Score another one for the Blogosphere...

CNN's chief news exec. Eason Jordan resigns.

Michelle Malkin has a terrific summary of the events as they unfolded over the last couple of weeks.

Jordan's outrageous statement in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum that he knew of 12 journalists target and killed by U.S. troops in Iraq, was published by eyewitness from ForumBlog.org and got picked up by other blogs soon afterward. As the news spread like wildfire, Rony Abovitz publicly called for Eason to back up this wild assertion, which proved to be completely bogus.

While the MSM quietly tried to ignor the fracas, Blogs from all over turned up the heat. And the dam burst. As Malkin reports:

On Tuesday Feb. 8, CNN employee and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz finally published a story on the controversy, rehashing much of what I'd reported on this blog--except with a transparent coat of whitewash. Kurtz was roundly mocked by the blogosphere and has done permanent damage to his reputation as an effective media critic.

and

The shock waves that have overwhelmed CNN started with a single blogger and reverberated worldwide. I agree with Rony Abovitz that there should be no joy in watching Eason Jordan's downfall. But there is certainly great, unadulterated satisfaction in seeing the collective efforts of the blogosphere--citizens and professional journalists among them--produce the one thing the MSM has for too long escaped in its walled-off world: accountability.

Amen. See Michelle's whole post: Easongate: A Retrospective

Posted by: Gary at 02:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 255 words, total size 2 kb.

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln!

The greatest President in U.S. history...

and the first Republican President in U.S. history.

Posted by: Gary at 02:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 22 words, total size 1 kb.

Rich Lowry at NRO has a great piece on Condi today...

Capping off a celebration of the fact that we finally have a real Sec. of State who's young, vigorous and loyal to the President's policies, he makes an excellent point on her affect as the public diplomatic face of America:

"The message of her ascension to the top echelon of the U.S. government couldn't have come at a better time. When Bush is trying to reform a part of the world that has the lowest possible regard for women, Rice implicitly says women are as capable as men. When Bush wants Middle Eastern governments to respect pluralism and people of all faith and ethnicities, Rice implicitly says race and creed needn't matter. When Bush is extolling the power of freedom and American ideals, Rice implicitly says liberty and respect for human dignity can triumph over injustice, as they did in her 1950s-era Birmingham, Ala."

Go Condi Go! Link

Posted by: Gary at 02:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 170 words, total size 1 kb.

DEMS TO BUSH: STOP TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR LEADER...

No fair! No fair! Stop picking on Harry Reid! Whaaaaaaaa!

Senate Democrats actually sent a letter to the President demanding that the RNC stop publicizing all of Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid's prior public statements in which he was FOR partial privatization of Social Security, that there WAS a crisis in Social Security (in 199 and that all judicial nominations ARE entitled to an up or down vote in the full Senate - no filibusters. But of course, NOW he's taking the exact opposite positions on all of the above. This is what's known in the real world as HYPOCRISY! And the RNC is calling Reid on it.

But to the partisan hacks in the Senate, this is an attack. Actually what the Dems are doing is only calling attention to the charges - which are only the truth - and keeping the spotlight on negative press for Harry Reid.

The average American knows what's an unfair smear and what is calling a spade a spade. As political strategy goes, this one is a loser. They only continue to show what disingenuous cry-babies they are.

Keep it up guys, you're doing great...

I won't bother linking the story from CNN, because all it does is make the Democrat complaints appear legitimate.

Posted by: Gary at 11:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 231 words, total size 1 kb.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK...

John Kerry was asked what the Democratic Party needs to do in order to win. His answer was nothing:

"This great party of ours doesn't need a makeover," Kerry said. "This party is poised to win in the future."

Let's hope the rest of the Democrats are on board here.

Hat tip: NRO

UPDATE: Columnist Robert Novak has a good one worth honorable mention:

"The imminent election of Howard Dean as Democratic national chairman reflects the party's division and inability to put together a unified facade."

Posted by: Gary at 10:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 94 words, total size 1 kb.

Disgraced Former President and all around Appeaser breaks silence...

Jimmy Carter, who's one-term Presidency will forever by associated with the word "malaise", finally came out yesterday to say a positive word about the Iraqi elections - MORE THAN A WEEK AND A HALF LATER.

