Immigration Man

Politico says it all: "Jeb Bush unclear on citizenship path".

AllahPundit labors mightily to square the unsquared uncircle. I think Jeb is just trying to knock down the idea that he is the reflective, articulate Bush.

Comments

[henry]

the reflective, articulate Bush.

about as useful a search as the one for profitable green investments.

[centralcal]

Thank gawd, Saturday is over. Just like ol' Hugo. Over!

[fdcol63]

No more Bushes. Nothing against Jeb himself, but certainly a country of 300 million people can field enough quality politicians without having aristocratic "dynasties".

[Rob Crawford]

I bet we can EASILY come up with a half dozen people preferable to Jeb.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

I could use the phone book and come up with several thousand preferable to Jeb.

[matt]

sixth

[daddy]

Kudo's to Kirsten Powers today. On the FOX panel she unapologetically calls Chavez an anti-democratic, human rights abusing, anti-American thug. Then, regarding John Kerry saying he has spoken to a Benghazi survivor, and then saying he is clueless as to whether anyone else will get to talk to him, Kirsten says Kerry's lack of curiosity is stunning. Way to go Kirsten, you right wing whacko you.

[Rob Crawford]

Heh. Just heard a VW commercial with the line "you can't believe the lamestream media, Gary".

[Old Lurker]

I could pick six from here!

[narciso]

And then you have the nazguls and the gollums;

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/342251/democratic-congressman-mourns-hugo-chavez-nathaniel-botwinick

My hope is there is a peaceful transition, but seeing how that socirty has been hollowed out,
by these demagogic dreadnoughts of destruction, I'm skeptical

[Clarice]

It's Sunday already? I haven't finished organizing my sock drawer.

[Rob Crawford]

I could pick six from here!

If nominated, I will not campaign. If elected, I will rule with an iron fist and all who oppose me will...

Ahem. "I will not serve."

[Old Lurker]

I was thinking we could go with DoT and TK on the ticket. They would spend so much time arguing credentials that there would be no time for governing...and that is just what we need for a decade or two.

[henry]

OT- Holder can't find any corruption in Chicago, but the Australians can. Via Insty, a $2 million bribe to the red light camera procurement guy. A crack in the machine?

[centralcal]

Whoa boy, this is quite a read!

Disgraced Ex-Congressman Attacks John Boehner

Chain smoking. Golf addiction. Constant drinking.

Some traits sound kind of like Obummer.

[Rob Crawford]

A crack in the machine?

Nope:

The contract with the City of Chicago will run until July but Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said he would exclude Redflex from future contracts and tenders.

That will be the end of it. Redflex, after all, committed the ultimate sin in Chicago: they got caught.

[Extraneus]

Jeb Bush? I was going to post "The Fnork is strong with this one," and link to the Urban Dictionary definition of "the force is strong," but I reluctantly concluded that a NSFW warning wasn't good enough for this family site.

[henry]

Rob, it figures...

[Janet]

from henry's link - "The company on Tuesday released the findings of a four-month internal investigation by law firm Sidley Austin, which said a Redflex consultant in Chicago was paid $2.03 million from 2003 to 2012. Most of the money was in turn paid to the city official who managed red light contracts, John Bills."
Do we trust Sidley Austin findings?

[Melinda Romanoff]

For CH-

It's a music thing.

And no, I wasn't there.

[Thomas Collins]

If Ross Perot, Jr. ran on a third party ticket in 2016, we could have Hillary, Ross Jr. and Jeb give us a Perot/Clinton/Bush 1992 retro style campaign. Just what we're all waiting for!

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--we could have Hillary, Ross Jr. and Jeb give us a Perot/Clinton/Bush 1992 retro style campaign--

Why do I suspect that would end up with a Clinton in the Oval Office sticking cigars in inappropriate places?

[Danube of Thought iPad]

One of our guys comes up with a great one:

"Representative Louie Gohmert (R., Texas) has filed an amendment to the House GOP’s six-month continuing resolution that would bar federal funds from being spent on President Obama’s golf outings until public tours of the White House start up again."

There are a zillion opportunities like this one out there. The GOP ought to pick one a day and put it out to all media.

