Obama's Second Oath

Obama's second oath is going to get the conspiracy theorists working overtime.

The second-oath is not unprecedented (Chester Arthur took one) and it's debatable whether it was actually needed, despite the script-flub during the inauguration. But the manner in which this was handled was, at a minimum, tactless.

The fact that President Obama did not use a Bible for this second oath does not render it in any way deficient, but given the pre-existing rumors and questions about Obama's religious convictions, Obama's failure to use a Bible for the mulligan oath was monumentally stupid. The President has needlessly offended millions and provided gratuitous fodder for rumor and scandal mongers.

I have no emotional investment in Obama, so it's all machts nichts to me, but I wonder just how good this man's political instincts really are. Can he function without handlers and a script?

Blog Business

Readers may notice that the Kingdom needs some work.

In particular, the Blogroll has some issues: many of them occasioned by the apparent death of Blogrolling, provider of the widget that operates the Blogroll. Also, I want to use tags, but that necessitates actually tagging the posts, and since there are over 1100 posts on this blog, that process might take a while. Finally, the template needs a bit of updating, which I have so far been reluctant to do because a template update will affect some of the Blog's widgets and attachments.

In any case, El Jefe hopes to get to this soon, but the Kingdom -- with the exceptions of the happy peasants toiling in their fields, the workers slaving over their machines in the Kingdom's many arms factories, the devoted palace servants, the royal mistress, the ever-loyal regiments of Goomba guards, the prelates of the State church and Bingo parlors, the vigilant Organs of State Security, and the accountants in the Off Track Betting Ministry -- is a one-man band. In any case, the matter has been referred to the urgent attention of the Ministry of Procrastination.

Book Review: The 47th Samurai

El Jefe recently finished Stephen Hunter's The 47th Samurai.

47th Samurai is the latest addition to the Bob Lee Swagger/Earl Swagger saga (Bob Lee appearing as the main character in one set: Point of Impact, Black Light and Time to Hunt; and his father Earl in Hot Springs, Pale Horse Coming, and Havana). Point of Impact, an excellent book, was bowdlerized into the thoroughly boring film Shooter (2007) with Mark Wahlberg completely miscast as Bob Lee Swagger. (Of the bunch, I'd recommend Point of Impact, Hot Springs and Black Light most strongly). There are several other Hunter books, in which various Swaggers, Swagger relatives and assorted hangers-on common to the books sometimes make appearances

Bob Lee’s appearance in 47th Samurai is possibly the book’s great defect. You see, Bob Lee (a somewhat worse-for-wear super-sniper Vietnam Marine) -- has already wrecked a Russian spy ring in Time to Hunt; solved the mystery of his Dad’s murder while going up against the Southern mob and rogue CIA/DOD contractors in Black Light; and foiled a tricky assassination plot in Point of Impact while beating a bunch of other super-snipers. Bob Lee’s also an alcoholic who periodically falls off the wagon, gets more time away from his beautiful and very tolerant wife than anybody I’ve ever met, and during all this carrying-on somehow gets very rich, and owns a ginormous ranch in Idaho.

Bob Lee’s has clearly had a busy life, and you’d think that he’d want to stack arms and get on down the road. But no! Clearly, Stephen Hunter got a call from his literary agent with an Idea that He Couldn't Refuse – I’m visualizing this scene with a cigar-chomping agent screaming at Hunter through his cell phone: “Stephen! Let's send Bob Lee to Japan!”

Stephen does, and Bob Lee goes to Nippon to return a long lost samurai sword, captured by his Dad (Marine war hero Earl Swagger) during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The sword is returned, but a Yakuza crime lord has plans of his own, and makes the serious, serious mistake of chopping up some of Bob Lee’s Japanese friends, and the story’s off to the kendo ring.

As usual, Bob Lee takes things personally, and even though he speaks no Japanese, he manages to find a Sancho Panza or two (well, 46 rōnin maybe) to enlist in his crusade for justice. Almost overnight Bob Lee becomes the first redneck samurai super swordsman (you saw this episode of Pokémon right?) which is more than a little unbelievable. Say, doesn’t Bob Lee have any cousins?

We find out about the bad guys and their evil plans (truly bad, truly evil, but with a somewhat underwhelming strategic objective). We learn a little about the samurai culture, about Yakuza, and probably more than we wanted to know about sword play and cutting with a katana. Spies and gangsters with their own agendas and various interesting sinister and shadowy types make their appearances.

The story is well paced, lots of dramatic confrontation and swordplay, building towards the inevitable bloody showdown with the bad guys. As usual with a Hunter novel, much of the enjoyment is the reader’s understanding that, no matter how strong or many the bad guys might be -- against Bob Lee, (redneck polymath that he his) who figures out all the bad guy moves before they do -- the no-goodniks just don’t have a chance.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a fun, fun book, and if you like violent thrillers with bad guys you can really hate, or have liked previous Hunter books, buy it! I burned through it in two days. Enjoy it in the manner of one of those afternoon Samurai movies, where the hero faces impossible numbers and does amazing sword tricks, comes away victorious, gets the girl and there’s a big fiesta at the end. Fun, as long as you make the popcorn, have a spare afternoon, and suspend disbelief a little.

Hillary Clinton Confirmed

By a vote of 94-2, the Senate has confirmed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

Good.

As I have written, I think this appointment is extrordinarily ill-advised, and that Mrs. Clinton is in general a poor fit for this position. But that's water under the bridge now: Obama is President and a know-nothing on foreign affairs. But the choice, and the responsibilty, is his. Too much is going on in the world to have the State Department left rudderless (of all departments, this is the one least to be trusted on its own) while the Senate shilly-shallies over an appointment that was going to be confirmed anyway.

Similarly, I hope the Senate moves immediately to confirm Mr. Timothy Geithner over at the Treasury Department. I don't see why this man doesn't think he has to pay taxes, but he and his lawyers can square matters with the IRS and their lawyers on Mr. Geithner's own time. The banks are crumbling, the President is in dire need of professional advice on this subject too and Mr. Geithner, (the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank) fills this bill.

Senator Roberts of Kansas has told Mr. Geithner that he will be confirmed. This is obvious, so why fool around?

Someone Else's Party

The dread day is finally here, Obama becomes God-Emperor.

I opened the front page of my local newspaper, the Houston Chronicle this morning and immediately wanted to vomit. The paper version features a giant picture of the Supreme Leader, with the headline "A Day for Change," with the Presidential oath from the Constitution in script below -- the oath highlighted by tiny pictures of Obama's predecessors. The accompanying article by "Chronicle News Services" tells us that:

The inauguration of the youthful and popular new president -- and the departure of the incumbent, George W. Bush -- will set off a potentially dramatic shift in direction on policies, from the wars abroad to the role of the federal government at home, and a change in tone, with the rise of a new generation more prone to problem solving than to ideological conflict.

Gee. am I reading the Houston Chronicle published in Houston, Texas, USA, or is this from Pravda or Izvestia in Soviet times, or from the Völkischer Beobachter? The fawning, gushing, breathless tone of all the coverage; the pictures of the Leader everywhere, the kitschy souvenirs we are assured will be sentimental treasures in the future. Are we getting a new public official, or is Obama God? Do people know the difference?