From the Wash Times:

Former President Jimmy Carter, who predicted that elections in Iraq would fail and in the past year described the Bush administration's policy there as a quagmire, this week ended 10 days of silence to declare the historic Iraqi vote "a very successful effort. "I hope that we'll have every success in Iraq," Mr. Carter said in a CNN interview. "And that election, I think, was a surprisingly good step forward."

The ex-Peanut Farmer was awarded a bogus Nobel Prize for screwing the U.S. in independent negotiations with North Korea because the Nobel commitee wanted to stick it in the eye of Pres. Bush. This guy who was humiliated by a handful of Iranian STUDENTS because of his COMPLETE IMPOTENCE AND INCOMPETENCE was finally shamed into admitting that he was WRONG AGAIN.

Why doesn't this guy just go away and spare the United States further embarrassment?
Link

Posted by: Gary at 09:05 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

Prince Dipshit gets it backwards...

British monarch to be, Prince Charles of Windsor finally married that old hag, Camilla Parker-Bowles. This is the woman he basically abandoned Princess Diana for, before her untimely death in 1997.

OK, so you marry a beautiful young woman who looks like she stepped out of a fairy tale and you essentially dump her (though not officially) for a skanky old broad in her fifties who looks like she was born underneath a warthog.

Charles, wake up. It's supposed to work the other way around if it goes that way at all. And this moron is going to be King someday? Thank God, the British monarch is essentially a show horse with no real power. This is not the kind of judgment you would expect from a national leader. What has the U.K. come to?

If I were British I would be calling for this jug-eared idiot to be exiled, and have young William take the Crown when Liz II finally kicks. Better yet, why not just abolish the whole monarchy thing altogether? If it's not going to be continued in the kind of dignified manner that befits a 1,000 year old institution, then what the hell is the point?

Posted by: Gary at 08:46 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 210 words, total size 1 kb.

THE STORY SO FAR (PART IX)...

Prior chapters linked below:

Part VIII

Part VII

Part VI

Part V

Part IV

Part III

Part II

Part I
-----------------------------------------------------------

Now about this time (summer 2000), John McCain was out and Dubya was in, at least unofficially until the convention. So I took the opportunity to find out as much as I could about George W. Bush.

I new there were lots of biographies out there, most of which were filled with rumor and innuendo from his wilder days. So I went right to an author who lived in Texas and had covered him for years, Bill Minutaglio. I found his book, First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, not only full of information about the candidate but also about his family going back to old Sen. Prescott Bush of CT. It was a fair account of his life, perhaps a little soft around the edges, but a good read. And one that I recommend. Then I went to his autobiography, A Charge To Keep. Like all autobios it glossed over a lot of the negative aspects of his life, but it gave me a bit more insight into the man.

At that point I kind of got obsessed with the new media: talk radio, right-leaning periodicals, conservative or Republican websites. I did a lot of reading, and a lot of thinking. Some things I didn't quite agree with, but most of it really made a lot of sense and at the very least helped reinforce the idea that I was never a liberal. Sure I took the Democrat position in a knee-jerk way without really thinking about it. And most of the time, that was the liberal view. But I never identified with the left-of-center ideology that had taken hold of the party over the last thirty-five or forty years.

But I digress.

So I identified W as the guy I would support. First came the conventions, then the debates, then the home stretch. The more I saw of Bush, the more I liked him both as a candidate for President and as a person. The Gore team hammered at the same old tactics. Al Gore made my skin crawl. And it was painfully obvious that he was not a man who was comfortable in his own skin. He changed his persona over and over, desperately trying to reinvent himself as someone the voters could get excited about.

Anyway, I never doubted that Bush was the better man for the job. And as the Democrats attacked him viciously and personally. Democrat-supporting groups ran appalling ads that distorted his record as Governor. One ad even suggested that because Bush didn't support "hate-crimes" legislation in Texas that should be equated with the two scumbags that had beaten a black man named James Byrd and dragged him to his death with their pick-up. The NAACP paid for this ad and used James Byrd's daughter to do the voiceover to give it a more personal touch. Forget that the guys in question were convicted at trial and received the ultimate penalty - the death penalty - which was enforced by that same Governor Bush.

