Saturday, September 30, 2006

Law of Unintended Consequences Update

Lieberman is up by 10 points.

Quote:

"'Lamont wins among those who say Iraq is the most important issue to their vote, but that is only 35 percent of the electorate,' Schwartz said. 'Lieberman wins on all the other issues voters say matter most to them, including terrorism and the economy.'"


Imagine that!

Wonder what else the Law of Unintended consequrnces will tell the not=so mainstream Dems and the Nutrooter after the polls close on election night?

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Cartoon of the Day

It looks good on paper, but does absolutely nothing of consequence in the real world.

This is what you get when when you want to humor the so-called "scientific consensus" on "global warming ".....nonsense like this!

Excerpt:

"The bill, moreover, provides no hint whatsoever of how California will achieve these greenhouse gas cuts. Will emissions be cut via a carbon tax, an emissions trading regime, direct command-and-control regulation, an elaborate series of subsidies for non-carbon energy alternatives, 'make a wish' energy efficiency programs, or some combination of the above?

Who knows?"


And as we know, the upshot of the whole deal is that it won't make any difference in the "problem".

As we have previously established, anthropogenic CO2 constitutes an infinitesimal amount to the greenhouse gas problem, and even a 100% reduction in such would result in no practical benefit at all.

This dangerous economic manifesto must be STOPPED!

If Dizzy Dean and his pals get their way, it's trouble for the economy.

Conclusion:

"In the final analysis, Dean’s “New Direction” manifesto is pure Deanogoguery. Clearly, Deanonomics would dramatically alter how the U.S. economy is managed, initiating changes that would undermine our ability to grow and prosper in an increasingly competitive world."

We can't afford the "plan' the Dems are trying to sell us.

Let's make sure they don't get a chance to implement it.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

The New York Times: Chumps, or just Fanatics?

(hat tip: Hugh Hewitt)

In From the Cold has the details over the Times' and WaPo's babble regarding the latest NIE on Iraq.

Look at all the points the times got wrong, or just conveniently left out.

Excerpt:

"If sources used by the papers had access to the document, why weren't they asked about the positive elements of the report? Or, if sources provided some of the more favorable comments regarding our war on terror, why weren't those featured in articles published by the Times and the Post?"

"The Paper of Record", my ass!

And I'm flat out ashamed at WaPo, my old home town paper. Even though they are libs, they generally do a much better job at babblebalance than their overrated and overwrought cousins further north.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Quote of the Day


"The response of those who are properly called jihadists is, 'If you don’t stop saying we’re violent, we’re going to bomb more churches, kill more nuns and priests, and get the pope too.'

In short, the reaction has powerfully confirmed the problem to which Benedict called our attention."


--Richard John Neuhaus


You may not be old enough to remember....


But the original version of this car was pure sexual fantasy to most hormonal driven 16 year old males when it first came out.

Now, Lamborghini appears ready to bring back the Miura.

Would that I still had the testosterone level of those days!

Methinks Old Bill Doth Protest Too Much

....and most other observers agree.

Accurate observation:

"However, the idea Clinton promotes -- that 'the right' didn't want him to get bin Laden -- is simply not borne out by the facts as I remember them, and I don't think it's helpful to the country or to the war on terrorism."

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Fisking the "Iraq War Makes Terrorism Worse" Stories

....that the NYT and WaPo are running today, and the Nutroot/Loony Toon Left is sure to trumpet on the internet.

Here's the WaPo "story", complete with appropriate comments in yellow.

The best comment?

"So, fighting the indian only made more indians?"

You can't make "more" of what's already there. You can't make the disease any worse than it already is.

Let's also remember that "intelligence" also told us that the case for Iraqi WMDs was a "slam dunk".

Let's also remember that the entrenched career bureaucrats at the intelligence agencies have plenty of reason to put out partisan and agendized nonsense against the Bush Administration, as was the case in the the discredited Plame/Wilson nonsense.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Althouse has more evidence that the Law of Unintended Consequences is working

Read it here.

This comment pegs it for me:

"Scott W. Somerville said...

On the two hot topics--immigration and defense--Republicans are debating while Democrats sit it out without a plan. If gas prices were rising, they might get away with this. But with gas prices falling (and the stock market rising), all Democrats have to talk about is Wal-Mart.

And their voters shop at Wal-Mart.

I voted for Jimmy Carter twice. Where is the party of my youth?"


I only voted for him once, Scott..

The party of our youth doesn't exixt anymore.....hasn't existed in many years.

"Democrats Demand Voter Fraud Continue"

The excuses for opposing these requirements are laughable.

The Dems are GREAT at telling people what they're against, but they neglect to ever get around to what they're for.

"Republican culture of corruption:", "Bush lied-- people died", "tax cuts for the rich.", "no war for oil!" (we still hear THAT loony toon from time to time), and other mindless sound bites are NOT policy positions.

