Thank You For Not Being Smoking

In light of the post-season flameouts of Jessica Simpson's Tony Romo and Giselle Bundchen's Tom Brady, I Boldly Predict it will be a long time before football fans see another uber-babe rooting up in the stands for her man.  Look for brothers, mothers, dads, or even dogs (the man's best friend kind, not non-uber-babes).

And let's draw the obvious political parallels - the much maligned McCain is the much maligned Manning.  And who is Tom Brady, the Golden Boy, the Chosen One - C'mon,that is too easy.  Tough luck for Barack if he matches up with McCain.

Comments

[Jane]

Don't start. It's hard enough.

[glasater]

For our host TM and Jane--here is word there is snow in Hawaii to distract.
Go to forecasts.

[Pofarmer]

O.K.

Is there any way that there could be main page buttons put at the bottom of the comment pages so you don't have to scroll clear up after you post a comment to see the other threads?

[Ann]

Good Morning

The polls have been wrong, the MSM pundits have been wrong, the underdogs have another day to fight, Lanny Davis looks terrible today, and Hillary is gong to garnish wages; I say again...Good Morning!!

[Jane]

There is a link under my name for an Obama ad that is really quite spectacular.

[glasater]

That is an incredible ad--Jane--but it's going to scare the wee out of every white guy in the country.

On another note--I use a graphics tablet so scrolling up and down pages is not a problem. The only unhandy part is putting the pen down for typing.

[TM]

Just to be clear - I was a total Sunshine Patriot fan on this game. I like Brady, but when Eli got the ball back with 2:45 to go I announced to the room that he had been good in these spots all year.

And it is a finger in the eye to Red Sox Nation, so its not all bad. No 19-0 history, though.

Oh, well - the talk radio callers are so happy today that you have to feel happy for them - this is one of those great sports days in the Greatest City in the World.

[GMax]

Well as a Cowboys fan one of the things you never ever do is root for the Giants, and yet I found myself grinning just a bit for Eli and Coughlin. It may have been the insufferable and unending talk of Tom Brady being able to walk on water that help get me there. He was a 6th round draft choice once upon a time. He must have been thought to have a few weaknesses once upon a time. And when you miss a wide open Randy Moss in the endzone, you most assuredly sink like all of us smucks.

Commercials were a letdown, Alicia Keys has a large butt and Tom Petty looked like a pensioner in need of a haircut! But the underdogs hung around got just enough traction to be ahead when the gun sounded.

As far as SuperBowls go, I even watched the last 1 second tick off, which is almost never the case in Superbowl which tend to produce large lopsided wins most often. A good show.

[Rick Ballard]

"I was a total Sunshine Patriot fan on this game."

So were 82% of the smart money people at TradeSports (InTrade's rich brother)

Looking elswhere, bettors at the TradeSports prediction market are giving the Patriots a 49.5 percent chance of covering a 12.5 point spread (and an 82 percent chance of winning outright).

The Pats were just inevitable winners...

[glasater]

Must have been precient--here is VDH's take on The White Man's Burden at Pajamas.

[Pofarmer]

My wife thought the Obama ad was annoying.

What annoys me, is all the incorrect suppositions that Barack Hussein and his supporters are using to frame his candidacy.

We can end this war!!!!
Uhmm, O.K. 45,000 troops coming home in July. This sucker is winding down.

We can SAVE the planet!!!!!
Really? I didn't know we could destroy it?

We can HEAL this nation.
Uhmmm, O.K.

[glasater]

Where Las Vegas took it on the chin was in the "line" bet. If one plunked down one hundred dollars on the Giants--you got three hundred and change back.

[Pofarmer]

Oh, Yeah, and how much of my money is he gonna want to do all that?

[Pofarmer]

I wonder how his speeches would sound if he changed that first line to

We can HAND the middle east over to Islamic terrorists!!!!!

Truth in advertising and all.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Oh, Yeah, and how much of my money is he gonna want to do all that?

All of it.

[Jane]

I'm not saying the ad was persuasive. I just thought it was really well done.

As for all the Giant's talk. I've got my hands over my ears and I'm saying "lalalalalalalalalalalalala" until you stop.

[glasater]

What a comment from Michael Reagan......