Anyway, the campaign was long and grueling and Bush was in pretty good shape when FoxNews broke a story the Thursday before the election that Bush had been pulled over for a DUI in Maine thirty years before and supposedly was given special treatment because of his family. Forget for a moment that it was pretty commonplace in the 1970's for a police officer anywhere in the country to let a driver who appeared under the influence off with a warning and an order to go straight home. Bush had admitted to having a past he was not proud of, and made no secret that he had a problem with alcohol until he quit drinking at the age of forty. This issue - to me - was really a non-issue and a late hit that shouldn't have made any difference. But it did.

The polls tightened in those last few days and results were close. The irony is that right before election day, the Democrats feared that Gore might win the Electoral College vote (which is constitutionally how Presidents are elected) but lose the popular vote, something that has only happened a couple of times throughout American history. And his campaign put out statements that if that happened the people should understand that the Electoral College winner was the legitimate winner. But something happened on election night. Despite the fact that the MSM called Florida for Gore before the polls had even closed, Bush did win Florida and 271 total Electoral votes.

The Dems watched the returns late into the night and believed themselves that it was over. But a bunch of lawyers huddled with Gore's campaign manager and hatched an idea. I could not believe it when they reported that Gore had conceded to Bush, then called him back to retract it. What followed was thirty-four grueling days of disputes, lawsuits, rule changes and an overall disgusting display of political war. Gore's lawyers screamed that "every vote be counted" while they did everything they could to throw out as many overseas military absentee ballots that they could, as they clearly favored Bush. Al Gore, a man who sought to be the nation's Commander-In-Chief sanctioned the nullifying of votes by servicemen and women stationed around the world. I wanted to puke.

If there was ever a chance of me considering voting for a Democrat again, that chance evaporated during that whole debacle. Democrats and leftists all over the country spent the next year trying everything they could to de-legitimize Bush's Presidency. Although he won the first count, and the re-count and the re-re-count, Dems would never accept the result as valid and their anger and bitterness and resentment only continued to fester. I have never seen a President so hated by the opposition that they would reflexively deride anything he proposed or supported and even suggested.

That hatred would simmer on the left, waiting for it's next chance...in the next campaign. For revenge. It was going to be ugly. But after one beautiful sunny day in September of 2001, the hatred would go underground and hide for a while. For a brief period of weeks, the rancor over that election would subside if only for a short respite as we all sat in our homes and considered an entirely new threat. There was (or seemed to be) genuine unity in the days that followed that tragic moment.

But sadly, it didn't take long for that unity to erode and for the ugliness to crawl out from its hiding places. (To be concluded...)

Part X (the final chapter)

Posted by: Gary at 10:19 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1134 words, total size 7 kb.

Looky here, how did I miss this?

Apparently, the U.S. Labor department reported that jobless claims fell to 303,000 - the lowest in four years. And the unemployment rate fell to 5.2% from 5.4% - the lowest since 9/11.

Gee, I don't remember seeing this reported in the MSM last Friday when the story broke. Isn't this NEWS after all? And we heard so much about these stats in 2004, too.

Well, I have the answer: The MSM isn't interested because:

• the election is over and it can't hurt Bush
• it wouldn't hurt Bush anyway, because it's GOOD news

see: U.S. Jobless Claims Fall 13,000 to 303,000, Lowest in 4 Years

Posted by: Gary at 01:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 117 words, total size 1 kb.

Great Moments in Socialism...

Well, it looks like France is re-valuating its mandated 35-hour work week. "Black" Jacques Chirac is actually quoted as referring to the 35-hour workweek as a "brake" on economic development and job creation. Gee, Jacques. Do ya really THINK so?

According to the attached article, France's lower house of parliament voted 370-180 on the measure that would permit private sector employees to work up to 48 hours each week, which is the maximum permitted by the European Union. Maybe some folks over there will actually take the initiative and work a little longer to earn more? Nah, the more they work, the more the govt. takes. No incentive there. Oh well.

The shiftless, lazy Socialists/Communists are up in arms:

The shortened 35-hour workweek was put in place between 1998 and 2000 by the previous Socialist government which touted it as a social breakthrough. Opponents of the new measure contend that the shortened workweek would be effectively destroyed. "Never since 1936 has a government intervened to prolong the time at work," said communist lawmaker maximum Gremetz. Leisure time is sacrosanct in France - workers get at least five weeks vacation a year plus 11 national holidays.