We have no choice but to accept the people's verdict. Obama is going to get his chance, but that doesn't mean some of us have to like it. The Obamaites should enjoy their party: they earned it. But they can keep their change, and their Kool-Aid, thank you.

Pardons Anyone?

Josh Gerstein in Politico speculates today on possible Presidential pardons by President Bush in his last hours in office, before the Supreme Leader takes power. Most of these possible pardons are uninteresting, at least to El Jefe, but Mr. Gerstein says a mouthful when he notes:

. . .Bush could quickly leap back into the spotlight in the next two days if he issues a blanket pardon immunizing CIA and military interrogators, as well as their bosses, from criminal prosecution over harsh treatment of prisoners from the war on terror . . .

Mr. Gerstein is referring to possible prosecutions of military personnel and intelligence officers for interrogations of terror suspects (mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan) following 9/11. Mr. Gerstein notes that Eric Holder, the Attorney-General designate, seems "open to the idea" of prosecutions.

In a sane world, such prosecutions would not even be a remote possibility, avoiding the need for the dreadful precedent of a pardon. As blogger Tigerhawk notes, "the best result" would be "no pardon, and no prosecution."

Considering the stripe of those coming into power, and their hunger for investigations and "war crimes" prosecutions, action by Bush is called for. Doing nothing is not only unwise, but a real disservice to officers, soldiers and other public servants doing their duty, as they saw it, under extraordinary circumstances. So, I hope that President Bush finds a way, and unfolds the blanket pardon.

Besides, it would drive the Left absolutely bonkers. . .

President Bush Says Good-Bye

. . .But we must reject isolationism and its companion, protectionism. Retreating behind our borders would only invite danger. In the 21st century, security and prosperity at home depend on the expansion of liberty abroad. If America does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led. . .

George W. Bush, President of the United States (15 January 2009).

President Bush short farewell speech last night was a dignified ending to his White House tenure. The President made some mistakes, and at a more appropriate time, and after time for some perspective, these can be discussed.

President Bush was right on all the big things, and in the long term his presidency will receive better reviews from historians than it has from pundits and the bi-coastal media. With the possible exception of Governor Palin, no figure in modern American politics has been so maligned: the vitriol and relish with which his detractors have attacked his reputation and policies has actually obscured legitimate criticism and critique of his administration.

In any case, I expect that his administration is going to seem like a golden age compared to what is likely to follow. I was proud to support President Bush, I have no regrets, and I would vote for him again.

The Loser Gives the Winner Terms

The chairman of the Hamas Politburo, Mr. Khalid Mish'al -- away from his usual home in a Syrian bunker, but still (in Doha, Qatar) far, far away from any fighting -- says that, no, Hamas will not accept Israeli conditions for a cease-fire. Not only will Hamas not accept Israel's conditions, Mr. Mish'al demands that the Israelis quit pounding Gaza to rubble, let his terrorists off the hook, and open the Gaza Strip's borders.

What a lively sense of humor Mr. Mish'al has. Why doesn't he just ask the Israelis for a fresh supply of rockets and mortar bombs to shoot at them, or for Israel to provide a few thousand more civilians for Hamas gunmen to hide behind? Only in the never-never world of the modern media, international lawyers and the United Nations would piratical losers of conflicts -- which they themselves provoked -- actually think they could get away with dictating the terms on which the fighting might end. Here's hoping the Israelis, (via tanks and artillery in Gaza) deliver Hamas an appropriate response.

Palestina Irredenta (reprise)

I had another post on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in mind, but decided that I said what needed to be said, better, in 2006. The comments were very good. In lieu of a post, then, here's a link.

But I'm Okay With Waterboarding KSM

Obama's Attorney General nominee, Eric Holder, has done the expected at his auto-da-fé in the Senate and declared waterboarding is torture.

And mean people suck.

You know, we're not talking about sellers of Girl Scout Cookies here. I'm really okay with them waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I have no problem with Bush giving the order to waterboard KSM. Hell, if it were up to me, the interrogators could bleed KSM dry, give him some 9mm due process and toss his rotting carcass in a ditch someplace.

But the World Trade Center fell an awful long time ago, at least to some people. For the moment, Mr. Holder assures us that waterboarding is torture, and so it will remain. Until next time.

The Coming of Obama, the Going of the System

He's coming, he's coming. Presto! He's here!

The cult surrounding Obama just gets bigger and bigger. I was in the downtown mall in Cuidad El Jefe yesterday, looking for an ATM. The place was plastered with a new line of Pepsi advertising that looked suspiciously like Obama ads from the campaign. A few seconds with Google showed that I wasn't imagining the similarity. Walked into the bookstore, and everyplace I turned, I was greeted by an advertising display hawking a new gushy pro-Obama tome.

Shook myself, making sure I wasn't in Stalin's Russia, or Castro's Cuba. Still, if you want to see the future, watch the sales clerk give you dirty looks when you buy Corsi's Obama Nation or Freddoso's The Case Against Barack Obama. If you're smart, you'll perform those transactions in cash only. No, I'm really not kidding. The people who called Bush a dictator are now in the saddle, and they can dispense with pretence: perhaps we'll find all the ragging on Bush the Tyrant these several years past was just a projection of their own attitudes.

You can't get away from Obama: he's everyplace. Obama's bringing change and here to save us, as your kids will soon be telling you; and if you like your job, best just agree and say nothing more.

It's almost beside the point whether Obama as president succeeds or fails. Obama's not going to fail, by the way. Anything that goes wrong with Obama will be Bush's fault; and when that gets old Hillary's or his advisers, or the "right wing conspiracy" or (add name of despised group here). But nothing will be Obama's fault, ever. Like Citigroup, he's Too Big To Fail.

Speaking of Citigroup, the impending inaugural party is, perhaps fortunately, somewhat masking the continued implosion of the financial system. Obama wants Congress to give him the second $350 billion of the "Troubled Asset Relief Program" (TARP) -- or rather, he wants Congress not to block his using it. If that's not enough, the Democrats are preparing an $850 billion "stimulus package" ($300 billion in tax cuts, $500 billion in domestic spending) -- in addition to the TARP 2's $350 billion, and the $350 billion already advanced . . .

This is in addition to the government's already considerable spending on everything from the wars to snail-darter research. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the 2009 federal budget deficit will be $1.2 trillion.

We should be so lucky. Try doubling that. The $1.2 trillion figure is the deficit -- not the budget -- it's the part of the Federal budget that is not being covered by the government's income from taxes. Total spending is supposed to be about $3.5 trillion for Fiscal Year 2009, which seems to me to be an underestimate. For comparison, when President Bush took office in 2000, the entire spending of the US government totaled about $1.5 trillion -- or just a little more than the projected deficit for this year.

We're not going to service the deficits and the consequent growth of the debt with taxes -- Obama's promising tax cuts, and he'll have no problem finding bipartisan support for that. If the government will not tax to cover its bills, it can try borrowing: but one wonders how long the Chinese and everybody else are going to keep buying the Treasury's debt -- surely it's occurring to them that they haven't a prayer in hell of ever being paid.