“Fred Thompson’s gone. Duncan Hunter’s gone... Huckabee could become Huckabeen—gone by [tomorrow]... All of a sudden you’ve got this Republican primary coming down to McCain, Romney and Ron Paul. With all this uncertainty, just where can a conservative go?... Who, then, could conservatives end up backing?... Newt Gingrich, that’s who... Why Newt? Ask yourself why Ronald Reagan won. He won because he was able to excite a group of people in America that the liberal wing of the Republican party has never excited—the grass roots. Newt Gingrich is the last Republican to have done that—to reach out to the grass roots, to all those conservative Republicans and Reagan Democrats. Remember, it was Newt who engineered the miraculous Republican take-over of Congress in 1994—something that was deemed impossible two years after Bill Clinton won the White House. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was out there quietly working the phones and hoping for a wide-open convention where the delegates—not the primaries that selected many of them—decide for themselves who they want to carry the GOP banner in the presidential election in November. If Newt throws his hat in the ring he knows that in the blink of an eye he will have the grass roots behind him.”—Michael Reagan

[Ann]

Michael Reagan is dreaming.

[Appalled Moderate]

glaster:

Newt!? Well, why not! He has Giuliani's marital history; McCain's talent for inserting foot in mouth and being gratuitously mean; Romney's perplexing yetch factor; Thompson's ability to flee from seeking power when the going gets tough; Huckabee's willingness to pander to the evangelicals when that is not good for the country. And, of course, most importantly, Newt has experience in losing to Bill Clinton.

Michael Reagan needs to sit back and watch some videos of his father in action. Even Newt knows enough not to suggest Newt.

[Other Tom]

Hell--Pats suck.

[Rick Ballard]

From comments at Bill Quick's Blog

Sorry, not buying any. In the first place, every Dem candidate is demonstrably worse on every one of those issues. For example, they’d not only stifle dissenting political speech related to campaigns, they’d slap “fairness doctrine” restrictions on generic political (conservative) speech by broadcasters. They’d not only provide amnesty, but unchecked franchise (preferably with multiple absentee ballots) for illegal aliens. In the second, the seminal issue of our time remains the war on terror. McCain is a long way from perfect on it, but again, he’s a lot better than the Dem alternatives.

I’m reminded of my favorite Orwell quote :

Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, ‘he that is not with me is against me.’

If you can plausibly claim McCain is worse (or no better than) Hillary or Obama–especially on the war–then fine. But if not, then it seems to me the claim of loyalty blinders is more applicable to those who demand party purity of their candidate, rather than voting for the best choice available (even if we have to hold our noses to do so).

That was Cecil Turner.

Quick provides the laundry list as to McCain's lack of appeal but should McCain prevail, I'm with Cecil.

VOTE McCain - We'll lend you a clothespin.

But vote Romney tomorrow, 'cause the "smart money" ain't always that smart.

[glasater]

Brady prolly choked--and who wouldn't with all the media hype.

This is kind of a hoot--The Boston Globe was evidently trying to raise extra money with a bogus book. 19-0.

[glasater]

Well--it's not a bogus book--but BG jumped the traces a bit.

[glasater]

Well yeah--I'll vote for McCain--but he is not raising any money. I mean--he's getting the endorsements but not the cash.
If I were him, I would start telling these guys saying nice things about him to start putting up some money.
He had to sell his mailing list for cash for heavens sake and then take out a life insurance policy (which is good) on top of that.

[MayBee]

I'm not saying the ad was persuasive. I just thought it was really well done.

Yeah. In this family, we thought we'd like to be the person that inspired someone to do that. Very creative and new.

[Pofarmer]

Brady prolly choked--

Choked? Nah, the Giants defense beat the hell out of him.

[jimmyk]

I'm not saying the ad was persuasive. I just thought it was really well done.

In a slick, Madison Avenue way, yes. I found it intolerable. Vintage Obama: All style, zero substance. Granted Hillary is the opposite extreme (never mind the frightening quality of the "substance"), equally unappealing.

[Patrick Tyson]

I felt like I did when the Yankees had it slip away in the 9th inning in 2001 and the Trojans couldn't stop Vince Young in the end in 2006. There's that "this was it" feeling. No matter how good they are from here on out, the Patriots lost their moment yesterday and it's unlikely we'll see their like again for some time to come.