It's called Free-Market Capitalism, chief, you should try it. Maybe then France wouldn't have an unemployment rate near 10%, almost double that of the U.S. And those that do work, lose half their paycheck to Uncle Jacques. What must it be like to have five-plus weeks of vacation time every year and not be able to afford to go anywhere - except to the neighboring broken down European country?

Link: France May Nix 35-Hour Work Week

Posted by: Gary at 11:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 279 words, total size 2 kb.

Deaniacs finally have a victory party...

They were out in full force last night in D.C. in anticipation of the inevitable vote on Saturday that will put Howard Dean in as chairman of the DNC. The bottom line from Dean's speech was "We're not going to change!".

Byron York at NRO describes the scene:

Dean began to outline his plans for the party. And indeed, as his supporters wanted, the old Howard Dean began to emerge. If any Democrats hoped his DNC agenda might differ substantively from the Dean presidential campaign, and that it might include gestures of moderation, they were probably disappointed.

And then Howard's pledge to the throng of adoring Deaniacs:

After his speech, Dean stepped outside to give another talk to the overflow crowd that was waiting outside the Brewing Company. "I want you to turn around and look behind you," he told them, pointing to the brightly lit Capitol building. "After 2006, we're going to make major strides toward regaining control of that building, and in 2008 we're gonna have it. And in 2008, they'll be a Democrat walking up Pennsylvania Avenue to the other end."

By maintaining it's stalwart, kooky, leftward-tilt? Yeah, good plan. There is about to be a civil war for control of this party over the next four years, the moonbat Deaniacs and the "Republican-lite" Clintonites. You can't underestimate the control Dean's grass-root supporters will exert on the Democrats. Hillary will no doubt offer herself up as the Left Center alternative - the "Moderate" choice, which of course will be nothing but a facade. But it will be interesting to see which group prevails, Clinton's big-money donors or Dean's foot soldiers. Of course - unless they can get past their differences and enthusiastically work together to support one or the other - no matter who wins, it's likely the party will lose - again. Link

UPDATE:
Great observation in The American Spectator:

Officially, Howard Dean based his DNC candidacy on his strong campaigning and organizational skills. But he noted Wednesday that he didn't find Internet support. It found him. He's no brilliant organizer. He's a rhetorician. Dean won't be a fundraising suit. He won't be a moderate. Dean is reaching for power, warning congressional leadership and jazzing up the troops by noting "people in this town are afraid I'll be very unorthodox." He will be. And Jim Jeffords knows the score. He noted last night that after his conversion when Dean was running, he knew "the nation was back on course. That didn't happen this time ... It's going to happen next time." Next time? Has anyone told Hillary?

Link: The Scream Is Back

Posted by: Gary at 10:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 448 words, total size 3 kb.

The New Reagan Commermorative Stamp is out...

Can't wait to go down to my local post office and buy a book of these from the civil servant behind the counter who always has National Public Radio playing in the background. I'll bet he hates having to sell these almost as much as the "Madonna and Child" stamps at Christmas.

Posted by: Gary at 10:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 66 words, total size 1 kb.

N. Korean officials offended by "Team America"...

Um, wasn't that the POINT, dudes?

The folks at the North Korean embassy in Prague demanded that the Czech government ban the movie. Being as the Czechs are no longer constrained by the disease of Communism, they told Kim's diplomats to go screw themselves.

Link: "Team America" Unsettles Team Kim

Posted by: Gary at 08:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 64 words, total size 1 kb.

President Condi?...

Dick Morris thinks it's a good idea: To Stop Hillary, Draft Condi.

I do too. And for it's own sake, not just as a plan to thwart the Hildebeast.

Posted by: Gary at 11:45 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 33 words, total size 1 kb.

THE STORY SO FAR (PART VIII)...

The grand tale continues...
Prior Chapters linked below:

Part VII

Part VI

Part V

Part IV

Part III

Part II

Part I
-----------------------------------------------------------

What Next? (1999-2000):

Sometime in mid-1999 – I think it was the summertime – I was casually talking to Mrs. Gandalf about politics (one of those extremely rare occasions). Nothing too complicated, just something along the lines of speculation as to who would be running for President in 2000. Now at the time, I knew Gore would run. I’m not sure if Bradley had announced at that point yet. As for the Republicans, I had only seen brief sound bites from debates on the news.