The government's last alternative is to just print the money. Can you say "banana republic?" The dollar will collapse, and when you go shopping you can take your cash to Kroger in the grocery basket, and bring home your groceries in your wallet. Wonder how the Chinese will enjoy us settling our debts to them with toilet paper dollars?

Messiah-Elect Obama is evoking Lincoln themes with his inauguration, which is understandable, it's the bicentennial year of Lincoln's birth, and (quite aside from the first Black president thing) every President thinks he's Lincoln. On cue, the talking heads are all solemnly proclaiming that Obama faces Lincoln-style problems.

Maybe. Or maybe Lincoln had it easier. When Lincoln got to Washington, he was taking charge of a rich country that could really afford to fight a war to force the southern states to stay in the Union. Money, factories, people, even without the South -- you name it, the Union had it. Lincoln had some huge problems: he was facing a war, but he had a giant storehouse of real assets to face it with.

So what's Obama got, exactly, to face our problems with? Oh yeah, Hope, Change etc. Well, platitudes and $1.2 trillion dollars will buy you a vente Starbucks.

Gaza: Talks in Egypt

The Israelis are sending an official from their Defense Ministry to talk to the Egyptians about a cease fire in Gaza. Depending on the outcome of the talks, the Israelis, so goes the AP story, will decide whether to "move towards" a cease-fire, or intensify their offensive.

Meanwhile, there's street fighting in Gaza, within a mile and a half of the center of town, where the criminal Hamas leaders are believed to be holed-up (under a hospital). (Hamas bosses are clearly not cast in the George Patton mold of leadership, eh? Hitler, Stalin and Saddam are more their speed). Haaretz reports that Hamas rockets are still going into Israel from Gaza.

Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, says that the offensive will continue while Israel "monitors" diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Commentary in the J Post by Yaakov Katz indicates that the Israelis don't think that they have engaged the major Hamas forces yet -- Hamas is apparently dug-in deeper into Gaza City.

Clearly the Israeli Defense Ministry official visiting Cairo has been instructed not to hurry too much. That's to the good, but the Israeli ground forces may want to pick up the pace. Bush will give the Israelis the diplomatic cover they need. However, his successor is going to be another story.

This Post Brought to You By the Letter C. . .

Momma over at The Kitchen (in common with some other blogs) is playing the Alphabet Super Game, where you list ten favorite things beginning with the assigned letter. This sounded interesting, I said, and lo and behold, she assigned me the letter C. So, here goes. . .

1. Cats. Of course! Where would life be without the Feline High Patronesses of this blog, FLNKY, MILO and SUNSHINE (“SHINY”) who would in any case shred me into little pieces if I didn’t mention them first.

2. Cheesecake. One of my favorite desserts (well, one of them anyway) particularly when you put cherries all over it.

3. Coffee. Lately I can’t start the morning without coffee -- LOTS of coffee. Preferred very black and very hot.

4. Camping. I really like to camp, for a couple of days anyway. . .as long as I can make camp when I can still see. But getting back to civilization is always welcome.

5. Crunching. Yes, I like it when food goes crunch, crunch, crunch! Crackers, Croutons, Chips (lots of “C” things too, I’m hoping I don’t have to promote them to separate list items.

6. Craziness. I do like to do wacko things from time to time, such as drive through my very conservative, very quiet neighborhood with the windows rolled down, the Mexican music radio station on (Hey, XM Radio: bring back 92 aguila!) and the volume cranked up. Hip Hop or German march music works too. Okay, there are other crazy things, but I'm busy today, and don't have time to research Statutes of Limitations.

7. Chaos. I must really love Chaos, since I named this blog for it, and since my desk and closets always look rather chaotic at the best of times. Go figure.

8. Cannons. Generally I like things that go boom: I have several firearms and love to shoot the things, to fool with and clean them and I enjoy learning about them. (In one of the Buzz Lightyear cartoons, Emperor Zurg, when his minions are scurrying around, gets exasperated and says: “can we just shoot the big gun?” That’s me). I’d have artillery if they’d let me, but possibly the neighbors would get alarmed.

9. Cars. I love mine, a black Lexus ES-350, very much. Generally I prefer overpowered and somewhat sporty, but with enough room to haul all my hangers-on and such around. If it irritates the Greenie Weenies, so much the better.

10. Cash. In God El Jefe trusts, all others pay cash. Cash is always a good thing, and you can never have enough of it. . .sometimes El Jefe forgets to carry any at all, which frustrates SWMBO no end. But wads of it falling out of the sky are always appreciated. (Well, duh).

Well, today's post has been brought to you by the letter C. Didn't Big Bird or somebody do that on Sesame Street?

Review of Gran Torino

Friday night, El Jefe and SWMBO went and saw Clint Eastwood's new film Gran Torino. This is a great film, but viewers looking for Dirty Harry Callahan will possibly be disappointed.

In Gran Torino, Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed, irascible Korean War veteran, still hanging on in a neighborhood of Detroit post-World War II houses being rapidly taken over by Hmong immigrants from Laos and Vietnam. Walt is unhappy about his new "slope," and "zipperhead" neighbors; can’t relate to his forty-something children; and resents the efforts of his children and his deceased wife’s very young Catholic priest (Father Janovich) to “look after” him in the manner they think appropriate. Besides his dog, his barber and some old cronies at the neighborhood bar, the only thing Walt (an ex-auto worker) really seems to care about is his green 1972 Gran Torino.

Walt unwillingly meets his Hmong neighbors when their teenage son Thao falls in with bad companions. The local gangsters find out that Walt and his ever-present Colt M1911 .45 pistol are not to be trifled with. Walt winds up befriending Thao and his family, and tries to keep Thao out of gang trouble, while dodging the efforts of Father Janovich to make Walt confess his sins and get right with God. Meanwhile Walt’s kids occasionally visit from another planet, making Walt realize he’s got more in common with some of his “different” Hmong neighbors than he thought.

The gang bangers aren't going to put up with Thao walking the straight and narrow. Walt isn’t going to express repentance for living his life as he thought necessary. Finally, Walt isn’t going to refrain from doing what’s necessary either. . .

See this movie! It’s not Dirty Harry; it’s more of an epistle on doing what you have to in life without regretting it, accepting where the cards come down, and standing up for yourself and for your friends. I’m good for the video when it comes out, and I’d go see it again.

Hiding Behind Children

The inimitable Lieut. Col. Ralph Peters has said everything about the Hamas/Israel fight in the Gaza Strip that needs to be said. Like Bookworm, who guided me to this piece, I wish I had said it.

The Hamas devils have deliberately and with malice aforethought put civilians in the middle of their war; hiding in the homes and under the skirts and beds of children. The Euros and the idiots at the UN talking shop on Turtle Bay are busily trying to cobble together one of their patented no-cease-fire cease-fires.

The talkers and their "peace-process" cannot be allowed to succeed: letting Hamas off the hook licenses the tactic of using human shields, ensuring that the same thing will be repeated again and again, possibly on a larger scale. As Col. Peters says:

It's time to smash the lies. The lies of Hamas. The UN lies. And the save-the-terrorists lies of the global media.

There is no moral equivalence between Hamas terrorists and Israeli soldiers. There is no gray area. There is no point in negotiations.

No cease-fires please, Israelis: just tell the UN to stuff it and that they can have their precious cease-fire when the last of the Hamas criminals are stone-cold dead.