[Extraneus]

Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor. He was committed to empowering the powerless.R.I.P. Mr. President.

— Jose E. Serrano (@RepJoseSerrano) March 5, 2013

[narciso]

Like when the Post was upset it didn't catch the bouquet, from Al Jazeera;

http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/2013/03/05/venezuelas-oppressive-socialist-dictator-hugo-chavez-dies-msm-swoons/

[Extraneus]

Farewell Comandante Hugo Chavez champion of the poor the oppressed everywhere. Modern day Spartacus. Rest in Peace.

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) March 5, 2013

[RichatUF]

Porchlight (via the other thread)-

Thanks. I spent some time with him today and overall it was a good visit. Talked to Mel this afternoon too!

Saturday is finally over!

And yeah! I could really use a snow day (so we probably won't even get a snowflake...booo.)

[Rob Crawford]

He was committed to empowering the powerless.

All those powerless thugs he empowered to boss around the Venezuelan people...

[Rob Crawford]

Modern day Spartacus.

If Spartacus dressed like a two-bit military dictator, threatened violence to everyone around him, imprisoned anyone who questioned him, and robbed his followers blind.

[RichatUF]

George Galloway- Oil for Food criminal and all around shithead. Too bad the Coleman Commission couldn't have carved him up like the turkey he is (although he did lose his seat, expelled(?) from Parliment.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Nice to know that in his fourteen years in office the Man of the People amassed a personal fortune of $2 Billion. Wonder how much he left to Sean Penn?

[Extraneus]

Rosalynn and I extend our condolences to the family of Hugo Chávez Frías. We met Hugo Chávez when he was campaigning for president in 1998 and The Carter Center was invited to observe elections for the first time in Venezuela. We returned often, for the 2000 elections, and then to facilitate dialogue during the political conflict of 2002-2004. We came to know a man who expressed a vision to bring profound changes to his country to benefit especially those people who had felt neglected and marginalized. Although we have not agreed with all of the methods followed by his government, we have never doubted Hugo Chávez’s commitment to improving the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen.

President Chávez will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments and for his formidable communication skills and personal connection with supporters in his country and abroad to whom he gave hope and empowerment. During his 14-year tenure, Chávez joined other leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean to create new forms of integration. Venezuelan poverty rates were cut in half, and millions received identification documents for the first time allowing them to participate more effectively in their country’s economic and political life.

At the same time, we recognize the divisions created in the drive towards change in Venezuela and the need for national healing. We hope that as Venezuelans mourn the passing of President Chávez and recall his positive legacies — especially the gains made for the poor and vulnerable — the political leaders will move the country forward by building a new consensus that ensures equal opportunities for all Venezuelans to participate in every aspect of national life.

[RichatUF]

Drudge has it summed up about right: HELL'S A-BURNING

WaPo (oh bother): Hugo Chavez, passionate but polarizing Venezuelan president, dead at 58

He was 58 and had been president since 1999, longer than any other democratically elected leader in the Americas...

Curious this form of Venezuelan democracy...

[gmax]

Hugo begins the long slog pushing the stone up the hill only for the stone to roll back down and he must begin again. And there is no A/C in his new socialist paradise either...

[gmax]

Is Barack grieving? Will he dip flags for Brother Hugo?

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

Well, the fat little Venezuelan Mutt is gone, now all we need is JEF to exit stage left.

[Dublindave]

Great President, I raise a glass of malt to toast you on your journey Hugo xxx

Now let's fuck with some American defence contractors just for the fucking fun of it!!!!

[Rob Crawford]

Is Barack grieving? Will he dip flags for Brother Hugo?

He's going to order the Constitution lowered for two weeks.

[Frau Göttliche Komödie]

There's a special dictators' circle in hades:

Level 9 - Cocytus This is the deepest level of hell, where the fallen angel Satan himself resides. His wings flap eternally, producing chilling cold winds that freeze the thick ice found in Cocytus. The three faces of Satan, black, red, and yellow, can be seen with mouths gushing bloody foam and eyes forever weeping, as they chew on the three traitors, Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. This place is furthest removed from the source of all light and warmth. Sinners here are frozen deep in the ice, faces out, eyes and mouths frozen shut. Traitors against God, country, family, and benefactors lament their sins in this frigid pit of despair.