Bush, for the most part, was a complete unknown to me – as he was with much of the rest of the country. There wasn’t anything I disliked about him, nor was there anything I particularly cared for. About all I knew of Bush was that he was Bush 41’s eldest son, the Governor of Texas, and when asked which philosopher he was most influenced by, he answered “Jesus Christ. Because He changed my heart.” And that’s about it. But although I new little OF him at that point I was able to gather that he was a pretty amiable and likable guy. However, I do remember saying to the wife that – at that very early date – I was confident enough to predict that Bush would most likely be the next President. In retrospect, I’m not exactly sure why. It could be that my old college roommate had moved to Texas and he always raved about what a fantastic Governor he was. But being a political junkie, it wasn’t crazy for me to make a call that early in the process.

I know from reading a lot about the Â’88 and Â’92 campaigns that W was kind of the black sheep of the family and he was a big help to his father during that time. In fact, as it is so often pointed out, George wasnÂ’t expected to be the successful on in politics. All eyes at the time were on his younger brother Jeb. I was attending an offsite seminar for my job during the off-year 1994 elections. There was a guy in my group from Florida and he was a big Jeb supporter. As the returns come in, he was really disappointed that his guy had lost out to Lawton Chiles for Florida Governor. The big surprise was George W. winning in Texas. I didnÂ’t even know at the time that he was running.

For the first time since 1988, I was fully prepared not to vote in a Presidential election. There was no sense of anticipation or excitement. Nothing. I was also fully in the midst of the final stretch of getting my MBA so there wasnÂ’t a lot of time anyway. Having left the Democrat party, I didnÂ’t really have a horse in the race, so to speak. By the time January 2000 came about, Bush was pretty much seen as the front-runner and the only other candidate that seemed to have a shot at the nomination was AZ Senator John McCain. And it is because of McCain that I am a Republican today.

McCain ran as a Reagan devotee and didn’t shy away from his conservative credentials. I admit he seems to do this more and more of just that today. I actually got excited about McCain because of his energy, enthusiasm and passion. Plus, I admit, I liked his story. He was a former POW, strong on defense and had a “straight talk” approach on the campaign trail. I first began to follow McCain closely after he upset Bush in the New Hampshire primary. Of course, so had the media. They were following him around on his tour bus, like a pack of over-excited puppies. And, admittedly, it was his candor and straight-forwardness that piqued my interest. And I began to listen…

He began going after Clinton-Gore by talking about conservative ideas. I was really fascinated. I listened to him on radio shows like Imus in the Morning and television shows, anyone that broadcast him – which was pretty much everyone at that point. Suddenly, a guy that seemed a long-shot for the Republican nomination seemed to have the momentum. Of course, the party establishment who had a lot invested in Bush’s candidacy – both literally and figuratively – was not about to throw in the towel. It became a real fight.

Now, on the Democrat side, neither Gore nor Bradley interested me at all. To me, Al Gore has always been a phony. This was a man who had been running for President since he was a child, prodded on by the ghost of his father, TN Senator Al Gore, Sr. Gore was quoted as saying “He (Bush) can lose and he’ll just go back to Texas. But me? I’ll do anything to be President.” But McCain seemed to me to be the real deal. I read his biography, watched his speeches and even attended a local rally for him during just before the CT primary.

Now in Connecticut, the State GOP requires that only registered Republicans can vote in the primary. I personally agree with this requirement. Many States had open primaries but the argument against this is that anyone – including registered Democrats could influence the party’s nominee. Frankly, this is how McCain managed to win New Hampshire and several other primaries. Supporters argued that he appealed to a broader base – which was certainly true in my case – but on the other hand I don’t think it’s right that anyone other than party members should make this decision. If non-Republicans want to vote in the primary, let them register.

Which is exactly what I did. A pretty bold move for me.