Men Are Stupid. . .

Was wandering through the book store this evening, and noticed that Joan Rivers has a new book: Men Are Stupid . . . And They Like Big Boobs. But you knew that, right?

Ms. Rivers has a deeper understanding of the real world than armies of social scientists, teachers and historians. How much of the history of just about everything is summed-up in her rather vulgar title?

Obama and His BlackBerry

President-Elect Obama is resisting his handlers' determination that he will have to give up his BlackBerry and E-mail. "I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry. . .They're going to have to pry it out of my hands."

I find his position emotionally understandable, but in practical terms, extremely disturbing. I haven't joined the BlackBerry world, but I'd sure miss my e-mail and cellaphone. But just what world does Mr. Obama live in, that he thinks he can keep his private communications?

This is not a university faculty he's joining: Obama is becoming President of the United States. Every utterance, every scribbled note, everything the Man Who Can Begin Nuclear War says will be scrutinized; open to subpoenas; fodder for questions by reporters; to being misconstued and taken out of context by the public, by head-shrinks for foreign intelligence services and everybody but Santa Claus. The president's communications are (with very narrow exceptions) public property, destined to wind up in a library someplace with a catalogue number. For God's sake, the Secret Service spies on the man in his bathroom. The whole idea that a sitting president - or even an ex-president- could (if he's prudent and careful) have access to forms of communication beyond the reach of advisors is, today, ludicrous, and crazy for Obama to want.

Who IS this man? Does Obama not understand what he's gotten himself into? Just why does Obama think the presidents all age so much in their photographs? Does Obama have the mental discipline to be our president? We're all going to find out, aren't we?

Gaza: General Comments

Hoping to have time to comment further on Gaza, but pretty pinned-down at work catching up after over a week off between Christmas and New Years.

With the Gaza Strip bisected and Gaza City itself effectively surrounded by the better part of two Israeli mechanized divisions (and the Israeli Navy on the sea side) one wonders what the Israeli end-game is? They've only got certain cover in the UN until the 20th or so, when Obama takes over, so if the Israelis mean to wreck Hamas, they had better be about it. Yes, this will mean fighting in built-up areas, but that's inherent in dealing with Hamas on its own ground, and the Israelis knew this from the beginning.

The Israelis have done a generally splendid job with the media this time around: in contrast to their performance in the Hezbollah War of 2006. They're mostly keeping the reporters away from the battle zone, mounting their own information operations on the Web, and they appear to be acting against Hamas's ability to get its own story out electronically, also. It is simply not possible to make war in the modern era without an organized and planned effort to use information and media power as simply a different kind of artillery.

Speaking of communications: it's apparently very dangerous for persons on the Israelis' Hamas target list to use cell-phones, it seems that the Israeli Air Force, or Israeli artillery, has been reaching out and touching them.

The attitude of the Arab states is interesting: the usual criticism, the usual pictures of howling mobs of protesters, but overall much more muted than I expected. Predictable on the part of the governments: the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Saudi governments all no doubt want Hamas crushed, but probably wish the Israelis would hurry up about it.

Hamas's only truly reliable friend is Iran. Iran's why Hamas has the 122 mm Grad rockets, in addition to its homemade Qassams, to fire at Israeli cities. But Iran now has problems of its own: its leadership is probably preoccupied with finishing its bomb, trying to keep discontent over its failing economy under control, and is hurting now that oil prices are low. . .

Israel has a window to really hurt Hamas. . .and conditions for the moment are in its favor. But the Israelis need to hurry.

Ukraine's Gas Crisis

Watch the Ukraine, people. Vlad Putin and company are getting ready to cook-up quite a stew for St. Barack when he ascends to the rule of the world later this month.

The (latest) natural gas crisis between Gazprom (the Russian gas-export company -- that croaks "ribbet!" when Vlad shouts "frog!") and Ukraine could get pretty serious, pretty quickly.

Find your atlas. Look up the Crimea. South part of Ukraine, right on the Black Sea. A lovely place I'm told (well, the German Army didn't think so in the last war), that produces some interesting wines. The big cities are Simferopol (about 340,000, capital of the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea" within Ukraine) and Sevastopol (population 350,000 or so) -- which has a giant Russian/Ukranian joint naval base, and used to be the home port of the Soviet Red Banner Black Sea Fleet. The place is well known to military historians: besides the great battles of the Second World War at Kerch, Sevastopol and other places, long ago, Crimea was the venue of -- yes, the Crimean War (see Charge of Light Brigade, et al).

Among other things, the Crimea is full of ethnic Russians who don't much like being Ukrainians, and who (as the Sudeten Germans did once) want to return Home to the Motherland. As recently as last September, the Russians were giving out Russian passports to "Ukranian" citizens of the Crimea, over Ukranian protests.

Mr. Putin (and most Russians with an interest in foreign policy) wants to rebuild Russia's control in its near abroad, and possibly bring portions of the former Soviet Union back under effective Russian control. Georgia was a step in this direction, but there are going to be others.

With the world financial crisis, and a dovish US administration taking power, an opportunity is opening for Russia to assert itself again. Georgia was an unmitigated success for a more aggressive Russian policy: why should Putin not push in Ukraine, also? Watch the Ukraine -- and particularly the Crimea. If you start hearing reports of pro-Russian agitation in the Crimea, in addition to problems with Russia over natural gas, you'll know Putin's reading the tea-leaves the same way.

The Burris Appointment

It has been mildly entertaining watching the Democrats get all crosswise over Roland Burris, appointed by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to fill St. Barack's place in the US Senate. In the latest twist to this deliciously sordid mess: the Democrat controlled Senate is apparently going to slow-walk Burris, giving his credentials to the Senate Rules Committee (also Democrat controlled) to "review."

Probably the review will take as long as is required for the Illinois legislature to figure out how to rid the Illinois governor's mansion of the suddenly loathsome Blagojevich. Now, Blago was a perfectly okay guy with the Democrats until the US Attorney got all that vulgar audio, but that was then, and this is now. Anyway, once Blago is given the deep six, the Rules Committee (busily reviewing Burris's senatorial credentials) will, lo and behold, discover irregularities, and dear old "Senator" Burris will be on the next plane, train, or automobile back to Illinois.

The Democrats created the mess because they didn't want to give the Republicans a chance to pick up a seat in a special election. True, it would have taken legislation, but it was doable. What the Democrats want is for the seat to remain vacant until Lieutenant-Governor Pat Quinn can be popped into Blago's place, maybe next week.

Quite frankly, it's difficult to see what the Democrats are complaining about. Blago is still the Governor of Illinois, there is a vacancy in Illinois's representation to the US Senate, and the Governor, whatever we might think of him, appears to have legally appointed Mr. Burris. Mr. Burris certainly seems qualified: a former State attorney general, former State comptroller, former bank vice-president, and former candidate for Mayor of Chicago. He's certainly has as good a set of senatorial credentials as Caroline Kennedy, or for that matter, Barack Obama.

If they wanted to block Governor Blagojevich from appointing Mr. Burris, then the Democrats in Illinois should have gotten their act together and impeached him, or arranged via legislation for a special election. But they did not, and Blago did, and here we are. Mr. Burris has his appointment, and the option that involves the least violence to the Constitution would be to recognize it.

