Odd Bits

Krauthammer on the Ryan Plan

2011-04-11T20:45:00.002-07:00

Amazing concept: an elected official talking seriously about real changes needed to keep America from insolvency. Krauthammer opines on whether such refreshingly serious talk can survive demagoguery.

Obama opposes spending cuts right up to the time he calls them historic

2011-04-11T20:37:00.002-07:00

WSJ chronicles the shutdown-averting deal and suggests where we go from here.

Tyler Haws: a Work in Progress

2011-02-08T12:58:00.002-07:00

Tyler Haws. Star high school basketball player, freshman BYU basketball player, now LDS missionary in the Philippines. Makes me proud to belong.

Krauthammer's take on the SOU

2011-01-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

Unrepentant hubris: The Old Obama in New Clothing. As usual, CK nails it.

(#9) BYU 71 (#4) SDSU 58

2011-01-27T01:24:00.005-07:00

Jimmer Fredette: rock star. Scored 43 of BYU's 71 points (60%). SDSU (20-1) is no longer undefeated. BYU's now 20-1, 6-0 in conference. Jimmer's the nation's top scorer. May be making the case for player of the year.

Photo courtesy of SDSU-alum, now Jacksonville Jaguar, Kirk Morrison, in Provo to see his Aztecs lose to the Cougars.

Gustavo Dudamel

2011-01-04T20:35:00.003-07:00

I'm late to the party. This is from Proms (series of classical concerts in Royal Albert Hall in London) 2007. A youth orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel - joy in music!

The Emperor Has No Clothes

2010-11-13T20:19:00.003-07:00

Peggy Noonan on the two gifts Obama has given Republicans:

Whatever word means the opposite of snakebit, that is what the Republican party is right now. One reason they are feeling hope is that they have received two big and unexpected gifts from President Obama. The first, of course, was his political implosion—his quick descent and speedy fall into unpopularity, which shaped the outcome of the 2010 elections. At the heart of that descent was the president’s inability to understand how the majority of Americans were thinking. From the day he was sworn in he seemed to have had no practical or intuitive sense of what was on the American mind. By early 2009 they had one deep and central worry, the economy. But his central preoccupation was reforming health care. He devoted his first 18 months to it and got what he wanted, but at the price of seeming wholly out of touch with the thoughts and concerns of the American people.

This week the president gave Republicans a second unexpected gift. He reacted to the election’s outcome in a way that suggested he’s still in his own world, still seeing a reality no one else is seeing. The problem wasn’t his policies, but that he didn’t explain them well. It wasn’t health-care reform, it was his failed attempt to popularize it. His problem was that he was not political enough. He was too substantive, too serious. Americans have been under stress, and people under stress don’t think clearly, and so they couldn’t see the size of his achievements.

He sounded like a man who couldn’t see what was obvious to everyone else, and once again made his political adversaries seem, in comparison, more realistic, more clear-sighted and responsive to public opinion. And he did this while everyone was watching. Again, what a gift.

Should Obama pull an LBJ?

2010-11-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

WaPo says to be a great president, Obama should announce he is not running for reelection and then focus on solving the nation's problems:

We do not come to this conclusion lightly. But it is clear, we believe, that the president has largely lost the consent of the governed.

Read the whole thing.

Welcome Home - 27 Oct 10: Heathrow International Arrivals

2010-11-09T23:36:00.002-07:00

Another amazing T-Mobile ad (spontaneous performance). Share the joy of being human. And welcome home!

Opera Company of Philadelphia - Random Act of Culture - 30 Oct 10: "Hallelujah Chorus" at Macy's

2010-11-09T23:11:00.007-07:00

Just in time for the season. And not just a random act of culture, but a spontaneous act of worship. "For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth" indeed! "Hallelujah!"

Obama Underappreciation Syndrome

2010-10-22T17:07:00.001-07:00

Krauthammer, as usual, nails it.

Regime change: "Ignore us no more" - 2 November 2010

2010-10-16T08:34:00.004-07:00

It's time -- again.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these [50 States]; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present [President and Congress] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

The Founders were right on 4 July 1776. And their words ring true today in our present situation.

But it's not a time for revolution. It's time, instead, for a new birth of freedom. It's time to vote. It's time to take our country back.

Truth is outraged by silence

2010-10-10T20:57:00.003-07:00

Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen stands as witness. Watch the whole thing.

(Part I):

(Part II):

It's the Spending, Stupid

2010-09-15T21:49:00.002-07:00

WSJ columnist Daniel Henninger captures the country's mood that is now a movement and concludes it may carry over to the presidential election: "Absent action, the political rage and cynicism on offer in 2012 could make this year's tea parties look like, well, a tea party." Read the whole thing.

Dems unveil a new logo

2010-09-15T21:16:00.004-07:00

Washington Examiner op-ed page has the story (with some considered opinion):

Democrats were able to take their share of the news cycle not merely by nominating scandal-plagued Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., to run for reelection, but by picking perhaps the absolute most appropriate image they could in this political climate: a target. Have a look.

Looks like the Democrats just gave themselves a “D.” Which some may feel is generous. Is the circle around it supposed to be more Obama iconography?

This follows on the heels of whispers that Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine would have a major announcement today. Here’s CNN in full scoop mode:
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine plans to make what’s being billed as a major announcement Wednesday about the future of the party, according to a Democratic source with knowledge of the speech.

The source tells CNN that Kaine will announce something that will excite Democrats across the country. Kaine’s event comes as Democrats face the difficult task of holding onto their majorities in the House and Senate this November.

The speech, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at George Washington University, happens around the same time that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele kicks of a major bus tour in support of Republicans running in the midterm elections. But the source says that the timing of Kaine event was in the works well before the date of Steele’s kickoff was announced.
Congrats, CNN. You helped get earned media for the unveiling of a marketing campaign of a floundering but dominant political party. But wait! Tim Kaine says it’s no mere marketing campaign. From the announcement blogpost:
Some may think: it’s just a logo—it’s just a brand. Well I don’t believe the Democratic Party is a logo or a brand—we are much more than that. We are Democrats. We create change that matters. Ours is a party of ideas and ideals, of policies and people, history and purpose. So call it what you will—this new identity for our party captures the spirit that unites us all. Democrats—all of us—are working for the change that matters.
It’s true though. Democrats are making change that matters. They’ve managed to energize the Tea Party movement to do such things that even Christine O’Donnell was able to raise $500,000 in one day; Republican nominee Sharron Angle is actually neck-and-neck with the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev; Sarah Palin has been stunningly on target with her endorsements of candidates; and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., is looking more and more like a kingmaker.

Great job guys. And nice logo. It’s the worst recession of many people’s lifetimes and the Democrats are actually doodling.

Be sure to check out the best comments on the post, by the way, which likely won’t long survive:

* “Uhhhh – BWHAHAHAHA! The Repubs are EATING YOUR LUNCH. And you’re redesigning your LOGO!? Why not just hand them the keys?
* Oh yeah. A nice “It’s All Bush’s Fault!” should go along with this logo. Brilliant!
* Looks like a copyright symbol with a typo.
* “Change that Matters”? You mean CHANGE THE SUBJECT?