On primary day, I gleefully voted for McCain and waited for the results to come in. In a nutshell, McCain won about a third of the primaries that day, mostly in the Northeast and West. But the delegate tally of that day, which was called ‘Super Tuesday’ because of the number of primaries, vaulted Bush well into the lead. It was all but over for McCain. The next step for the Senator over the next couple of weeks was to concede the rest and throw his support to Bush in a gesture of party unity. For several weeks, I was a little bitter. I knew the chances were slim but I held out hope. Then those hopes were dashed. Well, I’d been there before and over the years my skin had thickened. Now I had spent the last two months being so anti-Gore that voting for him was simply out of the question. My position now was to vote for Bush – by default – or just not to vote at all. Frankly, the latter choice was more abhorrent to me than registering with a party that I had always viewed as ‘the enemy’.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a great stump speech he calls “Then you are a Republican.” He had the opportunity to showcase it in prime time at the 2004 GOP convention. It basically says if you stand for this or if you believe in that…then YOU are a Republican. That’s how I felt during this time. It’s like I finally understood that I had been supporting something I didn’t really believe in all these years simply because it’s what I grew up with. This was the “Great Awakening” that I experienced at this time. When I went down to the registrar’s office in my town and officially registered as a Republican, it really felt right. (no pun intended). (To be continued…)

Part IX

Posted by: Gary at 04:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1300 words, total size 8 kb.

Patriots are 3-0, Democracy is 4-0...

Yes, the Pats are now 3 for 3 in Superbowl victories over the last 4 years. But even more impressive is the undefeated record of free elections in the last 4 months. As Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol outline in their Weekly Standard article, A Realigning Election:

First, there were the elections in Afghanistan last October. Despite predictions of disaster, eight million Afghans voted for the first time in their war-savaged lives. Afghan women, who but three years before were among the most oppressed people on earth, were able to cast ballots as full-fledged citizens. As one Afghan told a New York Times reporter, "In the whole history of Afghanistan this is the first time we come and choose our leader in democratic process and free condition. I feel very proud and I feel very happy." The Times reported that the man, a Tajik, had voted for Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun.

Then, in December, came the crisis and democratic triumph in Ukraine. Elections stolen by a corrupt Ukrainian government with the connivance of Russia's ruler, Vladimir Putin, were reversed by a massive display of "people power" in the streets of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. A new round of elections brought some 27 million Ukrainians out to vote--roughly three-quarters of those registered--in what will go down in history as the "Orange Revolution." "This is the people's victory," one man told a Washington Post reporter. "Ukraine will finally achieve what it wanted when it got its independence from the Soviet Union. Democracy will finally reign in this country. It won't happen overnight, but it's begun."

Then, last month, the Palestinian people held elections for a new prime minister, the first in nine years. There, too, turnout was huge, and the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, received an overwhelming majority of the votes. As one senior Fatah leader told the Washington Post, "This is a historic vote for us. The most important thing is not the winner. The most important thing is to see the Palestinian people committed to the principle of democracy."...Finally, there were the elections in Iraq. We don't need to add to the stories that Americans already know well, of millions of Iraqis risking their lives to cast votes, defying the terrorists who threatened to kill them and in some cases succeeded. But it is worth contemplating whether, as the Independent suggests, the Iraq elections may mark "the start of great change across the whole region."

And the critics say Democracy won't work where it doesn't already exist. Whatever.

Posted by: Gary at 11:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 433 words, total size 3 kb.

Back-Stabbing French Govt. seeks to warm relations to U.S...

Well, looky here. It seems "Black" Jacques Chirac is reaching out to its sister republic (ahem) to get back on board with the transatlantic alliance: France Calls for Fresh Start in Relations with U.S.

It makes for a nice public display for our oldest enemy* but deep down we know these cretins are scheming to undermine us in any way possible. Should make for an interesting meeting with Condi. Hope she's assertive with ol' Jacques (in a pleasant sort of way)

*see: Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America's Disastrous Relationship with France.

UPDATE:
Brendan Miniter at Opinionjournal.com weighs in: The Cows Come Home

Posted by: Gary at 08:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 122 words, total size 1 kb.

Off to a great start...

Let's take a quick look at the last 30 days for the Democratic Party, shall we?

