response until about the four-minute mark. This was the worst part of his performance. Initially, Jindal seemed stilted and stiff.  The critics are right in saying that his delivery was somewhat sophomoric -- because he indeed sounded like he was talking to a group of high school sophomores.  

Once the train gathered momentum, I thought that the governor started to get better.  He hit the usual GOP talking points: 'Big government bad' and 'tax cuts good'.  His repeated references to Hurricane Katrina were somewhat baffling to me because Republicans were in power and essentially in charge of the response to that crisis.

But then, he hit me with this:

Our party got away from it's principals. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust, and rightly so.

Damn right Bobby.

Finally, in front of a national audience a Republican owns up to what many have been saying for so long: Republicans have lost their way. When it comes to government spending and personal responsibility, the GOP has had no leg on which to stand. As far as I'm concerned, unless there is a paradigm shift in conservative thinking, Republicans cannot make a sound argument against Democrats on the subject of spending. Period.

But at least Jindal owned up to that.

I think that the bottom-line here is that Governor Jindal is a 'fresh new face' in the Republican party.  I think that tapping him for the Republican response to President Obama was the right thing to do.  The presentation was.. just okay.  He hit the points that he needed to, but it all fell somewhat flat.  I think that Glenn Reynolds summed it up quite well:

Jindal’s reply? I’d say so-so. Ann Althouse says: “Jindal is nicely upbeat and confidence-inspiring.” I thought he was adequate but not great. Audio problems didn’t help. Also, work out some, Bobby. Obama has opened space up for skinny guys with big ears, but . . . .

Adequate but not great. Indeed.

But because I am a lowly blogger who has absolutely no impact on what perceptions of Governor Jindal are here, for your viewing pleasure, is a brief round-up of MSM punditry that completely trashes Jindal...

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My Thoughts On The Republican Response

... are forthcoming. I've already got folks e-mailing me for my thoughts on Gov. Jindal. Please bear with me. It's a busy day in the Pajama Household today.

I'll likely have a post up sometime this evening. Hopefully...

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Barack Obama: 'We Are Not Quitters'

If you missed it you can find video here and a transcript here.

President Obama got off to a rocky start. Who didn't notice the President stepping on the Speaker's introduction. It seemed to me that throughout the non-State-Of-The-Union, the President was extremely uncomfortable with all of the applause and hoopla. As the speech progressed, I noted several instances where Obama seemed to cut the applause short by continuing his speech. It was as if he was saying, 'Look folks, we've got important things to talk about here and you can't keep interrupting me...'

However, after a few bumps, the President started to hit his stride.  Here are what I feel were the most notable moments:

Tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild. We will recover. And the United States of America will re-emerge stronger than before.

Right off of the bat, only a few moments into the introduction, he hits the note that Americans want need to hear.  We have been through a lot in our nation's history, and we'll get through this too.

The President breaks out the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act early. But, what I thought was interesting was this line:

There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets in Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make.

While much of the reasoning for the ARARA seemed quite reminiscent of Obama's campaign talking points, it was this line that reassured me that he is not running a campaign. This is what more of politics needs to be; a bridge from Washington to Main Street. By explaining, in very clear terms, that the stimulus saved 57 law enforcememnt jobs in Minneapolis, I have a better understanding of how real people see real results. I'm not saying that I agree with 100% of the plan -- I am merely saying that the President didn't just 'tell' us what the plan was doing... he 'showed' us.

"Nobody messes with Joe." Ugh. Cheesy. However, the message was good: Anyone who receives stimulus monies will be held accountable for every dollar they spend. Governors, state legislatures, mayors, etc. Oversight is EXTREMELY important for this economic recovery plan to work. Oversight combined with transparency.

"It's not about helping banks, it's about helping people." Damn right.

Super-money quote:

My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. Given these realities, everyone in this chamber –- Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me.

My guess is that this will be a much-quoted line from the speech. Obama is cutting the fat. He's saying 'Look, I know there are a ton of pet-projects for which you want to get funding -- I have them too. But we need to cinch up our belt and make some sacrifices. All of us.' Indeed.

We are a nation that has seen promise from peril and turned opportunity from ordeal. We must be that nation again.

And this cuts to the heart of the matter. We have been down this road before. While our great nation has seen it's share of triumphs, it has also fought through varied adversity. This crisis is no different. Politics aside, we must all chip-in if we are to get through these tough times.