[gmax]

Petulant teenager closes White House to visitors, furious that no one beyond Double Douchebag believed a thing that came out of his screeching mouth.

[Jim Eagle]

Re: Bob Ney, the latest crook to write a book (hey, that rhymes).

.....he boasts that, in 2008, he proudly voted for President Obama.

Saving the credibility factor for last:)

[centralcal]

Oh hey, Jack, I have no doubt Ney, the proud Obama voter, is out for his "revenge."

I like the part where he briefly entertained the idea of running for office again.

We need to ask Frau about Level 8 - I betcha that is the level politicos are on.

[narciso]

Wait wasn't he in jail by then?

[Jim Eagle]

Of course, as always, the devil is in the details.

Obama is reaching out to Republicans

You know those really committed cut spending, downsize the government Republicans like Susan Colliins.

[Porchlight]

RichatUF, very glad to hear that.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

Jimmy Carter is one of those guys who the small, trusting corner of my mind says has run out of ways to disgrace himself.

And then he reminds me why that part of my mind is so insignificant and atrophies more every day.

[narciso]

The Strigoi are lurking in the comment section;

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/05/hugo-chavez-dead-at-58-good-riddance.html

[Rob Crawford]

Ig, it's not your brain that's the problem. The problem is Carter's ability to descend further into the depths of depravity.

[Melinda Romanoff]

"Everybody wins when Sequoia Voting Systems tally the votes!"*

*Things the newly discovered Norwegian Blue Chavez said.

[Jane - The media sucks]

Thank God it's not still Saturday!

I'm back to the cold weather, altho I will say when I took a walk barefoot on the beach this morning, i froze my feet. The water was warmer than the sand.

[Dave (in MA)]

We have a Hugo thread going on over here. There are already some defenders and/or JoeK2 worshipers in the comments.

[matt]

I read a bio of Chavez a few years ago. He learned his Marxism at his uncle's knee and planned to worm his way into the system from a young age.

It also seems from some of the reports that he and his family pillaged the public till to the tune of a couple few billion. The new oligarchy has hit the till harder and it is estimated that party members has skimmed over $100 Billion so far.

That doesn't include facilitating the drug trade, another partnership with some of the Cubans.It's easy if you spout some solidarity with the people and all that malarkey.

This may be another reason Cristina Kirchner is freaking out. No more suitcases with millions in benjamins in them.

Vargas Llosa says there may be a power struggle brewing. It will be interesting to watch the pit bulls tear each other apart. I feel sorry for the Venezuelan people, but it is a mess they have brought onto themselves.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Carter never misses an opportunity to remind us why we kicked him out so ignominiously.

[narciso]

The problem, matt, is more the Chavista model, that has spread like the alien pods all through out the region, to Vargas Llosa's own Peru under Humalla, who's support has made lose respect for him.

[Melinda Romanoff]

With the snow, I feel pretty comfortable that it's dropping the accuracy of any Hellfires that may be flying overhead, since the White House has admitted that they don't need to go to court to shoot me at home.

Saw this all day and it really sickens me that they're that big a coward to do this.

[Jane - The media sucks]

Off Topic question: I watched ARGO on the plane coming home. The hostage crisis in Iran was very addicting and I thought I knew all about it. I didn't know about this rescue. It may be that I became avid after day 87. But did it really happen?

[Clarice]

Yes, Jane, it did.

[narciso]

Mostly, it came out of Tony Mendez's memoir, 'Master of Disguise' all the account was released even earlier,

[Melinda Romanoff]

Clarice-

Yes.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--We have a Hugo thread going on over here. There are already some defenders and/or JoeK2 worshipers in the comments.--

Dave,
In honor of anti-bullying month could you please give Swirlygrrl a swirly for me?

[Melinda Romanoff]

Mashed that perfectly.

[Jane - The media sucks]

The movie was hard for me to watch because the entire time I assumed the rescue failed.

