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June 19, 2008

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Mars vs Hollywood

Does anyone remember the snark President Bush got for referring to terrorists as "folks"?

Wonder why Obama doesn't get the same?

Forbes

Can't say "empty suit" fast enough, when it comes to Obama, and his pronouncements that get overturned or contradicted.

Shall we count the ways:

Habeas rights for enemy illegal combatants, or not.
Endorsement of public campaign finance, or not.
Undivided Jerusalem, or not.
Immediate withdrawal from Iraq--or no steps that would upset security and stability gains achieved.
Renegotiate NAFTA, or never mind.
Couldn't disown Rev. Wright, until he did.
School choice--OK for his kids, not so for yours.
Unconditional talks with Ahmadinejad, Chavez, et al., but can't find the time for Gen. Patreus.

I'm sure there's more that I've missed.

clarice

Rasmussen reports that 50% of DEMOCRATS in Fla approve McCain's call for offshore drilling.

Porchlight

Nice catch Clarice. There's even more good stuff at the Rasmussen link:

The Florida survey also found that McCain currently leads Obama in the state by a 47% to 39% margin. Six percent (6%) said they would vote for some other candidate while 8% are undecided.

However, after voters were told that McCain favored offshore drilling and Obama opposed it, McCain’s lead increased to eleven points, 49% to 38%. While a three-point net gain is not stunning, it is significant that the issue didn’t push voters towards Obama. All of McCain’s gains on the offshore drilling issue came from male voters.

bgates

Forbes - he can't vet the vetters, so the vetter better quit of his own accord.
No preconditions for talks, just things the other side needs to do first.
McCain's call to visit Iraq was a cheap political stunt, following which Obama is planning on visiting Iraq.
The Tony Rezko going to jail isn't the Tony Rezko he knew.

Forbes

Geez, bgates, the folks Obama knew who aren't the folks he knew, would require an entire, separate post by TM.

BumperStickerist

I'm fairly certain we're going to need, you know, *judge* for this increased amount of caseload...

... it looks to me like Obama is trying to pack the Federal Judiciary.

.

.

not really. But, hell, it's as plausible a reason as there's been for anything He has said.

kim

Hey Rich and Rick, check out Vinod K. Dar in 'Right Side News', also available through icecap.us

He has a marvelous article about energy resources.
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narciso

In a continuing illustration of why McClatchy is going the way of Countrywide;
their recent expose of the Cuban gulag: no
not Combinado del Este, or Villa Marista silly,Gitmo, they let the former Taliban ambassador (yes the gang who blew up Buddhas, stuffed women into potato sacks,
crushed gays under brick walls, and uh yes
also gave sanctuary to AQ)testify of his evolution as a prisoner rights advocates,
while the sidebar had Gen. Taguba, accusing
the administrators of Bagram and Gitmo of
'committing war crimes' nothing he could actually put in his report, but more of the same testimony of the "Ctesias of the age, Seymour Hersh" as impeachment happy unacredited law school dean, Lawrence Vervel
put it. By the way, Effendi Zaef, has been out of Gitmo, the Dachau of the West, and under house arrest since 2005; because he was as innocent as Von Ribbentrop and Count Ciano, right. There's something extremely wierd going on in these circumstances.

Also, Stuart Taylor's (usually solid legal acumen)failed in his piece in NewsWeek; saying basically, the administration
'deserved Boumedienne' because they didn't observe Geneva Conventions rules; never mind that the detainee conduct, voided that obligation.

RichatUF

kim-

The article is pretty long, and will try to get to it later on his evening. Your point about "climate change" being a part of the run up is well founded and I did some poking around and sure enough, the European Climate Exchange is up and running.

However, I think that the US driven "peaker/warmer complex", and the major exporters* indulgence of them, has more to do with the Apocalypse Soon mentality regarding oil supply.
__________

* Here I'm thinking more of the contest between Russia and KSA to become or maintain the position as global swing producer-and to what extent. If it becomes Russia, they can extend their hegemony over Central Asia, bully Europe, and influence Asia. If KSA can maintain it, they can prevent Iranian hegemony of the Gulf and reduce Russian and Iranian influence in Central Asia and also maintain their Wahhabist prostelyzing globally-esp. in Europe and Asia. The wild card in this is Iraq and going forward how developed their oil fields become. I heard some Iraqi official say recently that the Anbar area and the western desert is full of oil and that they may raise their reserves estimate to 350 billion up from the current 115 billion.

kim

Thanks for the link, n; the one comment he has so far is pretty ignorant. The article itself is masterful.
=========================

kim

Bamiyan, oh Bamiyan.