I ask every american to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training... dropping out of high school is no longer an option. it's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country. This country needs and values the talents of every American.

Awesome. And he's right. If our children are to truly compete in the global economy, education is the key. There can be no negative in furthering one's education.

In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent. ... Responsibility for our children's education begins at home.

Personal responsibility. No matter what programs the government puts in place, nothing is more successful at raising a child than a good parent.

Living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture.

This should have been said years ago.

All in all, a great speech. A great show of understanding. I feel much more comfortable with 'porkulus' (as nearly everyone on the blogroll at Pajamas Media likes to call it) than I have in weeks. The rhetoric was lofty, but not above the listener. The speech was not filled with campaign-style inspirational jargon. Rather it spoke directly to the members of Congress in the room, and those of us watching at home. Still, the question remains; can he/we do it?  Can the President fulfill all of the lofty goals that he has set for himself and the country?  Can we, as a country, step-up and do what is necessary to pull our nation out of the rut in which we find ourselves?  

The bottom line: lace up your boots America. Let's get to work.

After all, "We are not quitters."

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Reactions

... will be forthcoming. TPW is home from work this morning (she'll be working late tonight). I will be posting my thoughts on both President Obama's non-State-Of-The-Union speech, as well as Governor Jindal's response from the GOP.

Have a great morning!

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By The Way...

Happy Fat Tuesday to you all. I hope you gorged yourself on some fasnachts (pronounced "Foss-Not").

Yeah, unless you are from Pennsylvania -- you'll probably want to look it up.

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Tom Hanks To Flip-The-Switch

On the large hadron collider. Uh... yeah.

I’m a fan of the movement which venerates society’s unsung heroes. The nerds, if I’m honest: engineers, physicists, chemists. And thousands of nerds have labored for thousands of days to create the ultimate experimental setup, the Large Hadron Collider. After a rocky start, it’ll be starting back up in June, and guess who’ll be throwing the switch? No, not someone who has anything to do with the thing. They’ve selected a movie star, whose fleeting association with antimatter (the upcoming Angels and Demons) means he’s worthy. Give me a break.

I can’t think of a reason to do this. It’s symbolic. The thinkers of the world have been overshadowed by the glitterati for as long as we can remember, and now when they have something big, something with the budget of twenty Hollywood movies, they do this. They don’t need the press, they don’t need the celebrity. They should have said “Sorry Mr. Hanks, but this isn’t like the movies. This is a serious scientific endeavor, and we can’t have any non-essential personnel in the control room. I’m sure you understand.”

A pretty weak publicity stunt to be sure. But I would argue that it's not Hanks' fault. The people at Cern are likely in on the ruse as well -- after all, they COULD tell him to sit this one out if they wanted to...

And I'm still excited for the movie.

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Quote Of The Day III

"No, no no. What would we do that for? What are you, crazy? No. Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country? I mean this isn't something that you just kind of like, "Oh well, today I feel, you know, loosey-goosey on marriage." -RNC Chairman Michael Steele, weighing the possible merits of moving the GOP towards the center on the issue of gay marriage/civil unions.

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BREAKING: Durbin Calls For Burris To Resign

From my inbox, via Politico:

Sen. Dick Durbin has told Sen. Roland Burris he should resign. "If I were in that position, I would resign," Durbin said Tuesday afternoon.

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Who's Not Honoring Me Now?

24/7 Wall Street.

Aw dang.

One of these days... I swear... I'll get on one of these lists without having to gin-up votes from you very nice people.

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Okay, We Get It

You want us to watch your 'documentary'...

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Just... Come On

I... just... I'm... speechless.

Ugh.

Although, I guess I should consider the source...

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Envoy To Sudan

Per Greg Sargent:

Yesterday evening actor George Clooney left a meeting with Obama and told a reporter that he’d been informed that the White House would be creating such a post. The White House didn’t immediately comment on Clooney’s claims.

But our reporter, Amanda Erickson, just got this statement from White House spokesman Tommy Vietor:

“There will be a Sudan Envoy who will report to the Secretary of State and through the Secretary to the President.”

This is a first step in a long process -- the result of which will hopefully be a positive one for those in the region of Darfur.