The voting public is not as stupid as the Democrats expect them to be.

The Law of Unintended Consequences continues to work silently.......

Chavez was wrong about the sulphur smell

Here's what it really is!

Excerpt:

......the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began gearing up to provide massive disaster relief in the so-called ‘blue states’ where FEMA expects members of the Democrat party will be hardest hit."

Friday, September 22, 2006

Quote (and Counter-Quote) of the Day

....from the Patriot Post, once again.

"They had money behind the lies,
and we did not have sufficient money behind the truth. I'm prepared
to kick their a** from one end of America to the other. I am so
confident of my abilities to address that and to demolish it and
to even turn it into a positive."

---John Kerry on the "Swift
Boaters"



"Well, he's got eight times as much time to prepare
for us as he spent in Vietnam."

---John O'Neill, co-founder of
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

Focusing on Fitzgerald

(hat tip: Fred Gregory)

It's time to hold people accountable for the phoney Plame Game Blame. Here's where and how we need to start.

Regarding John Bolton and the UN

 from "The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US)"

"[U.S. Ambassador to the UN John] Bolton's confirmation
for another two years at the UN would be bad news for the
secretariat. According to UN sources, [UN Deputy Secretary-General
Mark] Malloch Brown has been stirring up anti-Bolton sentiment
with his fellow ambassadors, who in turn have contacted
senators. Bolton has demanded reform at the UN, and that has not
made him popular with the world organization's bureaucrats. They
would like nothing better than to give this conservative diplomat
his comeuppance."

---Robert Novak

No surprise there......

"The Democratic Party and the Jews"

Elsewhere on Noteworthy is a thread about the shameful treatment of George Allen by the Dems/Lefties/Nutrooters over his Jewish heritage. The slime has been well documented.

But it doesn't stop there, as Ed Lasky discusses in his American Thinker article.

The list of the Democrat Hall of Shame on this subject is long.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is still at work.

Look what the Loony Toon Lefty

....conspiracy theorists are passing around the web.

Isn't it amazing the garbage that comes out of the Fever Swamp?

"Submit or Die"

Clifford May gets it right.

Excerpt:

"Most of the world's Muslims are neither rioting nor calling for the death of the Pontiff. But quite a few may reason that if Christians and Jews haven't the confidence to reject dhimmitude and defend freedom, they would be foolish to stick their necks out. After all, a Muslim who challenges the Islamist Fascists brands himself as an apostate – as deserving of death as any uppity pope."

Some of the folks who comment here are still in denial about the urgency of the threat. Instead, it appears it's more fun to overreact to a political fundraising letter, and accuse Republicans of "scare tactics".

Watch for the Law of Unintended Consequences to work wonders on these folks.

Here's a REAL 1st Amendment issue that needs attention

Selective enforcement of a law that restricts religious institutions' free speech rights is flat out wrong.

Noteworthy:

"The bias and discriminatory treatment of the IRS has been acknowledged by even those who have worked at the regulatory agency. In an interview with Insight magazine, former IRS commissioner Don Alexander said: 'I think there was selective enforcement during the Clinton years, when a church against Clinton was audited and its exemption revoked, but Clinton and Gore making political speeches from the pulpits . . . has been ignored.'

If you don’t think the heavy hand of the IRS has created a current of fear and intimidation that ripples through the religious community, consider what one pastor told the Wall Street Journal during the 2000 campaign after he received a warning from the IRS to tone down his political comments. 'It has had a chilling effect,' said the pastor."





Thursday, September 21, 2006

No, you DIDN'T imagine it, Frank.

It's just another Inconvenient Truth that you're not likely to hear from the Dems/Nutroots/Lefties/Loonies.

Excerpt:

"Tired phrase. I recalled yesterday that, over the last year or two, news story after news story has referred to the “increasingly unpopular Iraq war.” I asked if now we could expect an endless string of news stories with the phrase “increasingly popular Iraq war.”

But hold it. Were there really all these stories referring to the “increasingly unpopular Iraq war”? Were they only nightmares? Well, no. I checked, and there are tons of stories with that discouraging phrase."

Imagine that!

The Law of Unintended Consequences continues to produce its effects.

About the latest round of nonsense

....that the Dems are spewing about George Allen, as detailed by Captain Ed.

Excerpt:

"All the ex post facto rationalizations in the world cannot justify the ridiculous inquisition that Allen has experienced over the last week about not his faith, but that of his mother. It should shame everyone associated with this attack on Allen's family, which has no precedent in the last thirty years in which I've followed politics."

Of course, there are SOME people who won't see it this way. They'll be quick to mumble some incomprehesible rationale about "first amendment rights" for those who have slimeballed Allen and his family over this issue.