That being written, the Giants played the better game and got the win they deserved. As far as Super Bowls go, I'm reminded of the 1989 Super Bowl, which would have been tied 6-6 going into the 4th Quarter if not for a last minute special teams touchdown in the 3rd and ended up 20-16 (49ers over Bengals) when a Montana to Taylor pass with under a minute to play completed "The Drive". Of course, "Joe Cool" pulled it out for my team in that one and it was my best Super Bowl payday ever (I bet that the Bengals would cover) so nothing else really compares.

[Jane]

This morning I read somewhere and I can't for the life of me remember where, that the whole Arlen Spector spygate redoux this weekend was because no one would give Spector tickets to the game.

That is just so bloody typical.

[Porchlight]

Yuck. Did that ad need to be over four minutes long? I think I got the point by about 00:30.

Kinda funny, some of the people standing behind Obama in those clips looked decidedly bored.

[RichatuF]

Rick-

Lifting this from another thread:

I just need to figure out how the cable cutting extortion relates to Hamas...

I was thinking that Iran might be gearing up for a major offensive [say starting March 20, 2008]-Hamas in the south, Hezb’ollah in the north, and various bottomfeeders through Syria to the Golan Heights. Cutting the lines would slow the information and capital flows in and out of Iran [keeping money there that the regime can seize and some level of tactical secrecy so Iranians and others don't know what is going on]. They could be using the North Korean mini-subs they got last year to cut specific lines.

Another possibility is that the US might be doing it to divert capital and infomation flows in and out of Iran [especially from NK accounts around South Asia]. The catalyst being, if the North Korean regime collapses, then the Iranians are out of time-both as an Axis of Evil member and their bomb.

[Ann]

RUSH just made a good point about the election and our candidate:

"The Patriots were INEVITABLE until they played the game."

[Rick Ballard]

Thanks, Rich.

The problem I have with probability scenarios for trouble to the US in 2008 caused by the various factions and leaders who aren't on our Christmas card list can be summed up by the following questionaire:

1) Are you a jihadi, a Chicom, a Norkom, a Venzcom, a narco-terrorist, in the Russian mafia or an anarcho-syndicalist?

2) (If anser to 1 is yes) What actions do you plan to refrain from taking in the coming year in order to aid your allies?

a) Wanton slaughter
b) Stupid bluster
c) Threatening interference in global markets
d) Spring offensive

3) Whom do you support more strongly?

a)Obama
b)Clinton

4) Can you be counted upon for a significant contribution?

5) In return for your generous and significant contribution do you expect:

a) Significant trade concessions
b) Trade secrets
c) A turned head at your next election
d) Weapons grade plutonium
d) Conversion to islam
e) Other (Please specify)

[Other Tom]

Very well said, Patrick. I had the same feeling yesterday, and I think the Pats' mojo is broke for good. And I felt the same way about the Mighty Golden Men of Troy when Vince Young put on that remarkable display.

[Other Tom]

Wow. Hillary and Obama are now at 53-47 on Tradesports. It was roughly 63-37 three or four days ago. It gives me an extraordinay thrill to imagine flopsweat on the brows of the Hillary campaign, and in particular the brow of one Sidney Blumenthal. (Is he the guy who was involved in some sort of wife-beating thingy? I know he had an aggravated DUI last month...)

Can we all agree that the 12th and 22nd amendments, taken together, preclude Bubba from the office of VP altogether?

[clarice]

Drudge claimed there was a beating rumor, Sid sued even after Drudge apologized and immediately w/drew the piece. Sid then proceeded to depose all his enemies but could never prove who was the source of the rumor and settled after paying Drudge his court costs.

[PMII]

McCain deserves what he gets. Manning didn't!

[Other Tom]

That's the way I remember it too, Clarice. My rhetorical question was what passes for impishness--but I don't do imp very well.

[clarice]

But your vamping is a-one, OT.

[Steverino]

Where Las Vegas took it on the chin was in the "line" bet. If one plunked down one hundred dollars on the Giants--you got three hundred and change back.

Nope, Vegas didn't take it on the chin. They move the line to represent the betting. The winners are paid off with the losers, and there's always a little vig left for the house. If there's a lot of betting on one side, the line moves toward that side to get more people betting for the other one. That way, the amount of betting on either side of the line is roughly equal.