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Shut Up And Do Something

Tanya at Dizzying Intellect:

I’ll tell you what’s driving me crazy about the Aasiya Hassan murder and beheading. Apart from the obvious.

If I hear one more “conservative” react to an honor killing with “Gee, I wonder if we’ll hear from NOW this time,” I’m going to smack someone.

Newsflash. NOW is a joke. They’ve always been a joke. Blaming them for not responding to an honor killing is like blaming the UN for not reacting.

They’re useless. GET. OVER. IT.

If you care even the slightest bit about these women — and most conservatives really don’t, they just like bitching about the left’s hypocrisy — quit with the douchy snark, and try doing something about it. You can’t defeat the misogynistic bastards yourself, but you can take a tiny tip from the few liberals who aren’t all talk, and *gasp* volunteer at a women’s shelter. Or donate money or food to the women in your community who’ve had to deal with this religious/cultural fully-sanctioned abuse first hand.

It won’t make you vote democrat or morph into a granola eater, I promise.

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Angels & Demons

I am sooo looking forward to this movie. If you have yet to read the novel, go out and buy/borrow it now. It runs circles around The DaVinci Code.

Plus, you'll want to have it read by the time the film is released in May...

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Creation Vs. Evolution

Wherein the Texas State Board Of Education is misrepresenting what Charles Darwin wrote. Here is their argument:

Darwin himself would not have supported censorship of the scientific weaknesses of his own theory. Indeed he wrote a whole chapter in his book, On the Origin of Species, about the difficulties with his theory. Darwin said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”

Note the last sentence (my emphasis). Now, here's the context of that quote from Darwin in Origin Of Species, chapter six:

If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find out no such case.

Again, my emphasis.  Isn't context a beautiful thing?  

Head over to Little Green Footballs for the full story.

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North Korea Might Launch Long-Range Missle

Ah, you can almost smell the fear:

Speculation was mounting today that North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile, described by the regime as an "experimental satellite", in defiance of American warnings not to provoke instability in the region.

The US has repeatedly urged the North Korean regime to abandon the launch and return to negotiations on its nuclear weapons programme.

Last week, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, warned Pyongyang against making "provocative" moves, adding that the Obama administration would reach out to "those with whom we have had difficulties, as long as they unclench their fists".

Her appeals appear to have failed after South Korean satellite images showed that preparations were under way to launch what analysts believe to be a Taepodong-2 missile from a site in North Hamgyong province, on the north-east coast.

[snip]

A successful launch of a Taepodong-2 would raise anxiety to new levels in the US, whose territory would theoretically be in the communist regime's firing line for the first time. The missile, with a maximum range of 4,100 miles (6,700km), is capable of striking Alaska and Hawaii.

Anxiety in the U.S.?  What about South Korea?!  Japan?!  These guys are right next door to the loon who has his finger on The Button!

I sincerely hope that when the 'Great Leader' finally passes on or abdicates his power to one of his sons, that North Korea charts a new course for the future of it's citizens. It seems to me that having a raving madman running the country hasn't worked so well for North Koreans.

Liberals complained (and are still complaining) about George W. Bush. Conservatives are just getting warmed up over Barack Obama. But no one in this country can claim any kind of pain -- or even discomfort -- until they've lived under a dictator the likes of Kim Jong Il.

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There You Have It Boys

"Start suckin'."

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Quote Of The Day II

"I'm just a glutton for punishment. I'm going to keep on talking to Eric Cantor because someday, someday, he's going to say, you know Obama, he had a good idea." -President Barack Obama responding to a question regarding Delaware Senator Tom Carper encouraging the President to continue to publicly reach out to Republicans.

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Score One For Johnny Mac

B-Diddy bait.  When John McCain is right, he's right. And he called the President out on it:

Your (proposed new) helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One," the presidential airplane, McCain said. "I don't think that there's any more graphic demonstration of how good ideas … have cost taxpayers an enormous amount of money."

Now, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responds:

"The president talked to the secretary of defense, and I think as he said yesterday to Sen. (John) McCain, we don't need any new helicopters at the White House," Robert Gibbs said on CNN's "American Morning."

Asked if that meant the order was being put on hold, Gibbs said: "That's exactly what he talked to the secretary about."

Well, that's one way to cut government spending. What else you got Gibbsy?