I think Jim Webb needs to step up and publically disavow this garbage.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Quote of the Day

"Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as
a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be
bound by its own voluntary act. In this relation, then, the
new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a
national constitution."

---James Madison

Unless of course our "progressive" friends manage to find a judge somewhere who says otherwise, and dreams up new and improved "rights" and "privileges" that never existed in the original.

...and now, The Trap is Sprung

I wonder if the Dems have figured it out yet?

Noteworthy:

"But the president has an even better political position. There is now a clear and live contrast between Bush and the Democrats on an important issue in the war on terror."

"Let Democratic candidates try to defend the notion that we'll get lots of credit in Europe by going the extra mile--as if the 2005 detainees legislation generated any good will there. Let Democratic candidates align themselves with world opinion (as interpreted by Colin Powell), and join in expressing doubt about 'the moral basis of our fight against terrorism.'"

The Law of Unintended Consequences continues to work quietly but efficiently.

"Suicidal Handwringing"

As usual, Thomas Sowell gets it right. Several of our Senators, and the bulk of the lefties and "civil liberties" don't have a clue.

Key points:

"Does any sane adult believe that the cutthroats we are dealing with will respect the Geneva convention? Or that our extension of Geneva convention rights to them will be seen as anything other than another sign of weakness and confusion that will encourage them in their terrorism?"


"Squeamishness about how this is done is not a sign of higher morality but of irresponsibility in the face of mortal dangers."

Exactly.

And let's be very clear on this point: The Constitution is NOT a suicide pact.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Blackmail? Or Is Iran Up to Something Else?

Austin Bay analyzes the possibilities.

Excerpt:


"I also think Iran fears “the Iraqi bulldog.” That term appeared in a cover story I wrote for the Weekly Standard in January 3, 2005.

An excerpt from that article:

Another acceptable End State [for Iraq, from the Coalition’s point of view] would be what a friend called “a too strong, bulldog Iraq.” Don’t dismiss the notion out of hand. Here are the attributes: “New Iraq” decides to rearm for offensive capability–and the French or Russians sell it weapons. Angry at perceived Syrian, Iranian, or Saudi interference, a brave new Iraqi government turns to regional assertiveness as a way of solidifying domestic support. The United States could live with this End State, but it would seriously frustrate attempts to spur political evolution in Saudi Arabia and Iran."


I think Austin Bay is right.

Opinions?

Witness the Law of Unintended Consequences at Work

Ann Althouse has the details.

The bottom line:

"Last week, the lefty bloggers maladroitly focused attention on the issue of whether Clinton mishandled the terrorism threat, which caused many people to watch a film they wouldn't have bothered with and to marshall the evidence that he, in fact, had screwed up. Then, the bloggers who performed that dubious service were lured by lunch in the presence of the ex-president, and when they went back to their blogs and enthused about his blue eyes and how delightfully charmed they were by his aura and, doing so, provoked a tiny sprinkle of mockery, they flipped out for days on end. Their freak out just got everyone talking about Bill's old sex problems again."

Saturday, September 16, 2006

So How Bad WAS the Recent Senate Report Regarding National Security and Intelligence?

Pretty bad, indeed.

Stephen Hayes, THE authority on this issue, puts it in the trash, where it belongs.

Noteworthy:

"And late last week, following the release of the Senate report, Barham Salih, deputy prime minister of Iraq, had this to say: 'The alliance between the Baathists and jihadists which sustains al Qaeda in Iraq is not new, contrary to what you may have been told.' Salih continued: 'I know this at first hand. Some of my friends were murdered by jihadists, by al Qaeda-affiliated operatives who had been sheltered and assisted by Saddam's regime.'"

Some day there will be an authoritative and richly detailed history of the nature of the relationship between the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and other Islamist terror groups. This latest product of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is unlikely to merit even a footnote in this history."

Democrats Who Understand the Urgency of Our National Security Challenges Are Rare

Obviously we have people like Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller, but we also have Ed Koch, who is unafraid to risk the ire of the Nutroots and the dizzy Deaniacs.

Excerpt:

"Now is the time for everyone to acknowledge the enormity of the danger we face and for reasonable people in both parties to join together to formulate a unified approach to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and indeed, to our foreign policy in the entire Middle East."

I'm afraid the not-so loyal opposition won't allow that to happen, Mr. Mayor. It runs counter to point number 1 on their election agenda:

"Say or do ANYTHING to regain political, social, and economic power, regardless of the damage it causes to the nation and its people."

Regarding Crime and Political Correctness

It's those nasty, evil white guys who do it. Every time.

Summation:

" But is the solution to those past and current sins, to create a fairytale entertainment world in which only white men can be portrayed as criminals. While amusing in its absurdity, it also draws attention the fact that as a nation, we are still not as comfortable or accepting of diversity as some would pretend."

There is no doubt about the truth of that statement.