This "circle the wagons" Dem unifier -- not so much: it looks like a big "Zero" or a graphic representation of Obama (the big "O") being bigger than his own party (while Democrats who want to win reelection are running away from his policies).

Simple graphic possibility for a Republican "makeover" (like adding crosshairs)? Diagonal red line across the circle (i.e., "NO Democrats"), red line through "Democrats" and "Change That Matters [add] = Vote Republican November 2nd."

Joe v. O ('12)

2010-08-19T22:01:00.010-07:00

Joe Versus The Volcano (1990) was apparently Tom Hanks' 19th movie, but it doesn't seem to be well known.

"Joe" seems to serve as a morality tale with perhaps a potential prophecy for the politics of our day (not exactly following the sequence of the plot...):

2008 - Joe jumps into a volcano (Patricia: "Nobody knows anything, Joe. We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?"): Unknown Barack Obama is elected U.S. president;

2009-2010 - The opening sequence is accompanied by the song "Sixteen tons...and deeper in debt," as we observe Joe and countless other zombie-like workers file into a miserable factory: in the midst of "the greatest recession since the Great Depression," Obama and the Democratic majority manage to increase the federal deficit to $13T, 10% of the U.S. GDP ("Sixteen Tons" refrain: "I owe my soul to the company store");

2010 - Joe realizes he's been suffering from a "brain cloud," and "fires" his boss (i.e., Joe quits; [spoiler alert:] in the movie, it turns out the "brain cloud" isn't real; in any event, Joe's been duped: Patricia, again: "My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement."): midterm elections toss incumbents out as "Tea Party" candidates sweep into power;

2012 - Waking up from "Brain Cloud, Part II" -- hmm, what a coincidence -- it takes Joe 4 1/2 years to wake up: Obama is a one-term president.

Here's the scene where Joe "fires" his boss (Warning: 3 profanities/some crudity):

Spoiler: Joe "wakes up," survives his jump into the volcano, a terrible storm, and has an amazing adventure; he finds true love and meaning in his life (with Patricia, no surprise), and lives happily ever after.

Could fiction repeat itself in real life? I dunno. We'll jump, and we'll see.

Operation Iraqi Freedom - um, we won the war?

2010-08-19T21:25:00.004-07:00

Interesting, notably quiet (in the MSM) end of combat troops in Iraq: the last combat brigade pulled out of Iraq this week. Hmm. There's still a lot of work to do. As Blackfive notes, Clausewitz taught that war is the continuation of politics by other means. Blackfive: "We are [now] moving from war to a very tense political environment." Read the whole thing.

This was "Bush's war." Wonder if President Obama will have anything to say on the subject. Probably not. How can you blame Bush for winning?

The perils of praise

2010-08-19T21:04:00.003-07:00

Bob Wiley in "What About Bob" re Dr. Leo Marvin: "We can't even try to understand him. He's so much higher up than us. We're like ropes on a Goodyear blimp."

Jennifer Rubin calls out our "brilliant" and "coldly rational" president. Too good, so here's the whole thing:

Attempting to explain the Ground Zero mosque blunder, Margaret Carlson argues that Obama is too smart for us: “He is so supremely confident in his intellect that he forgets, on his way to the correct decision, to slow down and pick up not-so-gifted stragglers.” Well, supremely confident but not so smart. Does he truly not get the distinction between constitutional rights and moral persuasion? Does he not understand that an imam who can’t denounce Hamas, insists America is complicit in 9/11, and won’t disclose whether state sponsors of terror are funding his project isn’t seeking reconciliation?

To be blunt, Obama suffers from a lifetime of others excessively praising his intellect. It insulates him from ideas and facts that conflict with his pre-existing liberal rubric (so “every economist” believed his stimulus would work). It leaves him unprepared to engage in real debate with informed opponents (e.g. the health-care summit). It skews his understanding of how geopolitics works, as he imagines that his own wonderfulness can sway adversaries and override nations’ fundamental interests (the Middle East). Is he as well read as George W. Bush? As intellectually creative as Bill Clinton? As grounded in history as Harry Truman? Let’s get some perspective here.

But Carlson does get it partially right:
His coldly rational comments on the mosque were reminiscent of his remark during the campaign about people in struggling small towns who “cling to guns or religion,” or of when he said police had “acted stupidly” in arresting Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his own house during a burglary investigation. The Obama mindset is dismissive of those who have never sipped espresso in the faculty lounge. Anyone who lets emotion creep in where Obama has let reason reign is wrong.
It’s a deadly combination — intellectual arrogance and lack of sympatico with the public — that leads him again and again to stumble. And when his shortcomings lead to embarrassment or failure, he strikes out in frustration — at Israel, at the media, and at the American people. The image of himself clashes with the results he achieves and the reaction he inspires. No wonder he’s so prickly. You’d be, too, if everyone your entire life had told you that you were swell but now, when the chips are down and the spotlight is on, you are failing so badly in your job.

Who are you calling extreme, extremist?

2010-08-19T20:49:00.005-07:00

The Dems and out-of-touch political elites can talk trash. Americans can say, "Scoreboard." November 2nd we'll all check the score:

Getting-Old "Spice"

2010-08-19T12:33:00.013-07:00

"Look at your country. Now back to me. Now back to your country. Now back to me. I promised 'hope and change.' But look at your hand. It's empty. Now back to mine. See all that money you earned slipping through my fingers as the federal deficit is nearly 10% of gross domestic product, and unemployment has held steady at nearly 10%. You wish Bush was the man you could be with. But it's all about me. I'm on Air Force One ... criss-crossing the country at your expense to raise money for Democratic candidates who are in trouble for passing legislation you didn't want and spending your great-grandchildren's inheritance. Then I'm off to Martha's Vineyard for my sixth hard-earned vacation of the year. 'Yes I can!'
"I'm on a high horse."

10 Key Reasons Obama Presidency is in Meltdown

2010-08-14T09:32:00.004-07:00

Nile Gardiner in UK's Telegraph counts the ways.

The last few weeks have been a nightmare for President Obama, in a summer of discontent in the United States which has deeply unsettled the ruling liberal elites, so much so that even the Left has begun to turn against the White House. While the anti-establishment Tea Party movement has gained significant ground and is now a rising and powerful political force to be reckoned with, many of the president’s own supporters as well as independents are rapidly losing faith in Barack Obama, with open warfare breaking out between the White House and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. While conservatism in America grows stronger by the day, the forces of liberalism are growing increasingly weaker and divided.

Against this backdrop, the president’s approval ratings have been sliding dramatically all summer, with the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll of US voters dropping to minus 22 points, the lowest point so far for Barack Obama since taking office. While just 24 per cent of American voters strongly approve of the president’s job performance, almost twice that number, 46 per cent, strongly disapprove. According to Rasmussen, 65 per cent of voters believe the United States is going down the wrong track, including 70 per cent of independents.

Read the whole thing.