• Sen. Barbara Boxer leads a one-woman protest in the Senate (joined by her House colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus) to try an undermine the legitimacy of the Nov. 2 election just as the Electoral votes are about to be certified
• Boxer and ex-KKK kleagle Sen. Robert Byrd attack Bush's nominee for Secretary of State - Condoleeza Rice (the first black woman to ever hold that post) at her confirmation hearings
• Other Democratic Senators - led by Sen. Chris "Asshat" Dodd - similarly attack Bush's nominee for Attorney General - Alberto Gonzalez (the first Hispanic-American to ever hold the post) at his confirmation hearings
• Sen. "Tailspin" Teddy Kennedy compares Iraq to Vietnam, two days before the Iraqi elections
• Sen. John F. Kerry (aka "the Poodle") questions the legitimacy of the Iraqi elections on Jan. 30, hours before the polls close
• The Iraqi elections - for which no Democrat can seem to muster an ounce of support - are a resounding success
• The de facto leaders of the Democratic party, Sen. Harry Reid and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, follow up Bush's wildly successful State of the Union Speech with fifteen minutes of unwatchable "doom and gloom" looking like a local mortician and a cadaver that the mortician recently worked on, respectively
• Howard Dean, the man who will undoubtedly be elected chairman of the DNC on Saturday said publicly: "I hate the Republicans and all that they stand for."

All in all a pretty terrific month for the GOP, I would say.

Keep it up guys, you're doing FINE!!

Posted by: Gary at 01:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 275 words, total size 2 kb.

Reagan's legacy...

Great article in NRO fleshing out how Ronald Reagan was able to fuse several factions of conservatism in America into the political movement that exists today.

Tribute to the Reagan legacy

The author, Gleaves Whitney explains:

"Two writers for The Economist, John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, observe in their book The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America that Reagan achieved his own fusion, selectively appropriating the principles of classical conservatism and those of classical liberalism into a new synthesis. From the former he championed the belief in a transcendent moral order, respect for Western civilization, the legitimacy of old institutions, the force of custom, property rights, and a narrowly defined foreign policy. From the latter he championed individual freedom, equality of opportunity, the rule of law, constitutional government, lower taxes, and less regulation of business. Unifying the two different conservative strands were a fierce love of country and populist streak. It helped politically that Reagan rejected the historical pessimism of the traditionalists, embracing instead a sunny outlook toward the future. He genuinely believed in the limitless good the American people could do — if they were free. "His was the conservatism not of country clubs and boardrooms, but of talk radio, precinct meetings, and tax revolts."

Incidentally, I read the book referred to above and while you can tell it was written from an outsiders (i.e. British) perspective it offers some interesting analysis.

Posted by: Gary at 01:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 2 kb.

Canada bound...

Apparently there really are some people who are actively trying to relocate North in the wake of the election. Some in U.S. vote with their feet.

Now, does this not strike you as COMPLETELY IRRATIONAL AND CHILDISH? Here's a guy from Bellingham, WA who lives in a State so dominated by Democrats that they were able to steal a Gubernatorial election by "finding" a bunch of supposedly uncounted votes in a heavily Democratic county. And on further examination there is quite a bit of evidence that several votes for the Democrat are fraudulent (there may actually be a re-vote in the near future). But I digress.

Honestly, it doesn't seem to me like this guy is living in an environment openly hostile to his personal philosophy. In fact he describes his current community as "the sort of place Norman Rockwell would paint, where everyone watches out for everyone else and we have block parties every year". So why move? Because George W. Bush will be President for another term. Is this idiot DE-RANGED or something?

He can't just ride out the next four years? He's free to bad-mouth Bush and complain about him all he wants. I'm willing to bet most of neighbors aren't exactly W fans either.

I mean, to make the stupid claim that you're going to leave the country if the opponent wins is one thing. But to actually do it, and give up your life as you know it, which is actually pretty good? "Wha-wha, I'm going pick up my toys and leave. Whaaaaaa!"

This guy is clearly mentally-ill and he needs an intervention. He may actually pose a danger to his family and his community. I hope he's not sitting around waiting for a bunch of letters and emails begging him stay, because they ain't coming.

Right now I'm sure there's more than one person out there desperately trying to get to the United States to the point where he's literally risking his life to accomplish this. Personally, I'd rather invite THAT guy over to my house for a beer than this moron.

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, buddy!

Posted by: Gary at 10:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 364 words, total size 2 kb.