Friday, September 15, 2006

"Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory"

....and vice versa, covered here, and here.

Excerpts from the first link:

"In the past, Americans have known more about what Bill Clinton pulled out of his pants, than what Sandy Berger stuffed into his."

"
I am betting that most will come down on the side of those candidates more concerned with preventing the murder of innocent Americans than those placing a higher priority on the rights of terrorists."

...and from the second:

"How the GOP's voter turnout operation performed last week gives us an advance peek into how they plan to overcome what election analysts say will be a Category 5 anti-Republican storm in November that could put the Democrats back in control of the House and weaken the GOP's hold on the Senate.

Insiders tell me that the RNC analyzes past turnout numbers and victory margins, and produces voter turnout target numbers in key races (often with a safety-margin) that they believe will be enough to overcome the Democratic vote."


"Meanwhile, if there was any enduring lesson out of Chafee's come-from-behind victory in Rhode Island, it is this: Don't underestimate the GOP's voter-turnout ground game."

The Lawof Unintended Consequences is working well, too.




Quote of the Day

(again from the Patriot Post )

“We think there’s a lot of politics in the president’s speeches—one every day on terrorism. They think they can’t win the elections unless they talk about terrorism all the time. We think we ought to talk about a new direction for the country.”

—DNC Chairman Howard Dean

When did you plan on starting, Diz?

Revisiting the definition of the word "is"

From the Patriot Post.

Key point:

" Truth, as we know, is not exactly the lingua franca of the Clinton crowd."

The REAL Clinton Legacy is now firmly established.

It's not gonna look pretty in the history books, Bill.

" 'Islamic fascism' is an accurate--and important--term'"

.....despite what others, particularly in the local blogsphere, would have you believe.

Details.


Excerpt:


'
Many liberals think this rhetoric too simplistic, that it is a moralistic ploy to justify military adventurism."

Hmmmm.....who does that passage describe locally regarding this term?

"Little Men and Women"

No doubt about the truth contained here.

"The only intent of these pests is to hinder and harass--they are determined to destroy; and never to help or facilitate anything constructive. Bush cannot ever ever be allowed to be right-- or even viewed as possibly right-- under any circumstances."

Exactly.

Be sure to follow the links to both the Warren and the York articles.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

So did YOU take financial advantage of this?

We discussed it here, and now we've come to this.

"With fear of supply disruptions ebbing, oil prices began sliding. With oil inventories high, refiners that turn oil into gasoline are expected to cut production. As refiners cut production, oil companies increasingly risk getting stuck with excess oil supplies. There's already anecdotal evidence of oil companies chartering tankers to store excess oil."

I'm a true consevative. I did not speculate in this commodity several months ago, as many did.

"That Old Piece of Cloth"

A tale of Redemption.

Hat tip: Virginia Postrel

Excerpt:

"Patriotism, I now believe, isn't some sentimental, old conceit. It's self-preservation. I believe patriotism is central to a nation's survival. Ben Franklin said it: If we don't all hang together, we all hang separately. Just like you have to fight to protect your friends and family, and you count on them to watch your own back."


I bet there are MANY stories like this one that can be told.

Politicizing Intelligence

We've talked about this before, but this article puts it in clear focus.

Key points:

" Intelligence re-examine for the umpteenth time the pre-war intelligence on Iraqi WMD programs and Saddam’s alleged ties to al-Qaeda. The reports were produced at the demand of committee Democrats as part of a vast fishing expedition aimed at buttressing their old saw, Bush lied-People died."


"The absolutely stunning news, totally unreported by the formerly mainstream media, is the scurrilous effort by committee Democrats to falsify the facts, introduce phony and erroneous conclusions, and then parade about on their political high-horse to journalists who never bothered to read the actual reports."

But we already knew that, didn't we?

There are two major reasons why these reports suddenly saw the light of day.

First, the Spinmeisters had to counter the negative effect of "The Path to 9-11" had on the "Clinton Legacy".

Second, those folks had to counter the momentum the momentum rapidly being gained by Republican candidates for the election in a little more than six weeks by the memory of 9-11 events, and our recent successes in thwarting terror.

For Democrats, good news about terrorism is bad news for their political chances. And any kindling of memories in the voting public about how weak they were and continue to be about terrorism is potentially devastating to their campaign to fool enough voters into giving them political power.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Professor Hanson's Postmortem Analysis

....of ABC's "The Path to 9-11".

Key point:


"And what are we to think of Bill Clinton lamenting the movie's supposed deviation from the "truth", or Sandy Berger's concern about protocols, or Madeline Albright's apparent charge of partisanship, this from a former Secretary of State who has traveled the globe plugging her book by faulting her successors to foreign media in a time of war. Although I'm not a fan of docudramas, I found The Path to 9/11, with its disclaimers, far closer to the "truth" about the saga of bin Laden than what turned up in Bill Clinton's "factual" autobiography."