Nevertheless, it appears that Mr. Burris will not be permitted to take his seat. One wonders if the Democrats are going to take such a hard line, now, on Mr. Burris so that they might be permitted to take an easy line later on, say, Al Franken?

New Year's Day? Or Is That The 20th?

Yes, 2008 is fini-bye-bye, oh thank God.

Something called 2009 has started, but does it really matter? He who comes to save and rule over us begins His reign on the 20th. He will be crowned with many crowns, and a New Age then begins.

That's Burris, Not Burress!

Wow, for a minute I thought Blago had appointed Plaxico Burress to the Senate ?!?!

Vacation

Obviously I haven't been posting much, but this will soon change. Have been preoccupied with real life: Christmas, and now a little vacation at the country palace. Sort of hard to get exorcised about Israelis in Gaza (finally!) Blago's antics, the departure of Bush etc., when there's Christmas. The world isn't going anywhere, and there's plenty of time to comment. Moreover, the un-assing of un-lamented 2008 is approaching, which promises to make me a much happier camper.

On vacation (of sorts) but I have a cold. Possibly this is why SWMBO elected to stay in Cuidad El Jefe. Have all kinds of interesting medications to take: I have a cough syrup with dosages written in medico-speak. I'm supposed to take "5 CC's before bed." Well, that's clever. I gave up the intravenous drug habit, so no syringes are around. Wonder how much that is in non-doctor-speak? Possibly this is the pharmacist's revenge for my walking up to the Kroger pharmacy counter and asking her to fill my prescriptions and telling her that, oh yeah, I'd like to buy 1,477 boxes of Oxy-Contin for my runny nose. They seem to take a dim view of that. Probably like bad jokes in airports.

In any case, I will be back to regular posting soon. God knows, there's enough to talk about.

Pistols, Football

El Jefe, unusually, has spent the weekend in Ciudad El Jefe. Off to the Titans/Texans game in a minute with the Heir and his friend B. SWMBO is a bit under the weather, so it's just us.

Went to the pistol range yesterday, and spent an hour or so with my latest purchase, a Beretta 92FS, (Wikipedia entry here: the military calls it the M9). Have wanted this pistol for years, and, recently, finally broke down and bought one. I first tried one years ago, and was very impressed, and have coveted one since. I am very pleased with it: the weapon is not heavy, loads reasonably easily, has a smooth action, and I can hit the target. Easy to field-strip and to clean also. Being a double-action/single action pistol, the first trigger pull is a very long one, which takes a tad getting used to, and I think makes my first shot less accurate. But it's a fine weapon and the Beretta people (in the firearms business since 1526), are justly proud of it.

Off to the game. Hopefully the Texans do better than predicted.

Blog Business

El Jefe has been blogging less of late, but hopefully this slump will not be a permanent condition. After the turn of the year, things should pick up a spell. No doubt the incoming Supreme Leader will supply plenty of fodder for comment.

Also, the blogroll badly needs to be updated. Blogrolling has apparently died: El Jefe has hoped for its resurrection, but patience is fading. There are other possibilities, as well as template modifications, labels, etc., that I do want to get to eventually.

Missing Ballots? Uh huh...

The US Senate race in Minnesota remains undecided. Incumbent Senator Norm Coleman (a Republican), won on election day, but the margin was close enough to legally require a recount. With the re-tabulation process about 99 percent complete, Senator Coleman still maintains a lead of about 300 votes over the Democratic (more correctly Democratic-Farmer-Labor) challenger, the very liberal and very repulsive Al Franken.

But now (gasp!) CNN is reporting that there are apparently missing ballots in Minneapolis. Simply shocking, isn't it? Completion of the recount is on hold until the "missing" votes are found. The "missing" envelope supposedly contains about 130 ballots. "Simply put," thunders the Franken campaign, "these ballots must be found."

You saw this one coming, right? What do you bet those "missing" ballots are found? What do you bet more ballots turn up "missing?" What do you bet they finally find, oh, say, 300 votes for Al Franken?

UPDATE: (8 Dec. 2008). Sure enough, the Franken people today say more ballots have been found in some warehouse in Minneapolis. Imagine that!

So Who Is Obama Anyway?

I've got a secret, I've been hiding, under my skin.
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM.
So if you see me acting strangely, don't be surprised,
I'm just a man who needed someone, and somewhere to hide
To keep me alive-just keep me alive.
. . .
The time has come at last
To throw away this mask
So everyone can see.
My true identity...
I'm Kilroy! Kilroy! Kilroy! Kilroy!

Styx, "Mr. Roboto" (written by Dennis DeYoung, from album Kilroy was Here, A&M Records, 1983).

I agree with a friend of mine that President-Elect Obama is much more likable (at least so far) than candidate Obama. On the whole, Obama's announced appointments have been more judicious than I have expected. I'm dubious about the Attorney-General designate; and putting Senator Clinton at the State Department has the drawbacks I've previously mentioned. But on the whole, Obama has proceeded to assemble a reasonably sane-looking team. In particular, I am pleased that Robert Gates is staying at the Pentagon for now.

Not everybody is happy, of course. Robert Scheer, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, seems worried about Obama's going to "Wall Street insiders" bearing "comforting" messages for the financial community, and deplores that Obama is sticking with the "absurd 'war on terror" language he inherited from Bush" in discussing the Bombay terrorist attacks. Mr. Scheer fears that "superstar" Obama "on which it all hangs," he of the "big" brain, the "fresh" style -- ". . .may stop being Obama, the agent of change who electrified a nation."

We should be so lucky! No fear liberals, no fear. You don't need to remind Obama to be Obama, any more than Reagan's True Believers needed to beg the world to "Let Reagan Be Reagan." St. Barack's got a bagful of presents for you and trouble for the rest of us, and he's buying quiet and cover to get them unwrapped with encouragingly sound appointments. Why quibble about appointments the markets and circumstances are going to force him into anyway?

Still, you wonder just who this man Obama is, that so many of our fellow citizens decided to fetch into the President's House. In large part, Obama won because he's not a Republican, and because he said absolutely nothing of any consequence, and did it in such a polished, uplifting way. In his book The Audacity of Hope, the Hoped for Sainted One told us that "I serve as a blank screen, on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

And there you have it from the Great One himself -- we just don't know who Obama is, and he's not telling, yet. Mr. Scheer, like so many others, has his own ideas about what Hope and Change might look like; but, like the rest of us, he has no clue what's on the screen next, or who will get to project their views there. Mr. Scheer, and all of us, have no choice now but to stay tuned.

Blogging Lull, Reading

Blogging productivity has been down of late. So sorry, but what with disappointment over the admittedly not unexpected outcome of the election; the financial conniption; real life; and a generalized desire for 2008 to just be done with, I haven't wanted to write much. But I'm sure this will change.

Meanwhile, I am presently trying to finish reading Shelby Foote's The Civil War. These are beautifully written books -- so well done and worth the attention of anybody really interested in this subject. Probably the best general work out there. I am in the middle of the last of three volumes. Volume III has been slower than normal sledding for me, because the subject is the fall of the Confederacy, and my own sympathies are very Southern. Despite the somewhat dampening nature, for me, of Mr. Foote's subject matter in Volume III, I confess to paying closer attention, with maps and order of battle close by, when the story gets back to Sherman's campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas, which was what won the war for the North.