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Obama To Name Gary Locke To Commerce

After Bill Richardson dropped out and Judd Gregg slipped away, President Obama turns to his third string choice:

[former Washington Governor Gary Locke] is a partner in the Seattle offices of the law firm Davis, Wright, Tremaine, where he specializes in energy and governmental relations. According to the firm’s web site, Locke “helps U.S. companies doing business in China, and Chinese companies doing business in the U.S., on a wide range of business, political and legal issues.”

Locke served two terms as Washington governor from 1997 to 2005. He declined to seek a third term, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Locke chaired the Democratic Governors’ Association in 2003 and delivered a rebuttal to President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address that year. During his time in office, Washington state made top ten lists for the best governed state and won high marks for its tech-savvy government.

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Fishy

Obama sushi. Cue the 'something smells fishy' jokes now...

Head nod: TYWKIWDBI

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Rupert Murdoch Apologizes

For the now-infamous Monkey Cartoon.  Kind of:

The chairman of the New York Post, Rupert Murdoch,personally apologized Tuesday for an editorial cartoon published by thenewspaper that drew charges of racism.

"Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted," according to the statement from Murdoch, who is also Chairman and CEO of News Corporation which owns the paper.

"I can assure you - without a doubt - that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation.

"It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such. We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard, and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community."

Again, it's a non-apology apology -- but I have to admit that I'm surprised by this. I almost filed it under 'Department of Bizarre Headlines'...

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Quote Of The Day

"[W]hat courage does it require to stand up for gay rights on Hollywood night? And I'm sorry, but the script for "Milk" was mediocre at best. The cloud of smug that rose and hung in the air last night - reaching cyclone levels over the head of Sean Penn - was close-to-suffocating. (Penn is best buddies with rancid homophobes like the Castros). And then you notice the near-total absence of openly gay male actors in the movies and you realize what really motivates that industry: money and cant, packaged in smug." -Andrew Sullivan, defending his stance that the Academy Awards aren't worth very much.

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Insanity That Is Virtual

Jamiroquai | Virtual Insanity

How to make an awesome music video: Lesson I.

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STOP OBAMA! Redux

I thought Tony Cambell had a great reaction to that video of Alan Keyes going off the deep end:

As a seminary graduate, the word abomination struck me as a bit harsh to define a person who was elected to public office. According to Dictionary.com, the word means a person who is loathsome or disgusting. In terms of theology, the word is used to define people or actions that God hates.

So to translate the meaning of what Alan Keyes said is that the President of the United States is loathsome, disgusting and hated by God. This type of rhetoric is in very bad taste and demonstrates what can happen when unstable people are given license to say whatever comes into their brain.

He can say whatever comes to his brain, as can anyone else in this country. It's the credence that he is given by people in the GOP and media that is chilling. This guy worked in the Reagan administration for a couple of years. Scary.

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Obama: 'Cut The Deficit In Half In Four Years'

A bold challenge:

President Barack Obama pledged on Monday to cut the ballooning U.S. budget deficit by half in the next four years and said the country would face another economic crisis if it did not address its debt problems soon.

With a Democratically controlled Congress, it will be interesting to watch that challenge play out. Personally, I'm ready to make some sacrifices...

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Using The Twitter In Washington

In case you missed it, and you care, here are the 10 most influential Twitterers in Washington, D.C. -- according to Politico.

Now, how about the most influential bloggers on Twitter -- because I'm sure to make that list...

And in case you forgot, my Twitter feed is here.

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Welcome To Douchey-Town

... population: These guys.

Cheez.

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Chuck Todd On Chris Matthews

...and why the host of Hardball ditched a run for the U.S. Senate:

NBC White House Correspondent Chuck Todd has a theory on why MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews begged off from running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by Republican Arlen Specter. "Because [Chris] had a really good friend of his say to him, 'What are you going to do when you get there?' and he couldn't answer the question and he realized that, and that's why he didn't run," says Todd. "It was a childhood dream to be a senator, but he didn't know what he was going to do if he got there." It was the same for 2008 presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain, says the coauthor of How Barack Obama Won. "They never knew why they wanted to be president."

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STOP OBAMA!

Classic. The president is a 'radical communist' and a 'usurper of the presidency'. Oh, and please stop laughing...

And Keyes wonders why no one ever takes him as a serious contender for political office.  Sheesh.