Bankruptcy on Friday?

Is this really the end for Al Franken?

Does anyone besides their 37 listeners even care?

Something to think about

....regarding ABC's 9-11 docudrama and the Democrats/Clintonista/Bill Clinton damage control efforts, detailed here

Key excerpt:


"... Berger's archives visit occurred as he was reviewing materials as a designated representative of the Clinton administration to the national commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The question of what Clinton knew and did about the emerging al-Qaida threat before leaving office in January 2001 was acutely sensitive, as suggested by Berger's determination to spend hours poring over the Clarke report before his testimony."


On another aspect, isn't it funny how Corn is trying to do damage control by spewing nonsense about the director of the piece?

Was The Damascus Embassy Attack A Setup?

Points of view at the Counterterrorism Blog.

Interesting.

Further research might shed some more light on the attack.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

So How did the Lefty Blogs Choose to Remember 9-11?

Read about it here, and here.

Key point:

"I wanted to honor the memories of the 9/11 victims by focusing on what they brought into this world. I wanted to read and retell the tributes and inspirational stories of loved ones who altered the world around them by being the unique souls they were.

I believe this was accomplished by the DC Roe 2,996 memorial blogger commemorative

Others however saw the anniversary as an opportunity to take pot shots at America, the Bush administration, the War in Iraq and even a simple television dramatization of the events that led up to 9/11.

It is easy to find this other group of people because they are heavily represented by the Democrat Party, the mainstream media and the blogosphere. They form the core of today’s left wing political movement; and they move in unison. Thus you can practically pick a site at random to see the left in full libocrisy. "

No doubt about it.

More Bad News for the Dems

Remember who was howling the loudest about "Bush's high gas prices"?

Captain Ed has the story once again.

Noteworthy:

"Unfortunately for the Democrats, they built it into their political stocks as well by claiming that high oil prices were some sort of Republican plot."

Remember who liked to babble on about "No War for Oil" as one of their protest themes?

I find I miss that kind of nonsense from them. It gave "texture" to their agenda.

Can you lefties manage to work it back into your usual talking points routine?

Monday, September 11, 2006

The Words of Zawahiri

From Captain Ed.


Key excerpt:

"For those who doubt that Iraq holds much significance in the fight against al-Qaeda, Zawahiri assures people of its central nature:

'I tell them your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster which will shick you. And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events with Allah's permission and guidance. And I tell them, you have provided us with all the legal and rational reasons to fight you and retaliate from you, you have committed ugly crimes and broken the traties which you used ti impose on others. And for our part, we have repeatedly warned you and repeatedly offered a truce with you, and so we now have all legal and rational justifications to continue to fight you until your power is destroyed or you give in and surrender.”

“And I tell them you shouldn't bother yourselves with defending your forces in Iraq and Afghanistan because they are doomed to defeat and are all but defeated fighting their last battles. Rather, you should reinforce your defenses in two regions. The first is the Gulf, from where you will be expelled, Allah willing, after your defeat in Iraq, at which point your economic ruin will be achieved. And the second is Israel, because the Jihadi reinforcements are getting closer to it, with Allah's Help and Power, and your defeat there will put an end to contemporary Zionist/Crusader superiority....'

He sees our defeat and/or surrender in Iraq as the first step towards our economic ruin. Iraq has assumed that position because it signalled our resolve not to abandon the region to terrorists and genocidal dictators. Of all the post-9/11 developments, they fear Iraqi democracy the most. It would light a beacon for freedom that eventually would spread through the region, and that specifically rejects the kind of theocratic fascism that Zawahiri has planned for the ummah. Defeating us and driving us from the region would allow them to take over in Iraq, Zawahiri believes, and take control of the world's oil supplies in an eventual drive across the entire region."



And yet all we hear from the Naysayers and the Usual Suspects is how we need to get out, regardless of the ultimate cost we would have to pay.


It's a cost that would be FAR worse than the one we've already paid.

Five Years On

Perspectives, at NRO.

I really like Lilek's summary:

" The good news? We returned to our norm: cheerful industrious self-directed Americans who think in terms of fiscal quarters, not ancient grievances, and trust in Coke and Mickey to spread our message of tolerance and prosperity. The bad news? Same as the good. Or perhaps it’s the other way around."

Be sure to read what Pipes has to say, too.

His first line speaks the truth.


In case you're wondering, I will NEVER "get over it". I suspect I'm not alone.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

So Where's The Times and their Lefty Pals on THIS Story?

Guess it's just not important news anymore, is it?

Excerpt:

"The witness said that even in the thieves’ section prisoners were being treated badly. ”Someone was shouting ‘Please help us, we want the human rights officers, we want the Americans to come back’," he said."