ObamaCare Illustrated

2010-08-03T21:30:00.003-07:00

If this ISN'T a true picture, the administration has failed to provide it. Which, perhaps accounts for why nearly 60% of Americans (according to a CNN poll in March 2010) oppose it. May also help account for why the president's approval rating is at an all-time low of 41% according to a USA Today/Gallup poll yesterday (2 Aug 10):

Hat tip to Texas Congressman Kevin Brady for providing the link.

Truman Jedediah Madsen - born 22 July 2010, 6 lbs 10 oz

2010-07-22T18:15:00.002-07:00

Truman Jedediah Madsen: 2nd grandchild, 1st grandson, 1st Madsen male heir. Way to go Jed & Brookie! Named after my dad (Truman) and his dad (Jed). Mother, son, sister, and dad are doing fine. BTW - not sure how so much hair runs in the family...

New Spice - Study like a scholar, scholar

2010-07-21T05:49:00.005-07:00

My wife and I met in the HBLL (Harold B. Lee Library) at BYU. That's why we're scholars:

The one that started it all: Old Spice - the man your man could smell like:

CNBC on "Mormon Mission biz"

2010-07-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

Gov Chris Christie (NJ) for President?

2010-06-17T23:36:00.004-07:00

The fat man rocks.

"Quite simply, Chris Christie is the best communicator of commonsense conservative values in America today," says Pazramic.

Deficit Reduction Commission Seeks Increase in its Budget

2010-06-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Life is full of irony. Read the story here.

The "present" president

2010-06-04T17:40:00.004-07:00

Incompetent, arrogant, left-wing redistributionist, lazy with a strange mixture of iron-willed ambition.

All nice things Roger Kimball says about the former Illinois state senator who voted "present" the majority of the time. Excerpts:

I believe that Obama is unique in the annals of American history. It’s not any individual quality — if “quality” is the right word: perhaps “attribute” would be better — that sets him apart. It’s the combination of attributes.
...
The man can pose. He can preen. He cannot, judging by his performance these last eighteen months, govern. His handling, which is to say his ostentatious mishandling of the BP oil spill, is only the latest evidence that he is wildly out of his depth. That episode is shaping up to be the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history. What has Obama done to address it? What would he do were we confronted with another sort of existential calamity? How would he react?
...
His notorious reputation for being “thin-skinned” (I googled “Obama thin-skinned” and the search engine turned up 93,000 hits in .21 seconds) is a coefficient of his arrogance. It is amusing (sort of) to watch his reaction to criticism: generally, it starts in incredulity and ends in disdain. I suspect he is genuinely surprised to find himself called to account: it interferes with his sense of election.
...
Add to arrogance Obama’s left-wing, redistributionist agenda — it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of his “spread-the-wealth-around” philosophy, his ambition (as he put it a few days before the election) to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.” As we look around at the trillions of dollars of wealth that has evaporated under his watch and contemplate what he is doing to the U.S. military, American health care, immigration, and a host of other issues, it is difficult not to conclude that he is well embarked on that course of fundamental change.
...
But there is another feature that has been often but obliquely noticed. It hovers in the air when it is announced that Air Force One is ferrying the first couple to New York for a date and a night on the town. You sense it when you read, as you are always reading, that Obama is about to embark on, or about to return from, another vacation. You feel it as an unstated premise when you hear (as you are always hearing) about Obama’s latest round of golf.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Obama is lazy. He loves the perquisites of high office. He just doesn’t have much time for the demands.
...
[W]hen it comes to achieving his left-wing agenda, Obama is, if not quite tireless, at least dogged and uncompromising. But when it comes to serving the interests of America, he reverts back to his old Senate habit of voting present. (Come to think of it, when was the last time you heard Obama talk about, and endorse, especially American interests? They just don’t figure very prominently on his scale of values.)

Ouch. This was going to be the "post-partisan" president. Interesting how he arouses such strong animosity. Read the whole thing.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T16:18:00.003-07:00

Since we lived in Virginia (93-96) and attended in person, the Sunday night National Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol has become a family tradition. Last night was no exception. It was exceptional -- best ever! If you missed it, tune in next year. On PBS.

See tributes to the fallen here and here.

Double standard? How dare me!

2010-05-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

Victor Davis Hanson has learned a lot from our media.

Ideology not so much, now competence

2010-05-30T21:49:00.003-07:00

Michael Barone notes Obama has already lost the majority of the public on ideology. Now he's losing their confidence in his competence. This echoes Peggy Noonan's latest columnn: "He was supposed to be competent." And Don Surber opines the president has faced 4 crises, and failed each time.

In the words of Vizzini in "The Princess Bride": "You were supposed to be this great thing."

Expectations were unrealistically high for Barack Obama. No one (except the real Messiah) could have met them. No surprise he has failed. If we are now disillusioned, shame on us for being "illusioned" in the first place.

Disconnect

2010-05-29T07:42:00.002-07:00

While the rest of the country is cinching up its belt, the Obama administration has increased government spending like it has a no-limit credit card.

While consumer debt is on the way down, in 16 months the Dems have increased the national debt fourfold.

And in the new era of "smart diplomacy," we have made friends of our enemies and enemies of our friends.

So: if you were intentionally trying to undermine the United States of America as a world power and destroy its economy, what would you do differently than the Obama administration in the past 16 months?

The thrill is gone

2010-05-29T07:14:00.008-07:00

"Idiotic cerebral meritocracy."

That's Chris ("I felt this thrill going up my leg" when I heard Obama speak) Matthews' description of the Obama administration's response to the BP oil spill crisis.

The whole quote: "“. . . this idiotic cerebral meritocracy has got to step aside and let the people who do things take over . . .”:

The Anchoress has all the links. Read the whole thing including the links -- and watch each video. Including this (life is full of irony):

UPDATE: Like King Canute, Obama can't actually change the tides.

TGM 13 Dec 26 - 28 May 09

2010-05-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

One year anniversary of my dad's death.

"What thou hast borne shall bear thee up to God."

Apple overtakes Microsoft as world's biggest tech company

2010-05-26T22:09:00.002-07:00

Wow. Nearly bankrupt in the 90s. Ironically, Microsoft came to Apple's aid (purchased stock, as a PR ploy by both companies -- Microsoft was still facing antitrust claims). Whodathunkit?

The admiral and the president

2010-05-26T21:32:00.003-07:00

WaPo: Congressman Joe Sestak says the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Senate race against Arlen Specter. The White House denies anything inappropriate happened.

Sestak doesn't retract, wins the primary.

The Eric Holder Justice Department declines to appoint a special prosecutor. Big surprise there.

If Sestak retracts, his political career is over. If White House admits, it's three felonies. A way out? Hmm.

Even their guys are now asking questions. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The latest (28 May 10).

Pitchforks at the gate

2010-05-26T21:26:00.002-07:00

SEIU thug protest at banker's home.

The aftermath:

Has Captain Civility or his flack-in-chief been asked about this yet by any reporter, incidentally? Not that they’re obligated to answer for every sin committed by every crank on their side of the aisle; that privilege is reserved for Republicans. But after all the demagoguery about teabaggers gone wild coupled with all the finger-wagging at conservatives about disagreeing without being disagreeable, you’d think he might have thoughts on his closest union crony sending a rampaging horde to intimidate a banker at his home. But then, this is the guy who once told a group of financial CEOs, "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks."