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Drink More Coffee (Or Tea)

At my rate of consumption, I'll NEVER have a stroke.

Excellent.

Head nod: Instapundit

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Matt Lauer Interviews A 'Truth Teller'

Ugh.

Is it me or was he seeming to allege a homosexual relationship between Matt Lauer and then-candidate Obama?  Maybe it's just me...

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Legislation That's Gone Bananas

Ugh.  I suppose this was inevitable:

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) announced that, at his request, the House of Representatives will consider on Monday, February 23, the Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 80). Consideration of the needed legislation comes just one week after a woman was critically injured in a vicious chimpanzee attack in Stamford, Connecticut – leaving no doubt that the danger of nonhuman primates in homes and to communities must be addressed.

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State Of The Union

Why isn't Barack Obama giving a State Of The Union address to Congress tomorrow night?

The Constitution says that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." It doesn't say anything about giving it every year, or in the year of his inauguration.

[snip]

A State of the Union address is basically just that: a report on the state of the union. Both Ike and Kennedy wanted to celebrate their party's having taken over the White House, and they did it under the guise of a State of the Union speech. But sometimes a president wants his address to be far more focused. Obama wants tomorrow night's speech to concentrate on the nation's economic problems, not everything under the sun. And that's why it's not a State of the Union address.

Basically, it will be a 'State Of The Union's Economy and Recovery' speech. Which is something that we all need to hear right now.

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Congressman Ron Paul On Bill Maher

OB bait...

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Three-Quarters Of Americans: 'I'm Scared'

Fear of a bad economy:

Seventy-three percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say they're very or somewhat scared about the way things are going in the United States. That's six points higher than in an October poll.

Nearly eight in 10 say things are going badly in the country, with just 21 percent suggesting that things are going well. The survey also says that three out of four Americans are angry about the way things are going in the country. But three out of four questioned say that things are going well for them personally.

[snip]

"There is a tiny sliver of good news — the number of Americans who think things are going very badly has dropped from 40 percent in December to 32 percent now," Holland added. "But since most of those people switched from the very bad category to the pretty bad category, it's wrong to say that the public is more optimistic — call them a little less pessimistic at best."

More optimistic. Les pessimistic. Tomato. Tomahto.

Let's call the whole thing off...

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It's All In The Wrist...

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Quote Of The Day III

"I think no matter who, in the next four years, becomes the prominent up and coming person -- Bobby Jindal, Gov. Huntsman -- there are lots of names being thrown around right now -- I think whoever gets to the point of becoming the prominent figure in the Republican party has to have a message that's simple that goes out. Hope and change was something that really stuck with my generation. It's something that's on bumper stickers and t-shirts. And it's something that was easy for people to understand. What the Republican party is not doing right now is having a message that can equally touch that point." -Meghan McCain, speaking to the woes of the Republican party and what the next frontrunner will need to do to capture the younger generations' attention support.

I completely agree.  In other news, it seems that Meghan McCain has become a go-to-person for all things GOP...

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All Of That Change...

'Very gradual change we can believe in.'

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Quote Of The Day II

"I’d rather keep the feds out of the marriage business altogether. Then again, I feel the same way about the states." -Glenn Reynolds

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Sarah Palin Not Going To NGA

The NGA conference has lost it's star-power:

Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer ribbed Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin Friday for announcing at the last minute that she will not be attending a Sunday discussion of energy policy that the two governors were scheduled to lead at this weekend's meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington.

"I don't know where she's going to be. You'll be stuck with me," Schweitzer told ABC News. "There will be no glamour, certainly no snappy dressing. I brought my best two pairs of jeans. There's a little bit of a horse s**t stain by the knee. But I've been washing that stuff out."

[snip]

"I don’t have any party buying me clothes," said Schweitzer, referring to the more than $150,000 that the Republican Party shelled out for the Palin family's wardrobe last year. "My wife buys my clothes at Costco."

Well, well, well... I'm sure that the Palin-loving trolls will be all over that type of commentary the same way that they crashed this party.  Nooch.

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Iran So Far

An interesting account of a reporter's visit to Iran:

I'd never have guessed that my first time inside a synagogue would be in Tehran, but Iran is full of surprises. It has a fundamentalist leadership that many in the West believe to be as nutty as a box of pistachios. But it also has a population of 65 million, most born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution (which culminated in the return from exile of Ayatollah Khomeini 30 years ago this month), and far removed from the dour and menacing stereotype often portrayed on the 10 o'clock news. The ordinary Iranian people are by far the friendliest and most welcoming I've met in more than 20 years of travelling.