Imagine that!

"The American Art of Whining"

In addition to being personally courageous, Virginia Postrel is one of our nation's most important thinkers.

Here's an example.

Excerpt:

"So why do we only hear bad news? Adam Smith knew.

'A continued Series of Prosperity,' he taught his rhetoric students, 'would not give us near so much pleasure in the recital as an epic poem or a tragedy which make but one continued Series of unhappy Events.'

In the rhetorical marketplace nothing succeeds like failure."


Read more about Virginia's theory of "Dynamism", and other iitems of interest at her Blog.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Quote of the Day

....from Powerline's John Hinderaker., regarding the Clintonista/Dem/Lib babble, dribble, drool, and spew about the ABC 9-11 project:


"......I would also note that President Bush has, to my knowledge, never said a critical word about his predecessor's failure to deal with the threat posed by al Qaeda and similar groups. If the Democrats had been willing to put aside their fecklessness after 9/11 and participate constructively in defending our security, I, too, would have little or no interest in revisiting the events of 1993 to 2001.

But there is a huge problem with this magnanimous approach. The Democrats are, today, trying to dismantle our efforts to fight the terrorists. They are trying to block the NSA from intercepting terrorists' communications; they are trying to force our armed forces to treat captured terrorists with the same deference they would accord to a member of our own services; and they are trying to block the confirmation of John Bolton as U.N Ambassador so that he can be replaced with someone who will offer meaningless platitudes instead of aggressive advocacy of American interests.

What the Democrats are trying to do is return to the hunker-down and hope for the best days of the Clinton administration. They are trying to sell the American people on the absurd proposition that the terrorist threat we face today is mostly George Bush's fault, and that if we only abandon his tough approach to national security, everything will be fine.

That is why I think it is critically important that the American people not be deceived about how we got to the pass we arrived at on September 11, 2001; and that is why, I think, the Democrats are so hysterical about The Path to 9/11.

We've been down that path before. Let's not try it again."


Cue the sounds of the nail being squarely hit on its head.

Image of the Day

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Quote of the Day

Rudy Giuliani, on Hugh Hewitt's radio show.


".....You know, there's a big difference between us on how to deal with this war on terror, meaning between Republicans and Democrats. President Bush, as I said before, believes that we have to be on offense against terrorism. He's absolutely right. We can't back off that. I believe the Democrats, at least a large number of them, don't believe that. They believe that we have to step back in Iraq. I think that recent calls for setting dates for withdrawals is really, really dangerous. I mean, it's hard for me to understand what the logic of that is, that you would tell your enemy, you know, we're going to withdraw on March 7th, or we're going to withdraw on February 3rd, or...all you do is empower them even more, and give them a sense that they can intimidate you."

Bush's "Failed Policies"?

I don't think so.....and neither does the Wall Street Journal.

Noteworthy:

"Nobody likes to tempt fate, so it's only natural that our political leaders would not advertise this fact too loudly. But at least it should temper the criticism of those who claim that the U.S. policy of aggressively interrogating suspects has yielded no credible information, a point President Bush finally got round to making this week. And it is a strong rebuttal to the argument that, by invading Iraq, the Administration lost focus on the terrorist threat and made America less safe."


".....Charles Duelfer's definitive post-mortem report on Iraq's WMD painted a different picture: Saddam maintained weapons programs that were in "material breach" of U.N. resolutions. And he intended to reconstitute his former programs as soon as the sanctions regime was lifted, something he was well on his way to accomplishing thanks to the global bribery scheme that was the U.N.'s Oil for Food program."



"
Saddam in power meant that virtually no other Arab problem, such as Syria's occupation of Lebanon, could be addressed, let alone resolved."


"
The costs of responding to 9/11 have been many, and the temptation is strong to think we can withdraw from Iraq, or from the larger Middle East without consequence to our own security. The abiding lesson of that day five years ago is that this is a dangerous illusion."


No question about the veracity of those statements.....except from those who like their "alternate reality" scenarios.

Happy Birthday, Otis!

Interesting stuff at Powerline.

The Law of Unintended Consequences Continues To Work

Details here.

Excerpt:

"This is exactly the sort of behavior that forces me to vote Republican even when I disagree with half their platform. Hopefully, the American people still believe the First Amendment should be upheld by both parties, and will act accordingly in November."

Exactly.

Stew? Stew? Are you out there on this?

Remember How the Dems/Libs/Nutrooters Jumped ALL Over George Allen Recently?

Look what they're up to now.

F'ing hypocrites!

Yet another example of "do as I say, not as I do" from those who want the citizenry of this country to let them mold social, political, and economic power.

Friday, September 08, 2006

The Visit

This event will prove to be an important display of the danger we face.

Let's let Bolton tear this dangerous klown a new one. Perhaps we can arrest him for his criminal conduct in the taking and the detention of American hostages in 1999.