Pitchforks all around.

Read the whole thing at Hot Air.

Bad news for Obama approval: trending south

2010-05-26T21:20:00.002-07:00

A big owie: 22 point spread - worst of his presidency. And Sestak matter is heating up. And if BP doesn't plug the hole ...

Some devastating polls for Democrats

2010-05-26T21:11:00.002-07:00

End of a triple play: Barone to Barone to Barone. Democrats who voted for Obamacare are in trouble. A Republican leads the incumbent Democrat governor in Oregon! Pigs are flying.

Down in the polls, Dems at war with themselves

2010-05-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Barone: "What we're seeing here are attempts to scramble out of trouble by members of a party whose big government policies have proved, to their surprise, to be highly unpopular. Some move left, some move right, some just run around." Read the whole thing.

The gathering revolt against government spending

2010-05-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

Michael Barone spells out why incumbents of both parties are in trouble.

Free press

2010-05-19T21:46:00.004-07:00

Life is full of irony.

Obama signs a freedom of the press bill, then refuses to take questions from the press.

The president has not had a real news conference since 22 July 2009 (nearly a year). Heh.

Change we can believe in

2010-05-18T20:26:00.004-07:00

Specter's loss makes it 0-4 for Obama: Deeds (VA), Corzine (NJ), Coakley (MA), and now Specter (PA) -- Democratic candidates in blue (or purple) states the president campaigned for -- who lost.

This just in: Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D AR) forced into a runoff. She voted yes on Obamacare, while Arkansans are 2-1 against it.

Here's the White House's expected spin: "This isn't about dissatisfaction with the performance of the 44th President. Oh no. This is about demanding change in Washington - the very same change, by gum, that Barack Obama has been working so hard to bring about!"

Right.

As Mr. Bennett says in Pride and Prejudice: "You may think that, Mary, if it gives you comfort."

No comfort come November. Americans are voting against Washington. "Washington" now means President Obama -- and incumbents who have been going along.

Our ancestors shed blood carrying flags with the slogan, "Don't tread on me." Message from the tea party: "We're coming to take our government back."

UPDATE: Fred Barnes agrees: not anti-incumbent, anti-Obama.

Left, right, and wrong

2010-05-18T12:00:00.002-07:00

Sometimes the script gets in the way. Jonah Goldberg has a story about a university's standard racial outrage v. silence in the face of a Muslim student's support of bigotry and genocide at UCSD. Money quote: "This endorsement of genocide is brought to you by Aristotle." You've got to read the whole thing.

NJ governor setting example for feds

2010-05-15T15:27:00.003-07:00

The Hill has the story of how a Republican governor in a very blue state is cutting taxes and government spending. Amazing concept!

"Hope" and "change"

2010-05-13T11:32:00.002-07:00

Glenn Reynolds posts:

HOPE: U.S. posts 19th straight monthly budget deficit.
...
CHANGE:
The US government suffered a wider-than-expected budget deficit of 82.69 billion dollars in April, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

It was nearly four times the deficit chalked up a year earlier and the largest ever recorded in April.

Most analysts had expected the April deficit, the 19th consecutive month of federal red ink, to be about 52 billion dollars.
Unexpectedly, it was over half again as high as expected. Go, analysts!

Both betide this hope for a change:

POLL: Americans want lower spending, not higher taxes.

Bennett loses Senate seat at Utah GOP convention

2010-05-08T18:44:00.002-07:00

Link to a story here.

Part of what Richard Fernandez has to say about it means:

The Tea Parties represent an asymmetric threat to political organizations optimized for party-line warfare. The threat is no longer across the aisle but outside the building. As such, two possibilities suggest themselves. The first is that the Washington elite will circle the wagons, bury their minor differences and concentrate on keeping the money and power flowing to the capital. A threat from outside the building is after all, a threat to everybody inside the building. The other possibility is that enough members of the elite will realize that jig is up and strive to accommodate themselves to the new reality. In the coming months we are likely to see both gambits. Some politicians will opt to tap the tide; others will seek to master it.

That new reality is driven by economics. The real problem is that Washington — and Brussels globally considered — is running out of Other People’s Money (OPM). The Tea Parties are not the cause but the expression of the underlying problem. By all the standards of power the Tea Parties are a nothing. But that is to misunderstand their nature. The political elite can infiltrate the Tea Parties, revile it in the press and put it down as hard as they can, but like the weighted doll it will rebound incessantly because the deficit, unemployment and the declining confidence in the elite system will keep pushing it up. The Tea Parties are the elite’s dark political dual. The only way they can vanquish the doppelganger is to leave the stage themselves.

The evolution of the Tea Party “threat” in the media has followed the classic trajectory of recognizing asymmetric threats: it was at first dismissed, then denigrated, then patronizingly understood and is now going through the stage of being set up as a national security threat boogeyman, when as it turns out, its main effect so far has been to eliminate a three-term Republican candidate for Senator. At some point the Washington insiders will understand they are facing a real, bona fide political challenge. But although the elite may go out clinging with their fingernails to the carpets of their offices their real enemy will always be not the Tea Partiers but the repo men. It’s the lack of money that will be their ultimate downfall.

The times they are a changin'.

Smart diplomacy

2010-05-06T19:29:00.002-07:00

We had zero terrorist attacks in the U.S. for eight years following 9/11.

We've had four terrorist attacks in America in the fifteen months since Obama became president in January 2009:

• a deadly shooting attack by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad on a military recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas in May 2009 that killed a US soldier and injured another;

• the terrorist massacre shooting attack by Nidal Malik Hasan in Fort Hood, Texas in November 2009 that murdered 13 and injured scores of others;

• the failed Christmas day terrorist "underpants bomb" attack on a US airliner bound for Detroit by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab; and

• the failed Times Square SUV bombing by Faisal Shahzad last Friday in NYC.

If it hadn't been that the bombs built by the terrorists in the last two attempts did not go off (i.e., their stupidity or pure dumb luck), hundreds of people would have been killed, and more injured.

As MatchDoctor noted after the Christmas day bombing attempt: "Apparently, President Obama's gestures -- announcing the closing down of the Guantanamo Bay detention center that houses more terrorists, engaging the terrorists in dialog, and telling the terrorists the date that we will surrender in Afghanistan so they won't be so angry at us -- has not achieved the desired effect."

And each time, government authorities urged the public not to jump to any conclusions about this being Islamic terrorism or that these individuals were acting in concert with others.

Indeed, it's ironic that NYC Mayor Bloomberg, for example, after suggesting that the Times Square bombing attempt could have been perpetrated by some right-wing extremist who disagreed with the president's policies, self-righteously proclaimed that the city "will not tolerate any bias" or a backlash against NYC Muslims.

Liney's 4x400 relay team takes Region; on to State!

2010-05-06T19:15:00.002-07:00

At the Region 8 track meet at Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs today, our daughter's relay team took first and will be going to State. Go Caroline and go TBirds!