Sherman figures a good deal in Volume III of Foote -- as well he should -- he won the war for the Union. Much as the thought makes my ancestors propeller in their graves someplace, I think William T. Sherman was an exceptionally good general, certainly the best that his side produced. Sherman properly used the superior resources his side gave him; did not shrink from making war on the Confederate home front -- the only strategy which would work; did not complain overmuch to his superiors about political and resource constraints above his pay-grade; paid close attention to the political implications of strategy; learned from his mistakes, and did not repeat them.

I'm also re-reading Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series of books, about the fall of the Roman Republic. I've worked through the earlier books and am presently finishing up The October Horse, which I previously reviewed, here. I love these books: they are among my favorite works of historical fiction, and unusual because, although fiction, they stick fairly closely to what we think happened, and fill in gaps in our knowledge with reasonable inferences. It probably helps that Ms. McCullough's perspectives as to heroes and villains are pretty close to my own.

In 2007, Ms. McCullough finally heeded the demands of fans and published Antony and Cleopatra, a badly needed sequel to October Horse. October Horse left off with the destruction of Caesar's assassins and their faction at the Battle of Philippi. A and C takes up the story after Philippi: when the winners of that war, Caesar's adoptive son Octavian (better known to us as Augustus) and Mark Antony, have their prolonged estrangement and falling-out. The ending is well known -- Augustus becomes undisputed master of the Roman world after Actium, and Queen Cleopatra gets the asp -- but it didn't have to necessarily be that way. The smart money might well have gone with Cleopatra's boyfriend Antony.

I haven't read this book yet, and (being curious what Ms. McCullough would do with the subject) I've have been very much looking forward to it. I thought I would re-read the others first, and that objective is almost accomplished, and perhaps I can start A and C this week.

Beyond that, El Jefe has a few other books on the reading list waiting for some attention: Adrian Goldsworthy's Caesar: Life of a Colossus; Adam Tooze's The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy; and either Philip Dwyer's Napoleon: The Path to Power, or General Sir David Fraser's Frederick the Great ; and, for something lighter, Jonathan Kellerman's Compulsion (the latest of his Alex Delaware mysteries in paperback).

Secretary of State Clinton?

I have been most underwhelmed by Obama's rumored choice of Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State.

There's no doubt Senator Clinton is in many ways qualified for the position, and has more backbone than the average Democrat. However, the selection betrays Obama's lack of serious interest in foreign policy (which is really a primary concern for a President) and makes sense only in narrowly domestic political calculations.

Putting Senator Clinton in the State Department would go far towards neutering her as a political threat in 2012, in the event Obama (as I think likely) proves as successful a President as Jimmy Carter. Offering the job also temporarily quiets upset supporters of the former First Lady who might still be wondering what the Hell happened from Iowa forward. The State Department also keeps her away from more interesting Democratic domestic priorities, such as health care. and the Democrat Holy of Holies -- the Justice Department. This is the only circumstance in which her selection makes sense.

Clinton as Secretary of State has too many downsides. A confident President wants a strong Secretary of State -- but does Obama want one THIS strong? Mrs. Clinton is already an independent power center in a Democratic Party that Obama is still in the process of taking over. It is difficult enough for the most determined of Presidents to acquire a measure of control over the formulation and administration of foreign policy -- how much more so is it going to be with Mrs. Clinton at Foggy Bottom? Meetings between the President and Secretary Clinton would (more even than is usual) look like mini-summits, and Secretary Clinton would no doubt demand, and get, a whole lot of autonomy. Obama is smart enough to understand this, which tells me that he is either not serious about really making this appointment (perhaps floating the trial balloon just to have it shot down) or not seriously interested in foreign policy.

More importantly, Senator Clinton comes with difficult and loud baggage. Besides Bill Clinton's blinding certainty that his navel is still the center of the universe, his post-Presidential activities, including a foundation with donors he's reluctant to disclose; fees from big investors; absurd fees for speeches (the New York Times noted yesterday, in a story on increased scrutiny being given to Mr. Clinton's dealings, that Mr. Clinton was paid $425,000 for a one hour speech) Mr. Clinton's lucrative and interesting activities will, at the least, have scandal-mongers sniffing around even more than they do already. Even without scandal (and this is Bill Clinton the walking scandal we're talking about) and with the best will in the world, it's hard to imagine that interested players will not try to use former-President Clinton as a good route by which to influence the new administration.

On the subject of Bill Clinton, one wonders if he is really trying to destroy his wife? The Times story reported that Mr. Clinton, in a speech to "an international economic symposium" in Kuwait City" opined that Hillary Clinton would be "great" as a secretary of state" if Obama "decided to ask her and they did it together." (emphasis supplied). Mrs. Clinton has no appointment in hand yet, but Bill assures us she'd be "great" and seems to think she should function as a co-President for foreign policy? President Clinton does want her to be offered the appointment, right?

In general, I think this is a poor appointment, and I bet it doesn't happen. I wonder if there are any alternatives beyond Madeleine Albright?

Still Sulking on the Estates

Today quite literally sulking on my estates: have the day off work and am at the country hacienda. Just sort of . . .oh not quite in a funk, but with a case of the blahs. Trying to trap a mouse (non-lethally at the moment but escalation and cruelty a certainty if niceness doesn't work). The Feline High Patroness, FLINKY, who is with El Jefe, is definitely no mouser.

Also reading some books, and somewhat inefficiently doing yard-work. El Jefe will return to his capitol tomorrow.

Zzzzzz. . .

Plenty going on all around us, but El Jefe is sulking on his estates, and not feeling much like writing this week. So sorry, maybe next week.

He Is Known By Many Names, Praised in Many Tongues

The two-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, in the Caribbean, may name its highest mountain, now called Boggy Peak, "Mount Obama."

This seems only fitting: the New Messiah really should have mountains named for him. But is it enough? If they name it, maybe He will come, but is a mere mountain (in what the small-minded might consider a molehill country) really enough to be assured of His beneficence and high regard always? Maybe not. Perhaps it would be better if Antigua and Barbuda were simply known as "Obamanation Too."

Come to think of it, when is Washington D.C. going to be renamed Obama City? I mean, just who was George Washington anyway? Founder of some reactionary country that no longer exists. This is the New Era of the New Messiah, so the New Progressive Jerusalem of Obamanation, er, the Obama States, needs an appropriate new name.

Obama Market, the Cabinet, Dinnertime for Sharks

Gee, as I did yesterday, I wonder if the Sawdust Messiah's new job might possibly have anything to do with the stock market's falling like a stone the past couple of days? The Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds) thinks so, and he has some really cool materials for your perusal.

President-Elect Obama (makes me retch to say that) is beginning to pick a cabinet. Not all fun for Obama, who will soon learn that every time he fills a post he makes 99 malcontents and one ingrate. Good news for the appointees of course, since upon confirmation (which won't be any problem) they've reached the serious big time. Cabinet members who avoid jail ride the gravy train forever: because about the greatest thing it's possible to be in America is an ex-member of the cabinet. The road ahead is lit with parties, interesting travel and appearances on political talking-heads shows; and paved with lucrative corporate directorships, slots as pundits and prestigious professorships.