If the line on the score went 2+:1 (you get your $100 bet back, plus a little over $200 more) Giants, then less than 1/3 of the betting was on NY.

[Other Tom]

Yet another Wow, this one from RCP:

"Another national poll out this morning showing Obama surging into a lead over Clinton. Cook/RT Strategies (Jan 31-Feb 2) shows a big move for Obama in the last month resulting in a 6-point lead:

"Democrats
Obama 43 (+17 vs. last poll Dec 15-17)
Clinton 37 (-1)"

Do we dare hope that the Democratic Party will actually reject this horrible woman?

[Ann]

That's why Hillary was crying in Conn. this morning!

[Other Tom]

"A fifth of British teenagers believe Sir Winston Churchill was a fictional character, while many think Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Eleanor Rigby were real, a survey shows. The canvass of 3,000 under-twenties uncovered an extraordinary paucity of basic historical knowledge that older generations take for granted."

I guess if there's any good news in that item, it would be that American kids aren't the only young morons in the world.

(But hey, they're kidding, right? I mean, Sherlock Holmes was real, wasn't he?)

[Syl]

I'm beginning to have my doubts about romney. I like him and had pretty much (not entirely) overlooked his flip flops as mostly sincere changes of position.

I didn't know about the gun flip flop and it's a bad one. Maybe you all knew it already.

Go with the RINO you don't know instead of the one you know?

And believe me, peeps, I'm rooting for Hillary tomorrow but am losing hope. I don't think there's anyone strong enough to stop Obama. His foreign policy is pathetic, and his misplaced pride in his stance against Iraq from the beginning really really scares me.

Hillary would be horrible domestically but she'd be far better on the war.

I'm serious.

Be careful what you wish for.

[kaz]

OT,

And to think, in the '60's the Rolling Stones were confident enough of basic historical literacy to reference the czar and the Blitzkreig in Sympathy for the Devil. How times change.

[Paul]

Syl is right about Obama. Hillary will be much easier to defeat and is the lesser of two evils. Obama is in WAY over his head and believes his own hype about being the new JFK and savior of America and the world. If he becomes president, and I'm pretty sure he will, we are in for the worst chapter in American history. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but I see a perfect storm of catastrophe gathering on the horizon as this empty suit drunk with the idea of himself commits blunder after blunder advised by his fantasy ideology.

[Other Tom]

Kaz--

Greatest line in the history of English-speaking lyrics: "Anastasia screamed in vain." God did I love the Stones (still do). But the basic idea was a sort of sophisticated urban decadence, and for the sophistication part you at least gotta know your ass from page 5, history-wise.

[jimmyk]

I don't think there's anyone strong enough to stop Obama.

Call me naive, but I don't think Obama can really surve the scrutiny he will get if he receives the nomination. At some point he will stumble on substance (of which his speeches are breathtakingly short) and voters will get scared off from putting this empty suit in the oval office. Even though most of the MSM will give him a free ride, someone will trip him up the way Roger Mudd did to Ted Kennedy in 1980.

[bgates]

I see a perfect storm of catastrophe gathering on the horizon as this empty suit drunk with the idea of himself commits blunder after blunder advised by his fantasy ideology.
But he's the only one who can beat Hillary and Obama!

[bgates]

"A fifth of British teenagers believe Sir Winston Churchill was a fictional character, while many think Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Eleanor Rigby were real" - a fifth of them also think God dictated his final testament to Mohammed. Wonder if it's the same fifth?

[bgates]

‘Don’t teach children patriotism’, says the British Institute for Education.

A few more articles like this, and I'll be convinced Churchill was a fictional character.

[Paul]

"But he's the only one who can beat Hillary and Obama"

I must admit that's funny bgates!

[kim]

I'm tellin' ya, we haven't a hope in Hell unless Romney wins tomorrow.
================

[kim]

But a snowball's chance in Paradise has gone up. See Glasater's comment #2. Mira La Nina. If we are approaching a new Grand Minimum, as I believe, this is just a start.
===================

[centralcal]

bgates - very funny,indeed!

kim: I agree - we haven't a hope in Hell ...

McCain's biggest fans, the MSM, are letting little snippets escape about how they intend to bring him down, after he gets the nomination. See the Newsweek article and a reference to John's hidden, deeper anger. Angry and crazy doesn't seem like much of a stretch.