[Clarice]

To me the lesson of Chavez is this--in the original coup the military could have shot him and saved their country, but they were too weak and it will be decades, if ever, before their homeland recovers. Weakness begets tragedy.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Hitch, writing of his 2008 visit with Hugo (accompanied by Sean Penn):

"I was hugely impressed by the way that the boss scorned this overture. He essentially doubted the existence of al-Qaida, let alone reports of its attacks on the enemy to the north. 'I don't know anything about Osama Bin Laden that doesn't come to me through the filter of the West and its propaganda.' To this, Penn replied that surely Bin Laden had provided quite a number of his very own broadcasts and videos. I was again impressed by the way that Chávez rejected this proffered lucid-interval lifeline. All of this so-called evidence, too, was a mere product of imperialist television. After all, 'there is film of the Americans landing on the moon,' he scoffed. 'Does that mean the moon shot really happened? In the film, the Yanqui flag is flying straight out. So, is there wind on the moon?' [no birther could improve on that one.] As Chávez beamed with triumph at this logic, an awkwardness descended on my comrades, and on the conversation.

"Chávez, in other words, is very close to the climactic moment when he will announce that he is a poached egg and that he requires a very large piece of buttered toast so that he can lie down and take a soothing nap. Even his macabre foraging in the coffin of Simón Bolívar was initially prompted by his theory that an autopsy would prove that The Liberator had been poisoned—most probably by dastardly Colombians. This would perhaps provide a posthumous license for Venezuela's continuing hospitality to the narco-criminal gang FARC, a cross-border activity that does little to foster regional brotherhood."

sing his praises, Jimmy. Hosanna in the highest.

[Dave (in MA)]

Re: Argo, I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard that the exciting scene at the end where I guess the heroes are being chased down the runway at the airport was really more like: they had to wait a minute while being checked in because an Iranian guy got some tea, in real life.

[narciso]

And they had a second shot, in 2002, and they botched that as well.

[narciso]

A somber view, along with some observations on the crazy;

[Jane on Ipad]

Oh that's interesting Dave.

[Frau Göttliche Komödie]

cc -8th circle it is:

"Indeed, justice divine doth smite them with its hammer."

And it smells like the cloaca maxima.

[RichatUF]

Waiting for the snow (but it looks to be rain and slush). So much for my snow day.

and Hugo is still dead.

In the film, the Yanqui flag is flying straight out. So, is there wind on the moon?

More crazy than I thought.

[centralcal]

Weakness begets tragedy.

Over, and over, and over again - history proves the truth of that. I hope and pray it doesn't become OUR epitaph too.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

I haven't seen the movie, but I understand it gives short shrift to the Canadians, who played a heroic and important role in the escape.

[centralcal]

Ah yes, Frau, the "sewer." Somehow, I think the 8th circle is the most populous of the circles of Hell. The "media" certainly belong in that circle, too, along with the "idols" they elevate.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

Looks to me like D.C. is going to be the way I always remember it: 34 degrees and raining.

[rse]

Boy the Diva and I left the house inside perimeter and it was 60 degrees with wind starting to howl. 30 minutes later near her voice lesson the temp had dropped 12 degrees.

Such a mild winter and it decides to hang on in March.

[centralcal]

Weather. Weather. Weather. I don't live anywhere near the Paradise DoT does, but last weekend I side-dressed my perennials with compost and turned off my heater.

We are scheduled for some maybe yes/maybe no showers tomorrow through the end of the week. Which I would love, but am not counting on.

[narciso]

I know it seemed obvious at the time, in the LUN

[RichatUF]

centralcal-

It never fails. I have something due and want desperately to put it off for a few more hours and that powerful totem wards off the bad weather. A good indication of how much of my paper, which is due tomorrow at 930 am, is done, is how much snow is on the ground. If it about a foot and Fairfax county is shut down, I got it finished, and with some of that 415 am polish.

[Captain Hate]

Cuban health care FTW

[MarkO]

"Carter never misses an opportunity to remind us why we kicked him out so ignominiously."

And yet, compared to Obama he was Jefferson incarnate. The times they are a changin'.

OMG, this Obama is a smarmy, nasty little man.

[Janet]

Something to look forward to.
On FB - Project Veritas
We'll release our latest investigation tomorrow. Wait until you see what we discovered this time...