All 3 Navy Seals acquitted of Iraqi detainee abuse

2010-05-06T19:03:00.003-07:00

Some people believe "military justice" is an oxymoron.

As an Air Force ADC (Area Defense Counsel) for a year and a half, I had 21 trials. 14 were guilty pleas, and 7 litigated (i.e., where my clients pled not guilty). Of my litigated cases, I had 2 outright acquittals, 4 partial acquittals, and one conviction reversed on appeal. (That reversal was from one of my partial acquittals; I had one case where my client pled not guilty and was convicted of everything -- our theory in that case was that he was telling the truth, and the three witnesses against him were lying).

Civilians generally do not understand that, to avoid unlawful command influence, military defendants actually have more rights than civilian defendants.

However, it sounds like the detainee abuse case involving 3 Navy Seals was a weak case to begin with. All three turned down nonjudicial punishment (meaning, they were first offered administrative punishment). If their commander, or the convening authority, thought there was strong enough proof for a court-martial, they would have preferred charges and gone to a general court-martial in the first place. The fact that the 3 were acquitted should inspire more confidence in a military justice system that works.

David D. Anderson - 6 May 1937-19 May 2008

2010-05-06T18:25:00.005-07:00

My father-in-law would have been 73 today. His obituary:

DAVID DEAN ANDERSON
“Say ‘yes’ to life!”
David Dean Anderson died unexpectedly on 19 May 2008 at the age of 71 in Provo, Utah. Dave suffered a cardiac arrest after biking to and working out at a local gym. Dave had a cheerful disposition even in the face of great difficulties and chronic pain. One of his greatest legacies was his example of living life to the fullest. After surviving corneal transplants, quadruple bypass surgery, three back surgeries, two hip replacements, a near-fatal E. Coli infection, and prostate cancer, for his 70th birthday he paraglided at the Point of the Mountain. Since age 70, he has summited Mount Timpanogos (11,749 feet), hiked multiple times to the “Y” and the top of Squaw Peak, flown an ultralight over the family farm in St. Johns, Michigan, biked with his two younger brothers through Zions and Bryce, and ridden a toboggan towed behind his son’s pickup truck in Sedalia, Colorado.

Dave was born 6 May 1937 to Dale and Caroline Anderson in St. Johns, Michigan, the oldest of five children. He graduated from St. Johns High School, was in the first graduating class (1959) of the United States Air Force Academy, did post-graduate work at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 22 years of distinguished service. Dave was serving as the commander of the Air Force’s largest intelligence wing when he retired. Following his retirement, Dave served as a program manager for Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, and was later a real estate broker in Colorado for 25 years, including as a co-founder of The Anderson Team. Dave was president of the Falcon Quarterback Club, and a diehard Air Force fan.

He was a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served faithfully in many callings including as a bishop (four times), high councilor, and Gospel Doctrine instructor. Most recently he was serving as a Sunday School counselor, instructor, and high priests instructor. He and his wife of nearly 49 years, Robin Tracy, served an 18-month proselyting mission for the Church in the Houston, Texas mission from 2005-2006, after which they moved to Provo, Utah. After their move, Dave had season tickets to both Air Force and BYU football games, and quickly became a diehard BYU fan (but never at the expense of his beloved Air Force).

Dave and his family were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. He is survived by his wife, Robin, and their 9 children: daughters Cynthia Madsen (Barnard), Carrie Athay (William), Dana Simonelli (Gabriel), and Lorelle Hauger (Brent); sons Gregory (Gerry), Peter (Stephanie), Dale (Mardie), Bruce, and Gabriel (Brooke); 12 grandsons, and 9 granddaughters; and a great-granddaughter due in August.

The family wishes to thank the Gold’s Gym staff, paramedics, and the doctors, nurses, and staff at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for their heroic efforts attempting to save Dave’s life.

The Myth of the Menacing Militias

2010-05-06T13:23:00.002-07:00

"Right-wing violence" is the dems' mantra and an MSM narrative. I'm still waiting for someone to point out an instance of "right-wing violence" in the past five years, or at a single Tea Party rally. It's a myth.

Remember Katrina...

2010-05-06T13:11:00.003-07:00

Flooding in Nashville has killed 19 and caused $1B in damage. The Gulf coast states are facing an oil spill of potentially catastrophic proportions. And the southern border of the U.S. is a sieve for illegal immigration. A president can't do everything, but this president's lack of attention to the south is notable and seems to reflect a regional bias. Why? Apparently he doesn't care about Southern people.

A Tale of Two Americas

2010-05-05T14:01:00.002-07:00

Bill Whittle on "Afterburner" at PJTV. There's a lot right about the other half. (Interesting note: he mentions Provo, Utah and Welfare Square).

Validation

2010-05-05T13:59:00.002-07:00

And now for something completely different... Make someone smile!

Follow the money...

2010-05-05T12:19:00.002-07:00

The "Green Movement" decries the oil industry and profiteering. Of course, the "Green Movement" stands to profit from "global warming" via the growth of "green industries."

On a similar subject, this from Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit:

AND YET, THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING IS “MORE REGULATION:” Govt. Regulators Gave BP A Pass. “The Interior Department exempted BP’s calamitous Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according to government documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely.” Hmm. Who was President “last year?”

UPDATE: Related: Politico: Obama Top Recipient of BP Cash. “BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years, with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.”

Is it that simple? Whose "reviews" concluded a massive oil spill was unlikely?

The global war on, well ... something

2010-05-05T11:59:00.003-07:00

David Harsanyi in the Denver Post has it right. Partial quote:

"If I had to guess 25 cents, this would be exactly that," explained Mayor Michael Bloomberg — who has plenty of quarters to spare — during the investigation's early stages. "Homegrown, or maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything."

It could be anything, said the mayor of New York City. A mentally deranged person, perhaps? Maybe some crazy from the fundamentalist faction of around 56 percent of us who opposed health-care reform. After all, in the deep recesses of some imaginations, conservatives are not above murdering hundreds of tourists to make a point about Obamacare.

Or it could be something totally unanticipated! Like Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old naturalized American citizen from Pakistan, who was taken into custody at JFK Airport in New York as he attempted to escape to Dubai. A senior U.S. official said Shahzad already admitted to interrogators that he received (not very effective) bomb-making tips during his five-month trip to Pakistan. Reason dictates Shahzad wasn't upset about reconciliation.

...

If I had to guess 25 cents, I'd bet the administration makes no mention of fundamentalist Islam even when it reluctantly admits we're dealing with "terror."

Yet, such an obvious admission is neither a condemnation nor endorsement of any brand of foreign policy. It is neither a condemnation nor endorsement of the idealistic notion that we can "eradicate terrorism" nor the naive idea that a charismatic president can plead for friendship enough times that jihadists worldwide will be lulled into submission and awe.

After all, the administration has never been scared to call out despots and extremists, such as insurance companies, Wall Street executives, Tea Party activists and the Israeli government. This is the Department of Homeland Security that issued a report alerting us to potential violence from "right- wing extremists" who are ginned up about "illegal immigration," "federal power," and the Second Amendment. (So at least half of you qualify.)