[RichatUF]

Paul-

I know it sounds hyperbolic, but I see a perfect storm of catastrophe gathering on the horizon as this empty suit drunk with the idea of himself commits blunder after blunder advised by his fantasy ideology.

But the world will love him because he has nice teeth, is clean and well-spoken. A snappy dresser too. The jihadis, Chicoms, Norkoms, Venzcoms, narco-terrorists, Russian mafia, and anarcho-syndicalist will be as lambs at his feet in awe of his radiant goodness.

[Sue]

How soon after McCain wins the nomination does MSM trot this out for our enjoyment? Especially if Hillary is his opponent.

http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html>A joke

[GMax]

Sue

Actually, that joke will resonate with a whole bunch of conservatives. It on a superficial level is clearly a joke, but it also reaches down to hit a nerve with a whole bunch of folks who are tired of the whole gay, lesbian and transgendered agenda.

Thus if the MSM which ignored it so far brings it up, it may well help more than hurt.

Not clear to me that Hillary is even the nominee, she may have to go uglier and nastier to beat Hussein. And if she does is it a Pyrrhic victory?

[SunnyDay]

That's the kind of joke you might tell a close friend, but not one that should be told in a public speech. I don't think it will help him.

All his opinions may be similar to conservatives, but his legislation is not - his legislation is horrible.

He is the king of unintended consequences, and when I think about having a president with so little ability to see what may actually happen if he takes a specific action, it is scary.

[Paul]

Hey that joke is pretty funny. Gets McVain a couple of points from me but I still can't stand him. And not because he isn't "pure" enough, but because I loathe and distrust narcissists. They are the stock that tyrants come from.

You wait, we'll all be missing Dubya big time. He's among the last of a dying breed of politicians who believe in something bigger than themselves.

[Other Tom]

One of the late-night guys--I think it was Leno--had a good one after Oprah suddenly announced, out of the blue, that she isn't gay. Leno said she did it "so Janet Reno would stop calling her." I don't think David Corn got his skivvies all knotted up over that one.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Giselle Bundchen's Tom Brady

Isn't that, The Brady Bundchen?

[Bill in AZ]

kim - 15 inches of rain in the last 2 months in central AZ, and snowing - again. It's funny when the scientists are arguing about the name of the next solar minimum - I like the "Goracle Minimum".

[MayBee]

PRS- ha!

You know, after 5 years of living in Asia, it has taken me until this moment to realize the title of this post isn't just a bad translation. I get it now!

[Ann]

Has anyone noticed how much free time Huckabee gets on Fox?

I think it's a conspiracy against Romney. However, I don't think Hannity will have him on anymore.

Huckabee is also running a lot of commercials here in Ohio. Everytime I turn around old Huckabee is looking at me. Where is he getting his money? Has anyone looked at his latest financials?

[centralcal]

Ann, Huckabee is still a schmuckabee. Hoping to be the VP on a losing ticket. And, he may succeed.

[Elliott]

Anyone watching the Hallmark Channel?

I had forgotten about this evening's festivities, but the few minutes I've caught have been rather entertaining. I do, though, confess mystification as to how any friend of Frank Giustra can complain unabashedly about no bid contracts going to politically connected allies of George Bush.

[Ann]

Centralcal, He is a snake oil salesman if I have every seen one, but in the last 40 minutes Huckabee has had three commercials on T.V. Now I know Ohio is not that expensive, but you still have to have major funds to advertise this early in Ohio. He doesn't have any momentum yet he has funds to advertise this much in Ohio on Feb 4th. It smells funny to me.

[Ann]

I should have said that in the last 40 minutes I saw one Romney ad, two McCain ads and three Huckabee ads.

[Other Tom]

Has Romney trotted out the Angel Moroni yet? I think that's his secret weapon, and once he unleashes it there's going to be a tsunami of public passion for him.

How clever of them to give their angel the name "Moroni." A much better attention-grabber than, say, "Gabriel."

[Ann]

Elliott, completely forgot about the "Hallmark Moment". Please let us know if anything worthwhile happens; that is if you can stomach watching the rest of it. :)

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

I've been thinking about March 20 scenarios by the aforementioned groups with the aim of helping their "friends" into office. Bubba is the only Dem elected since '76 [insert hymn of praise]. He was elected on the basis of 'the economy, stupid' and it appears that the economy is probably the only avenue open to the opposition this year in their quest for the opportunity to loot the White House again.