[Rick Ballard]

Are we positive Jeb's ruthlessly severe conservative remarks on immigration were correctly translated from Fnorkian? Confusion of the dative and ablative is quite common when the speech of Prescott's grandchildren is translated by those unfamiliar with the cadences used by northeastern rooted southerners.

[daddy]

From CentralCal's 07:05 link about the former alcoholic convicted Republican Congressman dumping on Boehner, Dick Cheney, etc.

It strikes me that after getting out of jail and spending 6 years with the Dalai Lama finding inner peace, one's next actions as a spiritually enlightened disciple of Tibetan Buddhism would not be to write a tell all memoir damning every Republican you worked with in Congress, but would instead have resulted in taking care of sick children or started some ministry to prisoners like Chuck Colson, but never having achieved Nirvana myself under the tutelage of the Dalai like this POS, who am I to criticize a politician for turning into Kitty Kelly. Ommm.

[Danube of Thought iPad]

You don't understand, daddy--the guy has his eye squarely on the highway to Strange New Respect. That doesn't involve healing the sick, it means trashing Republicans.

[RichatUF]

write a tell all memoir damning every Republican you worked with in Congress

Bet the advance was pretty good.

The world has gone insane (and damn it, I'm still waiting for snow).

[Melinda Romanoff]

MarkO-

You have no idea.

[narciso]

Now this corroborates, some of what Eli Lake had found out;

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/world/africa/benghazi-al-qaeda/index.html?utm_source=
feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+Most+Recent%29

Sounds like a Ron Susskind special, riding herd on Ney, like an Iraqi Minder

[Captain Hate]

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know that much about Ney but he's a bit too far to the south of me to know much about (the sprawling district that he represented goes pretty far south to just north of where Twitch Strickland was from). He sounds like a vindictive soak with a lot of issues. He might be right about Boehner though.

[Threadkiller]

Just saw this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMV1hNXt1JM&feature=player_embedded

Wow!

Back to bed.

ccal, do you still need the report from my wife or did you already watch the show? I was out cold when she came home, and I forgot to ask.

DoT, that birthar/Chavez slam was pretty slick. :-)

[Threadkiller]

Misspelling birther is not a good sign.

[narciso]

He's hanging around with Ellen Ratner and Alex 'Taxi to Gitmo' Gibney,

[Melinda Romanoff]

narciso-

Bad CNN link. Bookmark this tool, cut and paste from this result.

Tiny url.

Most helpful.

[Melinda Romanoff]

G'night All!

No fun night tomorrow.

Later!

[Buckeye]

boys just spanked Indiana in their house.

[narciso]

Pithy, from Eli Lake;

Yes he mismanaged the country, consolidated power, intimidated his opposition, aligned with Iran. On the other hand, heating oil. #chavez

[MarkO]

"MarkO-

You have no idea"

I saw this movie.

[Carol Herman]

ARGO, the book, is different than Argo, the movie. Which has a fake ending.

ARGO is also an expression, used in Hollywood makeup artists circles ... where it stood for "Argo, F*uck Yourself."

How did it work? A makeup artists slapped the four letters over his front teeth. And, kept his mouth shut. When he smiled ... everyone was in on the meaning.

[Beasts of England]

Is Jeb short for Jebbert?

[Dublindave]

My family lit candles for President Chavez tonight and my little daughter, Bobby-Jo, cried (I think she was trying to impress me, but it's still a nice thought). As recipients of Medicaid and unemployment benefits, my wife and have always felt an emotional bond with the late Venezuelan President who dedicated his life to championing the plight of the poor and defending us against the greedy rich. God bless you Sir.... I'm tearing up here.... God bless you Mr. President.... Jesus..... god bless.......

[Dublindave]

Obviously you can tell that I'm really drunk tonight...and this is kind of the point i'd like to make....I spent the majority of my lousy unemployment check on alcohol......that's about enough for me and the missus to get seriously lit for about two nights....but we've can't pay the bills or buy food for the kids....Obama needs to tax the rich more sos us poor people take home a little more in our unemployment check....there thats all i'm gonna say cause I'm so messed up...