Why not engage in one of those frank discussions the president is always pretending to have with the American people? How can we deal with a problem if we're not even allowed to honestly talk about it?

Read the whole thing.

Out of Africa: Jewels from Dakar

2010-05-02T19:35:00.004-07:00

Our Kelly girl flew to Dakar with Dr. Marian Johnson yesterday. We were able to talk to her on Skype after they arrived at their hotel. They are interviewing goldsmiths and photographing Senegalese wedding jewelry in preparation for a Smithsonian exhibit. Here blog is here: Out of Africa: Jewels from Dakar. So far, so good.

Question Authority: Dude, That's Sooo 2008

2010-04-24T08:30:00.002-07:00

Life is full of irony.

James Lileks skewers the TP critics.

Remember November

2010-04-24T08:20:00.001-07:00

Go here to see the Republican Governors Association video.

The Media Myth of Right-Wing Violence

2010-04-20T08:09:00.005-07:00

It's the current theme of Bill Clinton and the MSM: dire threats about hypothetical right-wing violence. Hmm.

Let's look at a recent catalog of left-wing violence, brought to you by Newsbusters.

Can anyone please cite a single instance of violence at a Tea Party rally?

UPDATE: Far left (apparently) strikes again: The New Orleans Beating: Real Violence, Real Evidence, No Media. Imagine if this had happened outside a Democratic Southern Leadership Conference event. Silence? I'm guessing not. Where are the calls from liberal leaders to condemn violence (by other than "racist right-wing Tea Party extremists")?

The Divide

2010-04-17T20:31:00.002-07:00

Richard Fernandez at the Belmont Club: The Tea Party has provoked a discussion about "whether the half of US households who pay Federal Income Tax so it can be transferred to the other half should have any say on how their money is spent. Because the only thing worse than the narrative that Tea Partiers are the ingrates who should be saying 'thank you' to the quality that wisely governs them is the reverse: a narrative where the Tea Partiers are the quality who dare to question the ingrates that govern and write about them. Any idea that threatens to invert the positions of the elite and the peasantry is by definition subversive. The real problem with portraying the rebels as well educated and smart is that it begs the question of what their critics are."

The crater of Eyjafjallajokull in southeast Iceland: "The Scream"

2010-04-17T20:15:00.003-07:00

Odd radar photo of the volcano spewing ash across Europe:

"Let them eat cake!": Obama "amused" at Tea Party rallies

2010-04-17T14:23:00.004-07:00

For a candidate who was so "connected" in 2008, this president and his party are incredibly out of touch with America today. Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell (two Democratic pollsters) say to avoid a November "bloodbath," Democrats need to make "a bold commitment to fiscal discipline and targeted fiscal stimulus of the private sector and entrepreneurship" (i.e., the Tea Party's platform). Read the whole thing.

At Last, The Truth About the Tea Partiers

2010-04-16T13:57:00.005-07:00

The Daily Beast reports: "The New York Times poll forces the mainstream media to admit it: They’ve been building a story line about this grassroots movement based on their prejudices, not the facts."

Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds opines: "Old spin — they were dumb ignorant hillbillies. Predicted new spin: Just a bunch of overeducated fatcats!"

Reynolds was right.

The Bailout Non-Hearings

2010-04-10T22:07:00.002-07:00

Peggy Noonan shines a light on the proceedings.

Hope and change

2010-04-10T22:00:00.002-07:00

Mitt Romney wins a straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Hmm. "Evangelicals for Mitt."

A career "fixer", Romney looks pretty good in contrast to President Obama.

"Smart" diplomacy

2010-04-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ain't. Krauthammer has the details.

KSL's tribute to TGM: "An Easter Walk with Truman G. Madsen"

2010-04-10T11:28:00.004-07:00

A half-hour special shown after the Sunday afternoon session of LDS General Conference, and shown (in 4 parts) here. Miss my dad. It will be a year on 28 May 2010.

"The Eternal Christ," a 4-DVD series, is my dad's final testimony of the Savior, in the Holy Land.

Missing Reagan

2010-04-05T18:59:00.002-07:00

Found today on Political Mavens: this letter to Ronald Reagan, the content of which I endorse in full.

Hope and change

2010-04-04T11:01:00.002-07:00

He is risen.

Matthew 28:6-7

D&C 76:22-23

Big government: the knowledge problem

2010-04-04T10:13:00.001-07:00

Glenn Reynolds spotlights the good news and bad news about our lawmakers not knowing what they are doing.

The credit card president

2010-04-02T12:52:00.002-07:00

In the worst recession since the Great Depression (we were told), the president has led an expansion of the federal government driving deficits into the trillions. How are we going to pay for this? As Charles Krauthammer explains, it's all part of the plan: the tax man cometh.

Smart diplomacy: with friends like us...

2010-04-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

Charles Krauthammer asks, "How can you explain Obama's treatment of foreign allies?" It's hard.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2010-03-26T16:09:00.004-07:00

From an email to NRO's The Corner:

It’s a sad day when the President of the United States uses taxpayer dollars to travel around the country ridiculing and provoking those taxpayers with whom he disagrees, but this is what we get when the “cool” guy wins. How I long for the days of a “cowboy” President I didn’t always agree with, but always respected.

I guess respect is a two-way street.

Resistance is Not Futile

2010-03-26T16:05:00.002-07:00

The best thing I've read on the health care debate. Former Senator Phil Gramm (R) in the WSJ.

Instead of saying "read the whole thing," here's the whole thing:

Republicans must make it clear to the American people that this is only the beginning of the debate.

By PHIL GRAMM

For every dollar's worth of health care that Americans received last year, they paid a dime and somebody else paid 90 cents. If you bought food the way you buy health care—where 90% of everything you put in your basket was paid for by your grocery insurance policy—you would eat differently and so would your dog. We have the best health-care system in the world, but as rich as America is we can't afford it.

Any real debate about health-care reform has to be centered on solving the problem of cost. Ultimately, there are only two ways of doing it. The first approach is to have government control costs through some form of rationing. The alternative is to empower families to make their own health-care decisions in a system where costs matter. The fundamental question is about who is going to do the controlling: the family or the government.

President Obama and his congressional allies systematically excluded every major proposal to empower consumers to control costs. From beginning to end, they insisted on a government-run system. That's why compromise was never possible.

The plan signed into law by the president on Tuesday is simply a hodgepodge of schemes to expand insurance coverage and government power with no coherent program to control cost. By contrast, the old Clinton health-care bill was a plan to control costs through health-care purchasing cooperatives, standards of medical practice, and penalties for providers who violated those standards. When Americans came to understand the loss of freedom resulting from the Clinton plan, they rejected it. The Democrats learned from that experience. This time around they simply left their cost control component to be added later.

Even though the Obama bill became far more unpopular than the Clinton bill ever was, the daunting size and rigid commitment of the Democratic majority to a government-run system was such that they could override public opinion. Now the Democrats are out to make Americans like their plan—or at least get them to acquiesce to it. But as Gandhi once explained, 40,000 British troops cannot force 300 million Indians to do what they will not do.