Of course, to be consistent, we ought to do the same thing to Jimmy Carter.

Nah, that wouldn't work. Incompetence is not really a crime.


Side note:

The Khatami visit next week is a dress rehearsal for the more important visit to come. Mitt Romney is setting the right attitude for this.

So You Think A Single Payor Socialized Medical Program Will "Solve Our Problems"?

Think again.

In addition to all the horror stories about what this abominable concept will do for the quality of health care, this quote hits the mark regarding the costs:

"As for importing universal care, author P.J. O'Rourke said it best: 'If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's free.'"

Thursday, September 07, 2006

The Dems Are RunningScared

They're desperate to stop the ABC 9-11 program.

Noteworthy:

"Former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, a Republican who chaired the 9/11 commission and served as a consultant for the ABC miniseries, defended the production as politically balanced."


Funny, we didn't here a thing from theDems/Libs/Lefties over "The Regans" a while back.

And it's also funny about how they deny the media has any power when it comes to changing public opinion, particularly when it comes to undermining support for the Bush Administration's policies.

It's the same old story-- they're good at dishing it out, but they're terrible at taking it when it's focused back in their direction.

A Great New Website

...that's able to publish today what the future news will be, if a certain political party fools enough voters in November.

Once Again, It's Flat Out Amazing

.....how the Dems/Libs continue to embarrass themselves over their national security failures.

The newest example is the reaction to the President's speech yesterday.

The not-so loyal opposition actually thinks the story is a plus for them?

Unbelievable!

From the link, here's the end result:

"It will be delightful to watch in coming days and hours as bewildered Democrats try to understand what just hit them, and then sort through the rubble of their anti-Bush national security strategy to see what, if anything, remains."

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The Dems Must Enjoy Embarrassing Themselves

Otherwise, why would they do something as stupid as this?

Key point:

"It must be discouraging to our troops and to our generals when all of their work is second-guessed by this kind of ploy. The Democrat amendment may rile up the liberal base, but it won't kill a single terrorist or prevent a single attack."

Attention Ned the Cable Guy

Don't give up your day job, dude.



"Key finding: When asked which candidate is running a negative campaign, 40% say Lamont compared to 19% for Lieberman."

Ya think?

Quote of the Day

....regarding the recent nonsense the BDS/Lefty crowd tried to pull about the Administration using terror as a political tool:


"Talking about this dangerous world is not exploitation and
demagoguery, though the Democrats will attempt to make it so. The
president must not retreat when the Democrats say boo."

---Wesley Pruden

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Liveblogging Katie Couric's CBS debut

Professor Altman's post is funny.

Great comment from one of her readers:

"Mottos considered at CBS:

CBS NEWS with Katie Couric - for those with too much time on their hands."


I bet Rather is rather pissed right about now.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Roger Simon, On Why It All Happened

Artfully told, pointedly precise.

Key observation:

"In the beginning the left went along with Bush, but the minute things began to lag in Iraq, they deserted him in a flash. At first glance the reason was political but on a deeper (and I believe more important) level the reason was psychological. The left was in a rush to reclaim its lost idealism (the "it's about oil" nonsense was but an obvious example of this), to preserve its disintegrating sense of self. Of course the big loser in all this is the truth."

Rich Galen's Musings on National security and Politics

Can be read here.

Key point (about the November elections):


  • But when they actually vote, they will decide that they might not like the people who are running things on Capitol Hill now, but the world is too dangerous a place to hand it over to a bunch of rookies whom they don't know, don't trust and, so, won't elect.
  • National security is a political issue. And it is not a plus for the Democrats.

  • As I have said several times before, watch how the Law of Unintended Consequences works against the Dems.

    Cartoon of the Day

    Unsurprising News About "Global Warming"

    Details.

    Noteworthy:

    "The dire warnings of global warming of five years ago are now admitted to be exaggerated, by the very people who issued the warning"

    "Perhaps the most convincing sign that even the scientific scaremongers are not confident in their own predictions is their unwillingness to allow dissent and seriously argue with well-informed opponents. Instead, they impugn motivations, and tell journalists and the public that a “consensus” exists, which is not true."

    Speaking of Revisionist History About 9-11

    Althouse covers the Conspiracy Theory Whackos, particularly the ones with advanced degrees.

    Revisionist History At Work?

    Hugh Hewitt ponders the question.

    Quote from Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit):

    "Great pressure is being brought to bear on ABC and Disney to reopen the editorial process at this late stage (the documentary is supposed to air on September 10-11) so that the years 1993-2001 may remain forever airbrushed."

    Why are we not surprised?

    The "Legacy" must be preserved, regardless of the cost and regardless of the truth.

    Sunday, September 03, 2006

    Will Roger's Humor

    Will Rogers died in a tragic plane crash in 1935, yet
    he still ranks as one of America's greatest humorists.