While Obama's going to his own parties and having fun, he'd do well to keep an eye on the most practical statesman in the world today: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin, soon to be President again, or Tsar, or whatever he wants, fresh off humiliating Bush over Georgia, no-doubt views the Sawdust Messiah's promotion much in the manner of a shark spying swimmers with nosebleeds. Wonder if Vlad's going to eat Ukraine next year?

Reality, Dose 1

Yeah, clearly the Great One's coming means an era of Nirvana. . .

Sowing and Reaping

I have never before doubted the fundamental good sense of the American people, but last nights results give me cause for pause.

The credulous middle, which decides elections in this country, has taken a chance on the Left. In choosing to trust Obama and his minions, those who supported him have gambled for hope and peace. They will reap ruin and war.

What now? Well, for the moment the Left is going to have everything it's own way. Those with money, but not enough money, will be looted to support those without. Tax and tax, spend and spend. The United States is half way to national bankruptcy already, but folks, you ain't seen nothing yet. Money which can escape, will, to more profitable havens in Asia. The rest of us are stuck.

Meanwhile, the international crisis forecast by our new Vice President is certainly coming. Where and what will it be? The Persians with nukes? North Korea with same? Taiwan? Perhaps Obama will bomb Pakistan like he said he would, or get us deeper in to Afghanistan, as promised. Whatever it is, the ex-state senator, community-organizer, "global president" beloved of foreigners, half-term senator-Messiah is now on the case.

It's Obama's show. That's what the voters have said. The voters will regret their choices soon enough. So who is Obama anyway? Who have his voters given the country to? Most of his supporters have no more clue than the rest of us, but we are all, like it or not, about to find out. For the moment, I'm going to sit in the stands, make popcorn and watch. From 20 January next, forward, everything is his fault.

Hail Mighty Sawdust Messiah!

Congrats to the new Supreme Leader. He won. Whoopie. Here's a song for him, with lots of the Leftie unwashed singing a song he'd like.



I'm sure Hugo will come to visit his new Leftist pal soon. Why the Hell did McCain concede before the votes were all counted? It's bothered me he was too nice to really fight Obama.

This is so tragically sad. Like watching your father die of a disease you cannot cure. . . or watching him slit his own wrists. I dread the future, fear for my family, my state and the country.

The Supreme Leader Wins.

Ohio goes for the Sawdust Messiah, and after losing Pennsylvania that would appear to be all she wrote.

Hopefully we can keep enough of the Senate to obstruct him.

EXIT POLL RESULTS !

This just in. . .the whole household of El Jefe Maximo has unanimously re-elected El Jefe Maximo Supreme Grand Poobah of the Kingdom of Chaos, unconfirmed maybe, sorta exit polling reveals. High Patroness FLINKY did refuse to talk to our reporter, but tea-leaves dropped from the pockets of fleeing voters delivered sufficient evidence for our analysts to call this election before anybody even voted.

You heard it here first.

Greet the Friends and Neighbors

Turns out Supreme Leader Obama's south side of Chicago home voting precinct is the same precinct of. . .

YES, of course you guessed it! Just like in the movies. Bill Ayers and Louis Farrakhan.

No, I'm really not making this up. Nobody'd believe it anyway.

I'm really not believing it either. This guy's going to be President? Hello? What time's the next teleporter back to Earth from Bizarro World?

Ignore the Exit Polls and the Projections

It's important today that everyone ignore the media exit polls. They are virtually guaranteed to heavily favor Obama, and publicizing them is to depress and dispirit you. Good, bad, indifferent -- whatever they say, just ignore. Tune them out.

It gets worse. It's almost guaranteed that the networks (some of them anyway) and other media outlets are going to call the election for the Sawdust Messiah before some of you have even voted. Do not listen. Do not fail to do your duty. The major media outlets are not disinterested observers: they are not reporting, they are participating in producing the outcome. Do not let them take your vote.

Wherever you are, turn off the TV, shut down the computer, get to the polls and vote.

Obama Flips-Off McCain

Did the Sawdust Messiah really flip-off John McCain?




Wow, did I see that? I don't like the guy, but am I being too hard on him? I can't believe even Obama, who think's he's God, would do that. Trouble is, it looks to me like he did the same thing to Senator Clinton awhile back. . .

And people really want to vote for this? A President has to govern his temper, his feelings and and even the signals given by his voluntary and involuntary body language. And Obama goes and does this? Besides being classless and beyond bizarre it's just stupid. Hopefully he doesn't flip-off Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong Il and get us nuked.

(Hat tip: Daisy Cutter).

Predictions? No, Not Many Anyway

Predictions? I don't have one, really don't, not specific ones anyway. I haven't a clue as to why anyone would even think of voting for Obama to begin with, and I find the concept disgusting.

In general, my sense is that Obama wins, the popular vote at least, although I'm still holding out a little hope for a re-run of 2000 and McCain squeaking out an upset in the Electoral College.

In an utterly bleak humor today. I don't feel like writing. This is all too much like watching a family member slit his wrists.

POSTSCRIPT: I agree with Andrew Breitbart's excellent piece today. I still like President Bush.

"Twas the Night Before Elections

Here's some pre-election verse to concentrate the mind. (From Bookworm)

‘Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys!

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

” On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On ACORN, On Pelosi”
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn’t stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

Iranian Nuclear Test?

Have the Iranians just tested a nuclear device? Maybe. Check out In From the Cold's post on Thursday. Spook is relying on some reports from the Israeli press that haven't been picked up on much here. There are probably half-a-dozen intelligence agencies who could make educated guesses as to whether the Iranians just had an earthquake, or whether something more sinister was going on.

The Iranians are going to test a device sooner rather than later, but I find the idea of a test just now to be rather unlikely, and without more, I'm not buying it. Still, the tale is interesting.

Of more immediate concern are Iranian naval activities along their Persian Gulf coast, in particular the constuction of new naval bases; and their sabre-rattling in the general direction of US aircraft carriers. It's hard to know what to make of the talk about the ships; the Iranians aren't stupid, and the ability to destroy an aircraft carrier would be positively counterproductive from their point of view. Surely the Iranians know that a good way for them to learn much too much about nuclear weapons would be by causing harm to a US aircraft carrier.

Some Inspiration

If you need a little inspiration. . .




Pass it on today. Trash the Socialists Tuesday.

Ignore the Press and Vote

As Bookworm reminds us. . .just ignore the press on Tuesday, and vote, if you haven't already:

To voters living west of the Mississippi (or, as Mark Steyn says, west of Florida):

Please, please, please remember that the media will try to depress voting west of the Mississippi by announcing at about mid-day that Obama is leading overwhelmingly — with the implication that people in the later time zones should just give up and not bother to go to the polls.

No matter what the media is saying, and no matter the time of day, if you live West of the Mississippi VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.