Republicans have a job to do. They must make it clear to the American people that this is only the beginning of the debate. There will be two congressional elections and a presidential election before the government takeover is implemented in 2014.

I believe that Republicans should take the unequivocal position that if they are given a majority in Congress in November, they will stop the implementation of the government takeover. And if a Republican is elected president in 2012, they will do with Mr. Obama's health-care bill what the American voters will have done to the Democrats: throw it out. If the voters demand change in November, even the Democrats who remain in Congress will help give it to them.

If Republicans don't want America to follow Britain and Canada down the road to socialized medicine, they must change the system so that families have more power to control their own health-care costs. This will entail real changes like tax deductions for health insurance, not for prepaid medicine; refundable tax credits for families to buy their own insurance; freedom to negotiate with insurance companies; rewarding healthy lifestyles; tort reform; and reforming Medicare and Medicaid so every consumer has deductibles and copayments based on their income. This system will require Americans to make choices in health care—just as they do in every other area of their lives.

There is one more overwhelming reason freedom is so critical in health care. In the end, even the greatest health-care system in the world fails. At 92, my mother decided to stop going to the hospital, stop going to the doctor, stop taking her medicine, and to die in her own bed. It was a free choice, and she made it. For her family, it was a painful choice, but she died as she lived—proud and free. Government bureaucrats did not make that decision; she did. And that made all the difference.

Mr. Gramm, a Republican, was a senator from Texas from 1985 to 2002 and served as chairman of the Health subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Finance.

Obamacare: not the beginning of the end, the end of the beginning

2010-03-21T21:24:00.004-07:00

Hope and change. Coming November 2010.

Kaboom!

2010-03-21T21:14:00.002-07:00

Democrats 1 America 0

2010-03-21T20:42:00.003-07:00

House voted 219-212 tonight to pass Obamacare (34 Democrats joined Republicans in voting "no").

In The Atlantic, Megan McCardle writes:

"I hope Obama gets his wish to be a one-term president who passed health care. ... because politicians shouldn't feel that the best route to electoral success is to lie to the voters, and then ignore them."

Read the whole thing.

Last week, Democratic pollsters Pat Caddell and Douglas Schoen warned in the Washington Post:

Nothing has been more disconcerting than to watch Democratic politicians and their media supporters deceive themselves into believing that the public favors the Democrats' current health-care plan. Yes, most Americans believe, as we do, that real health-care reform is needed. And yes, certain proposals in the plan are supported by the public.

However, a solid majority of Americans opposes the massive health-reform plan. Four-fifths of those who oppose the plan strongly oppose it, according to Rasmussen polling this week, while only half of those who support the plan do so strongly. Many more Americans believe the legislation will worsen their health care, cost them more personally and add significantly to the national deficit. Never in our experience as pollsters can we recall such self-deluding misconstruction of survey data.

...

Health care is no longer a debate about the merits of specific initiatives. Since the spectacle of Christmas dealmaking to ensure passage of the Senate bill, the issue, in voters' minds, has become less about health care than about the government and a political majority that will neither hear nor heed the will of the people.

Voters are hardly enthralled with the GOP, but the Democrats are pursuing policies that are out of step with the way ordinary Americans think and feel about politics and government. Barring some change of approach, they will be punished severely at the polls.

(Emphasis added). We can hope. For change.

Read the whole thing.

Hope and change: hoped they could change the rules

2010-03-11T14:14:00.003-07:00

Senate parliamentarian says they can't.

Yuval Levin at NR's "The Corner":

"Democratic leaders should be asking themselves just how they have gotten to the point that their strategy is to amend a law that doesn’t exist yet by passing a bill without voting on it. Surely it’s time to start over."

Obama and the L-Word

2010-03-10T09:37:00.002-07:00

Matt Welch:

"The president, who promised in both word and style to usher in a 'new era' of Washington 'responsibility,' routinely says things that aren’t true and supports initiatives that break campaign promises. When called on it, he mostly keeps digging. And when obliged to explain why American voters are turning so sharply away from his party and his policies, Obama pins the blame not on his own deviations from verity but on his failure to 'explain' things 'more clearly to the American people.'
...

"When a politician cannot fathom opposition to his policies except as the manifestation of wicked manipulation by bad guys, remediable only by more thorough 'explanations' from the good guys, it indicates an unseemly paternalism. And if he cannot take the hint that Bush-Obama bailout-and-spend economics are deeply and increasingly unpopular, that indicates something immovable about his core economic ideology. With those two factors as backdrop, it’s hard to say which would be worse: if the president didn’t really believe what he said, or if he did."

Read the whole thing.

And now for something completely different...

2010-03-01T22:12:00.006-07:00

A helmet-hair ventriloquist-dummy-lookalike does hideous lip-synching on a dreadful '60s set. A Soviet Lawrence Welk? "Joyful noise" in the Workers' Paradise? Cross-cultural "la-la'ing," "ho-ho'ing," and belly laughs of song! Remarkably he manages to stay in character (whatever that character is). (Reminds me of what you would expect to see on TV in the "Joe Versus the Volcano" world). Hard to believe we were terrified of these guys for about 40 years. No surprise we won the Cold War. Words fail. Enjoy. (Hat tip Ethan Clark).

Democrats (2005): Proposal to do away with filibuster in Senate is "Arrogant" power grab against the founders' intent

2010-02-24T14:00:00.005-07:00

Life is full of irony:

Robert Reich in the Christian Science Monitor: It's time to enact Obama's healthcare plan with 51 Senate votes".

Obama & Dems in ‘05: 51 Vote ‘Nuclear Option’ Is ‘Arrogant’ Power Grab Against the Founders’ Intent:

One-year anniversary: Rick Santelli starts the Tea Party

2010-02-19T23:15:00.002-07:00

19 February 2009, Rick Santelli, CNBC commentator, live on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, goes off on Washington "stimulus" economics and says he's going to start a "Tea Party" in Chicago and throw derivative securities in Lake Michigan. The spark that started it all:

One year ago I saved the economy

2010-02-18T09:08:00.001-07:00

Not Obama, William A. Jacobson. Read all about it here.

Inconvenient truth: global warming was a fraud?

2010-02-15T13:44:00.005-07:00

The sky is falling. Except it's not.

The anti-CO2 crusade led by Al Gore, Phil Jones, et al. was apparently just so much hot air.

"Hide the decline."

Phil Jones lost his data. Oops.

The debate is over?

Read my lips...

2010-02-11T09:45:00.002-07:00

Business Week headline: Obama "Agnostic" on Deficit Cuts, Won't Prejudge Tax Increases

First paragraph: "President Barack Obama said he is 'agnostic' about raising taxes on households making less than $250,000 as part of a broad effort to rein in the budget deficit."

Further down in the story: "Obama repeatedly vowed during the 2008 presidential election campaign that he would not raise taxes on individuals making less than $200,000 and households earning less than $250,000 a year. When senior White House economic adviser Lawrence H. Summers and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner suggested in August that the administration might be open to going back on that pledge, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quickly reiterated the president’s promise.