I hear they are going to try to reconstruct one of those. I've a copy of 'Between Oxus and Jumna' by Arnold Toynbee with a lovely colorized photo of the valley but not of the Buddhas.
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RichatUF

narciso-

There's something extremely wierd going on in these circumstances.

Yes there is. Don't forget, progressives make long lists.

Rick Ballard

"and that they may raise their reserves estimate to 350 billion up from the current 115 billion."

What a no shocker. Re Russian games - AGIPs delay of production in the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan (1 mbd production) dates from 2004. A suspicious mind might wonder if the Gazprom - AGIP connection might play some part in the foot dragging. A 1 mbd production increase in 2007 would have been enough to obviate the peaker's hysteria. I would note that the Oil Drum drumbeaters finally tossed in the towel on their "it's all down hill from here" garbage quite recently.

The Dar article is pretty good. A bit polemical but very much in line with real "reality" as opposed to the MSM's inability to note that the 500 year floods on the Mississippi might have been caused by a snowpack buildup caused by the coldest winter in ???

narciso

Yeah, Rick, that point never does seem to come through; I guess they'll chalk it up to global warming; like that "Day after Tomorrow" where the planet, boils then freezes in the course of a week. Mind you. it was based on an Art Bell script so take that as you will.

What did happen with the Kazakh and Azeri oilfields; Armitage and Powell's long desired investments, as well as Tom Kean
through Amerada Hess; which usually does sell their gas about a nickel less than others. It is there and in Iraq, where any new oil is likely to come from. Not from the more deplete Ghawar fields of Arabia
Desertica; as Doughty would have called it.

In the category, of shameless hogging of credit, that isn't yours and "no good deed
goes unpunished" The Time piece on the
Obama 'antismear cite' is taking the credit
for discovering that the supposed tape bandied about by Larry Johnson, who was a gungho CIA man as recently as in a BBC program about operations in Latin America
in 2000; came from Steven Frey's novel "The Successor".

cathyf

My husband bought the Day After Tomorrow for $8.50 the day after Thanksgiving one year, and he insists on playing it over my objections. He really likes that scene at the beginning, where the fissure opens up in Antarctica, and Dennis Quaid leaps over it to get the ice cores. He shows that scene to his students -- tells them that, yes, their data is more important than their lives!

JM Hanes

TM: Did you see this piece on the Obama-Ayers relationship over at Global Labor? Here's the intro:

The key points of this (long!) blog post:

1) Obama education advisor Linda Darling-Hammond responds to Global Labor blog posts on Bill Ayers and Reparations

2) Review of Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC) documents shows that Ayers and Obama each chaired the two CAC operating bodies from 1995 to 2000

3) CAC was at heart of Chicago school “wars” in 90s

4) CAC handed out more than $100 million in Chicago school system

5) CAC failed to improve student achievement but Ayers and Obama’s political goals were tackled

For a shorter version, Pundita summarizes Diamond. All courtesy of Rezko Watch.

kim

Just as with the birth certificate, in the relationship with Ayers, it seems that Obama is trying to hide something. Surely the odor will attract journalists.
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Jane

Good Morning peeps! Apparently Henry Waxman is waxing over whether or not to hold hearings on the COuntrywide 6. Gee, I wonder what he will decide.

Meanwhile the MSM hasn't mentioned the scandal because (according to Fox) they don't want to interrupt the Obama coronation.

We need a revolution. Can't one of you smart people figure out how to start it?

TGIF

clarice

I'll work on it Jane..We'll make Hit field commander.

Jane

I'll work on it Jane..We'll make Hit field commander.

Then success is assured.

Sdferr

Have you good people seen J Taranto's cite of TM this morning? See: http://tinyurl.com/3stbbq

Sdferr

Ah, sorry about that. WSJ best of the web.

Jane

Henry Waxman has time to talk to Scott McClellen this morning. It's on FOX. Waxman just asked for him to explain how the WH ordered him to cover for Scooter Libby.

Jane

Waxman is asserting that Libby was "involved in the leak".

Jane

Obviously this is much more important than the Countrywide scandal. After all, we are in the process of bailing them out.

Rick Ballard

Jane,

Waxman won't look at the Countrywide6 - doing so might call attention to Obama's sweetheart mortgage with Northern Trust, banker to billionaires. Nobody wants to look at the intersection of Rezko, Obama and al Sammarae any more than they want to look at Michelle's raise at the hospital - or the connections between a number of doctors at both UC and Stroger Hospitals back to Rezko.