I'm not saying that Iran is uber-friendly to the U.S., but this is not the first thing that I have seen/read that would suggest that country is not the ominous threat that we would believe. Thoughts?

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'Don't Wanna Be...'

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Quote Of The Day

"The movie stars and the powerful creative minds congratulating each other Sunday night wield a greater role in shaping the political landscape than Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid combined. Maxine Waters, Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd and William Jefferson possess less power to sway the minds of the electorate than Brad Pitt, Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Kate Winslet and even the late Mr. Ledger (James Dean continues to sway the public imagination)." -Andrew Breitbart, commenting on his love for Hollywood -- and Washington liberals.

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Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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More Stimulus

An indie-rock outfit takes advantage of the current economic climate to promote their work:

As part of a marketing campaign motivated by tough economic times and a cluttered music marketplace, Indie rock band Officer Roseland is paying fans $1 to download their new album from the website MyStimulusPackage.org.

The band will offer fans two option: The first called "TAKE" pays $1 to download the album Stimulus Package. The second "GIVE" donates that $1.00 to the charity Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. In either case, the fan receives the album at no cost to them.

Creative indeed.

Head nod: TYWKIWDBI

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Bondage

TPW and I just finished watching Quantum Of Solace. I watched it in the theater when it came out last fall -- and it's even better the second time around. Daniel Craig does a bang-up job as James Bond.

Ah, a Saturday evening movie on the couch. Fantastic.

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DNS Pains

My apologies to anyone having difficulty viewing the blog. I've spent the better part of this morning working with my DNS and CNAME settings and their apparent glitchy-ness. To say that I'm frustrated would be an understatement.

Hopefully, the page is still viewable.

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

Finish up that bowl of Froot Loops -- it's cartoon time!

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'I Just Started Twittering'

Is it me, or do 'official media types' seem like they are behind the curve? You mean to tell me that they are just figuring out this social networking thingy?

O'Donnell and Gregory sound like a conversation that my parents would have -- if they 'started Twittering'. Sheesh.

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OpinioNation

Wow.

I think I touched a nerve...

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Flight 93 Memorial

Interesting news via the AP:

Government officials and representatives of the passengers and crew killed when United Flight 93 crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11, 2001, have pledged to dedicate a memorial there by the attacks’ 10th anniversary.

Plans for a memorial at the site near Shanksville, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, have been in the works for years. But construction hasn’t begun, as arguments over the memorial’s design and problems buying land have slowed development.

I find this somewhat bizarre because I've been to the memorial. Granted, it's hardly a Vietnam War Memorial type of place, but there is definitely a memorial already standing.

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Christopher Buttars Reprimanded

Follow-up from a post yesterday:

Utah Senate leaders ousted Sen. Chris Buttars on Friday from two committees that he heads in response to outrage and embarrassment from Buttars' anti-gay tirade to a documentary filmmaker.

[snip]

Senate Republicans held a "pointed" discussion of Buttars' actions in a closed-door caucus Thursday.

[Senate President Michael Waddoups] said the decision was made to remove Buttars from the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he now chairs. By virtue of his position on that panel, Buttars also served on and led the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee, and will lose his spot on that panel as well.

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In Case You Missed It

New main titles for The Simpsons.

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Homo-rality

Contrary to what some may believe, being gay doesn’t sever a person from morality. I am not out to convert anyone, recruit anyone, and I am not preying on children, but I am supposedly…

…the greatest threat to America…

Everyone that tries to tell me that being a homosexual is wrong is relying on one thing, their religious beliefs. It seems to be nearly impossible to divorce any discussion about the rightness or wrongness of homosexuality from religion, because when you do, the people against it have nothing to base their argument on, and any good debater will tell you that you don’t win a debate by bringing God into it because it’s a cop out. God is all mighty, he can do anything, so any argument against that is moot. It comes down to biblical passages written by men who were “under the influence of God” and “can’t be wrong”. Can someone name me one living human being that isn’t ever wrong about something? How about naming one human being that isn’t living that was never been wrong about something, and yes I know that the first answer to that question is going to be Jesus Christ, but then in John 10:30 Jesus says…

I and my Father are one.