Have you seen a tick-tock on the meltdown of January 21-23? I've been looking for one and haven't found anything with any detail. It appears to have started in Asia rather than in Australia (first market to open) and initial reports in the UK blamed Bush (who else), saying that the vote purchase plan stimulus package didn't go far enough. I believe that had the Fed not made that spectacular cut on Monday night, the market could have gone to official bear status on the 22nd-23rd, giving the Dems precisely the headline needed at the right time. The depth of the fall on the 22nd was due to the Asian and European markets being open while the US markets were closed for MLK day. We've got another 3-day weekend coming up week after next.

How much Asian business traffic runs through those cables in the Suez? Could a multiple cable loss at midday Asia time on the 11th cause another panic?

I hope Bernanke isn't skiing at Gstaad that weekend...

[centralcal]

Ann, you're in Ohio? I am in California. He has had an ad on every commercial break on FoxNews for the last 2 hours. Perhaps we are both watching FNC?

I don't know where he suddenly got flush with ad cash!

I have resigned myself to two liberals, two Democrats in this years election cycle. One acknowledge openly, either Obama or, less likely it seems now, Hillary; and one, a pretender, a RINO, McCain.)

The party I have belonged to for 40 some odd years is going into the wilderness for at least a minimum of 4 years.

I am tired of being called names by McCain and his cohorts. I am tired of being told to "grow up" by the punditocracy. The sad truth is they (McCain supporters) don't have a majority (Independents and squishy Libs will go with Obama, and some RINO Republicans too) and they will not win.

I don't think I am alone in feeling this way. I think Barnes, and Kristol, and many other so-called Republican cognascenti have seriously miscalculated, not only the short term ill will of this current campaign, but possible the long-term loss of many of us.

[Ann]

I was looking at the CPAC bloggers list and I want to know why Clarice is not reporting for JOM or AT; seems like a major mistake!

*CPAC 2008 BLOGGERS ROW*

Ace O'Spades
Alarming News
Atlas Shrugs
Bluey Blog
Captain's Quarters
Conservatives with an Attitude!
Fausta's Blog
FreedomWorks
Gay Patriot
Girl on the Right
HotAir.com
Hugh Hewitt
Human Events
Little Miss Attila
Mary Katherine Ham
Matt Sanchez
Musclehead Revolution
My Man Mitt
Newsbusters
Outside the Beltway
Politico
Reasoned Audacity
Red State
Riehl World View
Right Wing News
Sam Adams Alliance
Save the GOP
The American Mind
The Autonomist
Truth Laid Bear

[Elliott]

I believe it is still going on her website, but Hallmark cut it off at the top of the hour and I took that as a sign to go back to watching House of Cards.

[Rick Ballard]

Centralcal,

It's seven months to the convention, nine months to the election. In '04 Chucklehead Kerry didn't step ashore with his "Band of Brothers" until August - after being sliced and diced beginning in May.

Perhaps there will be a presumptive candidate tomorrow, perhaps not. If there is, what would you wager concerning his ability to get at least one hoof stuck in his mouth per month until he falls down?

[Ann]

Well, Centralcal, I do understand how you feel, but I haven't given up just yet. Tomorrow is a big day for people to stand by their principals. Normally, people that follow politics this soon are the ones that vote in a primary (You, me and JOM). Half the country doesn't know how big tomorrow is for the GOP.

I think the republican party is trying to get rid of the old establishment as much as the democrat party. We will see!

I am not giving up my

[Other Tom]

By God, I think the Angel Moroni has come to Mitt as in a dream. Jim Geraghty tells us of the Revelation:

"There's Mistakes, And Then There's Pandering To Your Audience

"Sometimes a candidate gets a little too much grief for misspeaking. The first time Mitt Romney said he was endorsed by the NRA in his gubernatorial run, he was wrong; the NRA rated him a 'B,' which is not bad. (His Democratic opponent was an 'A,' surprisingly. The NRA did not endorse in that race.) Apparently some NRA folk did some phone-banking for him, and Romney mistook that for an endorsement, and I guess I can see how that mistake could be made. The key is to note that he was told of his mistake back in December.

"And then, in an interview a few days ago with Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, Romney claimed to be endorsed by the NRA again.