"In the interview, Obama said that putting preconditions on the agenda of a bipartisan advisory commission, which he said he would soon establish, would just undermine its purpose."

"Bipartisanship" means political cover if he goes back on his pledge?

Sounded good during the campaign:

And -- hmm -- where'd that pesky deficit come from?

One year in: epic fail

2010-02-10T10:15:00.002-07:00

Michael Barone: "The same people who directed the campaign that defeated Hillary Clinton and routed John McCain, a campaign that raised far more money and attracted far more volunteers than any before it, have within a year come up with a legislative program that is crashing in ruins and that, to judge from recent polls, has left the Democratic party weaker than I have seen it in almost 50 years of closely following politics." Read the whole thing.

Mainstream narrative, per Newsweak columnist: "America ungovernable"

2010-02-08T16:27:00.004-07:00

Not really. Her president (with majorities in both houses of Congress) just isn't up to the job.

On the flip side, the president has been very effective in creating a "great peasant revolt" and a "3rd Great Awakening."

POTUS, SOTU, SCOTUS, and Alito: Alito was right, Obama was wrong

2010-01-29T09:24:00.003-07:00

The president was wrong to dis the Supreme Court during his State of the Union address. Wrong, because, amazing constitutional scholar that he is, he got his law wrong, and wrong because it was unseemly and unpresidential.

On a lighter note, Dennis Miller: "Obama chose to call out the only 9 guys in the room that did their homework in law school. And the rest who ended up settling for politics stood and and cheer[ed] it."

More SOTU commentary.

The Big O in freefall

2010-01-25T23:16:00.001-07:00

Victor Davis Hanson kicks him while he's down.

"On every issue — more bailouts, more stimuli, more deficits, higher taxes, statist health care, cap and trade, diplomatic apologetics, the shunning of natural gas, oil, and nuclear in favor of 'millions of green jobs' subsidized by billions in federal 'stimulus' — the Obama position polls 5-15 points below 50 percent. ... So where are we at twelve months? Obama showed the country his vision of where he wanted us to go; he had both houses of Congress, a toady media, and enormous personal popularity — and he is getting nowhere. Why? Because most Americans are vehemently opposed to taking their country in the direction that Obama, Pelosi, and Reid would prefer."

Read the whole thing.

POTUS uses TOTUS at schoolroom speech

2010-01-25T22:45:00.003-07:00

POTUS (acronym for "President of the United States") has melded into TOTUS ("Teleprompter of the United States"). This president can't seem to give any speech without his trusty device:

Graham Road Elementary School in Falls Church, Va., Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010

Glib. Cool. Brilliant.

Not so much.

More of a newsreader. Or an empty suit. An unflattering portrait, indeed.

A picture's worth a thousand words. Candidate Mike Dukakis:

Something says these things do not belong together. A jarring juxtuposition.

The longer he's president, Obama seems -- is it possible -- less presidential?

Hmm. Somebody might be listening: New Contract With America?

2010-01-25T18:22:00.002-07:00

Here's what Newt Gingrich suggests GOP leaders focus on in run-up to midterms:

1. Jobs, jobs, jobs
2. Balance the budget
3. An American energy plan
4. Congressional appropriations reform
5. Litigation reform
6. Real health reform
7. Every child gets ahead
8. Protect religious liberty
9. Protect Americans, not the rights of terrorists
10. Defending America is job one for government

Devil's in the details, and, as Newt says, a "contract" is a commitment to act, not a party platform. Pounding some of these key points is how Brown won Massachusetts.

Obama would rather be "really good one-term president"

2010-01-25T17:55:00.003-07:00

"I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president." -- President Obama

Wow. It's come to this.

A week is forever in politics, but so far it's looking a lot like a mediocre one-term president.

UPDATE: Indeed, looks like it's trending that way: "CNN Poll: For First Time, More Say Dem Control Is Bad For Country."

How the mighty have fallen: BO is leading them back into the wilderness.

BYU 71 SDSU 69: BYU basketball team gets last laugh at SDSU missionary impostors' expense

2010-01-25T12:29:00.005-07:00

A section of SDSU students dressed up as LDS missionaries for Saturday night's game against BYU, some of them with bike helmets:

One of them reportedly held a sign, "Jimmer, which wife gave you mono?" Another sign said, "Hi mom(s)."

Pretty creative.

But the Cougs got the last laugh. After falling behind in the second half, BYU went on a 15-0 run. Point guard Jimmer Fredette used a left-hand scoop layup (right in front of the student section filled with the missionary lookalikes) and swished two final free throws to ice the game.

As a San Diego columnist noted: "Poetic justice."

A BYU fan might also say to the faux missionaries: "This win's for you, boys!"

Or perhaps, "Scoreboard." :-)

UPDATE: Cougars are 20-1, and ranked 10th in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll (and 12th in the AP).

Pretty good week for conservatives

2010-01-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Massachusetts: From Blue to Brown

2010-01-19T19:20:00.003-07:00

7:22 pm MST - Coakley conceded. "Hope and Change -- and Yes, We Can!"

Happy Anniversary, Mr. President (tomorrow will be 1 year since his inauguration).

I nominate Scott Brown to give the response to the State of the Union address.

One Year Out: President Obama's Fall

2010-01-18T12:24:00.003-07:00

In chilly midwinter, nearing the anniversary of his historic inauguration, President Obama's fall is upon us. A candidate who seemed so "connected" has suffered a major disconnect. Krauthammer connects the dots.

How do you spell "potatoe"? "Marcia" Coakley trails in "Massachusettes"

2010-01-18T11:38:00.005-07:00

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) can't get the name of Dem Senate hopeful Martha Coakley right. And she can't get the name of the state she's running in right.

I'm sure they'd both agree it's Bush's fault.

Actually, it's probably her own fault she's suffered a 40-point meltdown since September 2009 (not to mention her opponent Scott Brown's growing strength -- and President Obama's increasing weakness).

Tuesday's special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy's seat could be a "shot heard round the world."

UPDATE: Yup.

BYU-bound running back Josh Quezada: dress and grooming standards and Locks of Love

2010-01-17T11:32:00.005-07:00

Story, photos, and captions from the Orange County Register:

Josh Quezada watches video of himself playing on large screen at Pepz Pizza and Eatery in La Habra on Thursday, minutues before his signature long hair was cut to conform to grooming standards at BYU, where he will playing college football. Friends and family threw a combination going away and hair cutting party for Quezada at the pizzeria.

Josh Quezada enjoys some pizza with friends and family at combination going away and hair-cutting party held at Pepz in La Habra on Thursday. Quezada's long hair has been one of his signature features during his four years as a star running back for the Highlanders. The All-CIF back is headed to BYU and had to cut his hair to conform to the university's strict grooming standards.

Josh Quezada said he didn't recognize the person in the mirror after seeing himself for the first time without his long locks. The All-CIF back is headed to BYU and had to cut his hair to conform to the university's strict grooming standards. Quezada said the hair is being donated to Locks of Love, a nonprofit which provides hairpieces for children who have lost their own hair due to medical conditions.