Does that mean that Jesus wasn’t human after all?

Some say that being gay is a mental illness, even though the American Psychological Association removed it from their list of mental illnesses in the 1970’s

Is homosexuality a mental disorder? No, lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientations are not disorders. Research has found no inherent association between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology. Both heterosexual behavior and homosexual behavior are normal aspects of human sexuality. Both have been documented in many different cultures and historical eras. Despite the persistence of stereotypes that portray lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as disturbed, several decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream medical and mental health organizations in this country to conclude that these orientations represent normal forms of human experience. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual relationships are normal forms of human bonding. Therefore, these mainstream organizations long ago abandoned classifications of homosexuality as a mental disorder.

But as late as 2006, the Pentagon still deemed it as such.

Some believe that the “Homosexual agenda” is out to destroy the family. I have no such desire and I believe that the biggest threat to the family is poverty, infidelity, and divorce. In fact, I simply want to build my own family, to live out my life with the person I love. Yes I want all the local, state, and federal benefits that marriage brings to a family, but yet I’m supposedly not allowed to because I’m gay. Where in the constitution does it say that all men are created equal… except the gays of course.

In Act 1 Scene 3 of the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare writes a chilling paragraph about the Jews that became even more poignant during the dark days of World War II.

Shylock:
I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.

Those words from nearly 413 years ago could ring true today about any minority.

-David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star
Yes, like every other aspect of human culture, there are extremes. People who cross the line from calling for equality into violence. My sense of morality tells me that is wrong, and makes me choose to not participate in that. But it does not prevent me from speaking my mind in peaceful protest when I feel wronged by people who seem bent on turning America, the melting pot of the world, with all it’s diverseness in culture and religion, into a theocracy that preaches intolerance and hate.

The Rev Peter Mullen, chaplain to the London Stock Exchange, called for homosexuals to be tattooed with warnings about the perils of gay sex in a cigarette-packet-style health warning.

In my own personal experience, the realization that I was gay forced me to painfully examine not only my morality but my spirituality, and it all happened to me while I was in the worst place for it to occur, while serving in the United States Air Force.

For a time I abandoned both my morality and spirituality. Not to indulge in the…

…sexual perversion.

But to attempt to suppress the very nature of who I was, to fit in with my surroundings. I drowned my mind with vodka, and dated women. When my barracks roommate expressed to me that he thought I was hiding being gay and he was going to turn me in to the squadron commander, I went so far into the lie that I proposed to the girl I was seeing. In the early 90’s you could still be discharged for simply being gay, if it became known. After 11 months my marriage, and my military career came to an end, as my now ex-wife spent us into financial ruin and I drank myself into no where. Even after leaving Alaska and returning home to Iowa, I tried to deny who I really was until I ran into an old friend. We hung out together off and on and then one night he came out to me, not only about being gay, but that he had serious feelings for me. We became a couple that night, and have been together ever since (going on 11 years). He helped bring me back to my morality.

I do have moral values. I do believe in God. I believe in the value of family. I believe that war in any form is wrong, and that war in the name of any religious belief, whether it be the Jihadists of the Islamic world, the crusades of the middle ages, or the war of “regime change” in Iraq, are among the greatest sins. I believe that God would be angry at the way his name has been used over the centuries to foster hate, intolerance, and persecution. That isn’t what God is about. My morality tells me that God is about love, tolerance, and embracing the world in such a way that you leave it better than you entered it. My morality is stronger than ever and I'm proud to be who I am.

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Quote Of The Day III

"I think the governor of the state of Louisiana is a republican. I think he's been tapped as the up-and-coming republican to run for president the next time it goes around. So he has a certain vernacular and a certain way he has to talk right now. I don't think he's going impede us because Representative Clyburn did something very smart in the legislation. He basically said that if a governor does not want this money, the legislators can vote to accept the money. And I told the governor personally, any dollars he does not want, we will take them gladly." -New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin commenting on the use of federal stimulus money in Louisiana.

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Obama Bin Lyin'

For those of you who are tired of Barack Obama's shenanigans in only the first month of his presidency and want to simultaneously equate our president to a loathsome terrorist who killed over 3,000 people...

...and you want to shell out waaaay too much coin for two stickers.

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