"When it happens multiple times, one begins to wonder if Romney just wants to assert the endorsement and hopes that the person he's speaking to doesn't hear the correction."

Why does this remind me of Mitt seeing his father march with Dr. King?

[centralcal]

Oh, Rick, I love you for your optimism! And, I agree with the hooves in mouth with frequency. But fall down? Then others (too many to name right now) will prop him right back up. John McCain will never be President of the United States. But, he will be a very important factor in electing the next Democrat President.

At least, our Congress -- those who are not RINO's -- will have unity in fighting against policies and legislation that would do us harm. I think that after his loss this time, McCain will make his switch to the Democrat side, rather than flirt with it. I look forward to that day!

[Ann]

****I am not giving up YET!***

[Elliott]

The Republican primary: A choice between a man who remembers things that didn't happen and a man who doesn't remember things that did.

[Rick Ballard]

"Then others (too many to name right now) will prop him right back up."

Sure. He's never lacked for sycophants. We'll just have to wait and watch him get peeled for a while to see how close they'll stick. The real oppo research is going to sting more than a little and it won't take all that long to drive his numbers into the low forties. He's a pathetically easy target.

[GMax]

Well I have to say that I truly dont agree on anything about the invincibility of Obamarama. Now its real hard to attack successfully a candidate on a short resume when yours aint much longer. And its also harder when your audience is a bunch of Democrats, since they have been sending neophytes and "fresh faces" into the race every four years since bellbottoms beacme fashion.

He can get the Democrat 40%, but when tested I think he will come up sounding just like the very young, no real experience and no ideas other the standard prog agenda. He will not be that hard to beat, even with the bootlicking MSM and hollywierds fawning all over him.

Obama is Dukakis with a better stump speech delivery.

Hide and watch.

[Rick Ballard]

GMax,

I think that the LA debate was foreshadowing - neither Red Witch nor BHO will lock it up tomorrow. If McCain gets annointed then the story will be about the two Dem candidates rationally discussing the insubstantive differences between their fantasies while the MSM digs up every stupid comment (and their are tons of them) made by ole Shoot From The Lip.

BHO isn't scary at all but I sincerely doubt that he'll be the candidate. He and Red Witch now get to tag team until he bows out gracefully - with warm support given to the Red Witch for following the high road and putting up a good fair fight.

[Paul]

OK GMax. We'll see. I think it's a huge mistake to think that substance will trump style with todays electorate. And that youth vote that never seems to show up? They'll be voting en mass this time. This guy is like the Beatles to these clowns and the media is as starstruck as anyone. I mean it's not like the Dems will fall for a feelgood scam artist or anything. And this guy is the best in memory, plus he believes it himself so there's no cynical facade to expose.

You have to stop thinking like a policy wonk to figure out the voting public. Especially now with the tremendous number of people who are so disconncted from the real world and real hardship that they actually believe that life under the Bush "regime" is as bad as it gets.

[GMax]

Not a wonk in my body. But I do have a bit more trust in the overall common sense of the electorate. Now the electorate is different than the general public. Some folks cant vote, not registered, felons, landed immigrants etc. Others just opt out. Of those who will vote, and given the inherent structure of the Electoral College, I will say that Obama has a uphill climb. Remember the Democrat high water mater in recent history is 50.1% with Jumpin Jimininy. And Gerry Ford had just pardoned Nixon to boot.

[SunnyDay]

So, we have an AEGIS class ship docked in Haifa. Interesting.

[GMax]

Rick

The Dems with their proportionate allocation system have almost guaranteed a very late decision prior to the convention, if they get one at all prior to the 15% superdelegates getting to vote.

It will be a bashfest. Hillary will not be able to control her urges to attack, and Obama will have to respond. Feathers fly and finally whatever the solons of the democrat party decide, gives them a candidate and assures some very hard feelings on the loser's part. If they pick Hillary, they ignor the upwelling of support. If they pick Obama, they will be ungrateful to Bill after all he did for them.

I think the Dems may emerge smoking and charred and even all the MSM proctology will not preclude a Republican blow out.

[Rick Ballard]

Maybe, GMax. And maybe her oppo research guys have already laid the cards down for BHO to look over. That love fest in LA was no hard fought battle and that's a pretty significant chunk of delegates.