    Here are a very few examples why:



    1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.


    2. Always drink upstream from the herd.


    3. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn
    by reading. The few who learn by observation, The rest
    of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out
    for themselves.


    4. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of
    that comes from bad judgment.


    5. If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look
    back every now and then to make sure it's still there.


    6. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it
    and put it back in your pocket.


    7. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.


    8. Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with
    sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called
    golf.


    9. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot
    easier'n puttin' it back.


    And last, for all our liberal friends:

    10. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt
    so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a
    hunter came along and shot him.


    The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth
    shut.

    Quotes of the Day

    (from the Patriot Post)

    "Unless we in the West adapt more quickly than do canny
    Islamic terrorists in this constantly evolving war, cease our
    internecine fighting and stop forgetting what we've learned
    about our enemies---there will be disasters to come far worse
    than Sept. 11."

    ---Victor Davis Hanson




    "Somehow, despite contrary facts that are palpably clear in the
    historic record, [American and European leaders] have managed to
    convince themselves and the world that the most terrible wars of
    the 20th century occurred because nations didn't do enough talking
    to resolve their differences [when in] fact, they occurred because
    shortsighted, peace-minded leaders allow[ed] good intentions and
    wishful thinking to take the place of an accurate assessment of
    the identity and intentions of their adversaries."

    ---Alan Keyes

    The Plamegate Hall of Shame

    Has many members at the national level, and quite a few at the local level.

    Here are some of the political players on the national scene.

    The Hall of Shame members on our local level?

    Well, they know who they are......if they're intellectually honest, that is.

    More importantly, WE know who they are.

    Saturday, September 02, 2006

    "Enough"

    Juan Williams adds his voice to an ever-growing group who are tired of the nonsense propagated by the "leaders".

    Cartoon of the Day

    More Lib "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" Hypocrisy

    On one of their key economic talking points, no less.

    Too funny for further comment!

    The "Loyal Opposition"-- Then and Now

    Great read at Powerline.

    Excerpt:

    "But the Democrats, far from rallying behind the war effort, attacked the administration at every turn -- Bush deceived the public on WMD; Bush had no plan for post-conquest Iraq; Bush let bin Laden get away in the mountains of Afghanistan; Bush didn't see to it that the explosives at Al Qaqaa were properly disposed of; Bush didn't figure out in advance how intense post-conquest resistance to the U.S. would be; Bush is responsible for the sexual frolic of national guard personnel at Abu Ghraib, etc, etc."



    Here's the AmSpec article that was linked.

    The upshot?

    Our criticism of the (Not So) Loyal Opposition of today is protested vociferously by those who are criticized as "Questioning our Patriotism".

    I don't think the American public is fooled by their protests.






    And ANOTHER big Lib Talking Point out of their Election Playbook goes down the drain

    Their "income inequality", "tax cuts for the rich", and "things were much better under Clinton" mantra has been revealed for the utter nonsense that it is.

    Noteworthy:


    "First, the new data show that the bottom 50% of Americans in income--U.S. households with an income below the median of $44,389--paid a smaller share of total income taxes in 2004 (3.3%) than in Bill Clinton's last year in office (3.9%). That 3.3% is the lowest share of total income taxes paid by the bottom half of earners in at least 30 years, and probably ever. The majority of American families with an income below $40,000 pay no income tax at all today, and many of them also get a welfare subsidy from the Earned Income Tax Credit that effectively offsets much of what they pay in payroll taxes.

    By contrast, Americans with an income in the top 1% paid 36.9% of all federal income taxes in 2004, down slightly from 37.4% at what was the height of the dot-com boom in 2000. But the top 5% and 10% of earners saw an increase in their tax share over that same period, with the top 5%'s share rising to 57.1% in 2004 from 56.5% in 2000."

    "The inequality theme somehow only emerges when Republicans are in power, and this or that statistic can be trotted out to play to the stereotype that the GOP cares only about the rich, or Halliburton."

    "
    We'd suggest readers ignore the inequality fad that is intended for election-year consumption and keep their eyes on what really matters--the policies that promote growth and prosperity for all Americans."

    Powerful stuff.

    It totally refutes EVERYTHING the Dems and their minions have been babbling about the economy ever since 2001.

    Look for the hypocritical outrage and the distortions to be FURIOUS from those who can't afford the political damage this report will inflict on their cause.

    Let's make sure we get this information into the hearts and minds of the public.

    Friday, September 01, 2006

    And yet NOTHING continues to be done about it

    Not a real big suprise to read this story, is it?

    WHEN do we get serious about solving ALL the problems illegal immigration brings upon us?

    HOW LARGE a price will we have to pay for our failures to control this?

    WHEN will some people stop putting impediments in the way of a solution?