If you look closely, the Clinton's financial shenanigans seem spring fresh in comparison.

Sue

I am going to puke. We are wasting my taxpayer's money listening to Scott McClellan's opinion.

Sue

Asked about Armitage, McClellan can't speak to that. I'll just bet he can't. Ruins the narrative, doesn't it Scotty?

Sue

I tell ya' what, I am almost ready to start the revolution. I cannot believe we are still wasting money that could be used for all those needy projects that democrats keep telling me about on Wilson/Plame.

Jane

I can't believe Scott McClellen. What a child. And I actually blame Bush for being so naively loyal.

clarice

"needy projects"? The farm bill is so porked up the WaPo reports that urban areas like the District of Columbia are getting pork out of it--in our case $10 million.
If Obama is elected you can be sure taxes will rise tremendously,, inflation will soar and the economy will be a hellacious mess.

Sue

It is kind of funny. I have been searching the blogs to find someone discussing the hearing, and so far, I'm coming up zero. I'm sure there are some out there, but I haven't found one yet.

Sue

Well, not to disappoint, they have Christy liveblogging the hearing over at the swamp.

clarice

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/why-you-can-never-trust-the-associated-press>AP bilgewater

clarice

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/why-you-can-never-trust-the-associated-press>AP bilgewater

narciso

See what he does with the "Restoring the Constitution Act" he narrows the scope to only 9/11, not acts committed before or after,http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=s110-576> than in this part:
Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 - Amends federal provisions concerning the prosecution of unlawful enemy combatants by U.S. military commissions to, among other things: (1) repeal the authority for civilian trial (prosecution) counsel in a commission proceeding, but authorize civilian military defense counsel; (2) exclude statements made by coercion; (3) authorize the Secretary of Defense to make exceptions to commission procedures and rules of evidence as required by unique circumstances of military or intelligence operations during hostilities; (4) provide for self-representation by the accused, while requiring assistance by military defense counsel; (5) authorize the military judge to order trial counsel to disclose to defense counsel the sources, methods, or activities in which witnesses or evidence against the accused was obtained; (6) require commission decision review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces rather than by the Court of Military Commission Review; (7) provide the scope of review of detention-related decisions; (8) repeal a provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 prohibiting invoking the Geneva Conventions (Conventions) or similar protocols in any habeas corpus or other action to which the United States is a party; (9) require the President to notify other parties to the Conventions that the United States expects members of U.S. Armed Forces and other U.S. citizens detained in a conflict not of an international character to be treated in a manner consistent with the Conventions; (10) include as War Crime offenses the denial of trial rights and the imposition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; (11) restore habeas corpus for individuals detained by the United States; and (12) provide for expedited judicial review of civil actions that challenges any provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Makes it virtually impossible to try the suspect. Did Gleen write this bill?

kim

Nice precis over there at Sweetness and Light. Thanks.

Where's TCO when I want him to read something?
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Sue

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D91DT0D8Q&show_article=1>Not one word about Armitage in this article.

Pofarmer

(10) include as War Crime offenses the denial of trial rights and the imposition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;

They are pretty much gonna get it down to the point where if the military shoots somebody it's gonna be a war crime. Enough, already.

Thomas Jackson

Well if he can part the waters I guess he can convey rights to foreigners. But try as I might I do not find the rights of foreigners mentioned in the Constitution.

I do realize that it only takes five demigods to channel the founding fathers and tell us poor fools that we and all like us have been mistaken about the Constitution and its contents and only they can devine its true message.

Just remember this is the court that curtailed your freedom of speech, told us sodomy is legal, put its stamp of approval on politicians stealing your property and giving it to their cronnies and of course now deciding that the courts have the right to orchestrate and wage war.

This is the kind of change Snobama believes in. I believe Hitler did so with his directives superceeding the German Constitution. Ah history does repeat itslef. The National Socialists here are spreading out from their Nuremburg rallies at Wrights nexus and are now trying to spread it to the White House.


Lets see if National Socialism can happen here.

hit and run

Jane/Clarice/Jane:
We need a revolution. Can't one of you smart people figure out how to start it?

I'll work on it Jane..We'll make Hit field commander.

Then success is assured.

I most likely will be NOC'd for this mission.

Like the last one.

And yes -- this, too, will be a success.

Once I go dark, if you need to reach me, contact Kristoff.

Elliott

Then success is assured.

After we publish the Encyclopedia narcisica, I'm thinking we can follow up with The Art of the War Room by Jane Tzu.

Jane

I love Jane Tzu. Who knew I was named after the sun.

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Wilson/Plame