[Pofarmer]

Gmax, I have a hard time sharing your enthusiasm. I've got family that wanted to vote for Edwards. My FIL nearly got sucked in by Ron Paul. Folks are so propagandized right now, I really don't think a lot of folks know which way is up. Without the intertubes I would think I was crazy.

[Paul]

Well I hope you're right. I don't think you are, but we'll see.

[Elliott]

My prediction is that Clinton and Obama run pretty close (+/-4%) in the number of projected delegates earned today.

On the Republican side, McCain will benefit from the winner take all set up in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Arizona. Romney and McCain should be very close in California. I predict at least two surprisingly positive outcome for Romney--perhaps a win in California and one of the winner take all states like Missouri where he's running a couple points behind in the polling.

[Paul]

Pofarmer that's what I'm talking about. The media has become exponentially more delusional since 2000 and most people are in it's thrall. My mom was a patriot and staunch anti-communist thirty years ago and now is a full blown Bush hater with nothing good to say about America. The Gramscian virus is like AIDS, and by the time you realize you're sick you're already dead. And along comes Obamessiah with his promise of kumbayah unity and salvation, and makes everyone else look like the typical corrupt pols that people are sick of in their bottomless cynicsism.

[Topsecretk9]

Sorry, not to hyjack the thread but it's interesting...Pillar defending the CIA's not believing the information Saddam didn't have WMD or NUC -> so much for that WH pressure and um the emporer has no clothes

The weapons engineer was astonished by the CIA's questions, which he thought showed the depths of the agency's ignorance about events in his country.

The CIA provided her with a detailed questionnaire about Iraq's weapons programmes. Fearing she would forget it, Sawsan disguised it in sketches and crosswords in a kind of homemade code.

"I went crazy. The questions were dumb. She was telling me: 'They know you have a programme,' and I was saying: 'There is nothing. Tell them there is nothing, absolutely nothing. They have left us with nothing'," Tawfiq said.

"She was taking notes. There were 20 major questions, and to all of them the answer was: 'No, no, no...' I kept swearing on the grave of my mother."

...Sawsan dutifully gathered this information and returned to the United States to pass it on to her handlers. But the CIA was unimpressed.

..."I went back and I reported what he had told me in full detail. I even went personally to Washington. In the beginning they listened to me but then they told me that my brother was lying," she said.

Of course Tawfiq and other colleagues approached by the CIA were telling the truth, as the United States would discover after it had launched a bloody war that has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Paul R. Pillar, the CIA's national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia at the time of the operation to question Tawfiq, said weapons scientists had not been ignored, but had been contradicted by other sources.

"To the extent that the debriefings did not have more of an effect in Washington, it probably was not because the effort came too late but instead because there were other indications that seemed to contradict what the individuals were saying, and that suggested Iraqi unconventional weapons programmes were continuing," he told AFP.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq2X6zezeO-FC-XAmUH1Q0Si5uhw

[Ralph L]

Speaking of informed voters, my neighbor wants to move to Wilmington, NC, but he's afraid that global warming will put it underwater in a couple of years. It took considerable effort not to laugh at him. He's working on a Masters degree online from Liberty U. in ....social work!

[Aaron]

Obama will win it all unless something happens big in foreign policy before the election. If that happens, then it will go McCain.

Too many people just think its cool to vote for Obama. And keep in mind that many voters vote not based on interest or rationality but on the psychic rewards they get.

The satisfaction of showing that America and your own self is not racist in a provable fashion will be too much to resist.

Go to AOS comments and see how many conservatives are willing to give it up for Obama...

[davod]

"Pillar defending the CIA's not believing the information Saddam didn't have WMD or.."

Wasn't Pillar the CIA guy going aroung the country giving sly anti-Bush briefing beore the 2004 elections.

[davod]

Give what up for Obamma.

[Jane]

WAKE UP! It'a SUPERTUESDAY~ Time to cast your vote. Vote early and often!!

[hit and run]

Ralph:
Speaking of informed voters, my neighbor wants to move to Wilmington, NC, but he's afraid that global warming will put it underwater in a couple of years. It took considerable effort not to laugh at him

I was in Carolina beach two weekends ago and remarked that I was hoping Gore could help drive down the beachfront prices, I would love to take something off the hands of someone fearful of geting underwater in their investment.

More Nobel Prizes!