Worst case scenario: Even if Obama is truly in the lead (as opposed to being placed there as part of the media’s psy-ops), there are always local elections that matter and, when it comes to Congress and the Senate, EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

Absolutely correct, and those of us against Socialism and a left-wing takeover of the nation must come out all over the country. Ignore the propaganda from the prestige press: it's been in Obama's camp right along and the Messiah-worshipers are hoping we'll all just roll over and give up. Wherever you are, east of Florida, west of the Mississippi, on the Moon -- just ignore the press. Don't take the poison. Throw the paper away, turn off the television, forget the computer and just go vote. We may well lose, but let it not be from defeatism, idleness and laziness.

McCain has not run the best of campaigns, and the conditions, to put it mildly, are lousy. This means the rest of us will have to do the work for the professionals, and win it, to the extent we can, ourselves. Everyone must turn out and vote. Work on your friends, acquaintances, family, frenemies, enemies, and everybody of the right opinions and just get them in that polling booth. Talk to those who have been misled. Pay attention to the electoral map. If you know people in battleground States, particularly Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania, reach out to them now and get them to the polls Tuesday. Anything you can do really matters. The Left is at the gates. Ignore their propaganda, reject Obama's Kool-Aid, tell him to keep his change and stick it to the socialists.

Obama Wants to Bankrupt Coal Users

Obama says his cap-and-trade environmental policies will be weighted against the coal industry and, under the New Regime, builders of coal fired plants will go bankrupt. The cap-and-trade scheme is ludicrous anyway, since it will adversely affect production costs in the United States as opposed to China or India (the labor cost differential is terrible as is), and it puts caps on and results in a net reduction in US industrial power in favor of foreign competition.

That's lunacy, inasmuch as America has tons of coal, and every erg used represents energy we don't have to find from oil or elsewhere. Personally, I'd be for mining all the US coal possible.

2008 Can't End Soon Enough

The political news looks pretty bad. Gallup seems to think we face a Messiah landslide of Reaganesque proportions. Some good news: I think the Democrats will just miss the filibuster-proof Senate they want, but we have two more days of this, so who knows.

Nothing but horrible political news since fall 2006, and 2008, in general, has been a disaster on virtually all fronts. I will be glad to at last see the end of this year.

Keep the Change

The Sawdust Messiah says he'll "change the world" once we obey and become his slaves next Tuesday.

At bottom, I guess that's the thing. I don't want the world changed, at least in any way he'd find congenial.

Obama Crash Revisited

John Tamny and Rob Arnott, in their piece "Obama Fear" in the Financial Times yesterday:

Mr Obama’s agenda is anathema to entrepreneurial capitalism. Protectionism and isolationism are central tenets of the Obama agenda. Neither is consonant with success in a global economy.

That says it all, doesn't it? But a feckless majority seems determined to take a chance on this loon.

Obama's Illegal Alien Aunt

The Supreme Leader has a Kenyan aunt living in the USA illegally? Still, Obama says he didn't know.

In any case, this aunt, a Zeituni Onyango, is living in public housing too. No wonder those of us against raising taxes are "selfish."

I guess with Obama there's no hope for border control or anything short of a mass amnesty.

Socialism or Else!

Even with the Supreme Leader's persistent lead in the polls, the elite are afraid that we sheep are going to wriggle out of slavery. Erica Jong (a has-been who wrote a book about 100 years ago) has told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that she, Jane Fonda and a mob of other Lefty glitterati are terrified, and that if Americans don't obediently line up and worship Obama next Tuesday that there will be a "second civil war" and blood will run in the streets.

Meanwhile, pour encourager les autres: that is, any waverers who may, in the privacy of the polling booth be thinking that they can dodge their fate, Susan Estrich deploys the ultimate rhetorical weapon: telling us that only racism could explain a loss next Tuesday by the Supreme Leader:

There is only one reason the polls could be this wrong. There is only one reason a contest that is not even close, that is somewhere between clobbered and landslide, could wind up with the other guy on top. Every pollster in America is not incompetent. Every pollster in America is not failing in precisely the same way when it comes to pulling a sample, screening for voters and assigning weights to the various groups.

The only way all these polls could be that far off is if people are lying in numbers never before seen in American politics.

Why would they do that?

You tell me it has nothing to do with race. I'll laugh.

What else could it possibly be?

Uh, maybe not wanting Socialism, maybe getting tired of being threatened with war by has-beens, or being called closet racists, or being ruled by Supreme Leaders who consort with Lefties?

Lie to the pollsters, lie to Erica Jong and to Susan Estrich if you want to. What fun! Absolutely the best part about next Tuesday producing something unexpected would be listening to all these loons cry about it. Still, if things work out as predicted, I'm sure Ms. Jong and Ms. Estrich and all the other Lefties, once given power, will remind us all why the Left is a pestilence, soon enough.

Obama Says: Socialism or Selfishness

The Sawdust Messiah calls opposition to Socialism by people who don't want to pay higher taxes "selfish:"

The reason that we want to do this, change our tax code, is not because I have anything against the rich," Obama said in Sarasota, Fla., yesterday. "I love rich people! I want all of you to be rich. Go for it. That’s the American dream, that’s the American way, that’s terrific.

"The point is, though, that -- and it’s not just charity, it’s not just that I want to help the middle class and working people who are trying to get in the middle class -- it’s that when we actually make sure that everybody’s got a shot – when young people can all go to college, when everybody’s got decent health care, when everybody’s got a little more money at the end of the month – then guess what? Everybody starts spending that money, they decide maybe I can afford a new car, maybe I can afford a computer for my child. They can buy the products and services that businesses are selling and everybody is better off. All boats rise. That’s what happened in the 1990s, that’s what we need to restore. And that’s what I’m gonna do as President of the United States of America.

"John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic," Obama continued. "You know I don’t know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness."

I guess the Supreme Leader thinks he's far enough ahead to at last be honest with the sheep and stand up for Socialism. He wants to steal your money and give it to other people. He thinks he and his rich friends know better than commoners what to do with their money. It's not the business of the government to make sure "everybody's got a shot" and that everybody has health care and can go to college. That's socialism or at the least social democracy: the privileging of equality over liberty. That's European, and un-American.

Higher taxes are one thing, but the issue is what money for? No taxes for creating clients for the welfare state. No redistribution. No increase in the size of government. Government is the power to steal -- and redistribution is robbery. Millions if we must for national defense and security, or to restore the credit of the state. But not a penny for socialism or redistribution.

And This is a Good Thing?

From Thomas L. Friedman's excellent piece "Sleepless in Tehran" in Thursday's New York Times:

Barack Hussein Obama would present another challenge for Iran’s mullahs. Their whole rationale for being is that they are resisting a hegemonic American power that wants to keep everyone down. Suddenly, next week, Iranians may look up and see that the country their leaders call “The Great Satan” has just elected “a guy whose middle name is the central figure in Shiite Islam — Hussein — and whose last name — Obama — when transliterated into Farsi, means ‘He is with us,’ ” . . .

Wow. Too "international" and too post-nationalist a worldview for me. I suppose one of the chief differences between Mr. Friedman and myself is how we view the logical implications of the world we both perceive. Mr. Friedman can view a set of facts and think their implications are something wonderful to be embraced; I see identical facts and want to throw up.

So This is Bill Ayers. . .

The satirist Iowahawk tells us who Bill Ayers really is. . .heh, heh.