The cost of not showing up...

The other day, one of the lesser stories on the intertubes was the one about Sarah Palin being disinvited from an anti-Iran rally after Hillary Clinton backed out and the Obama campaign would not send Biden. The reasoning here was that the organizers were trying to de-politicize the event.

It seems that, contrary to that wish, the rally turned out to be a political event anyway.

[Note: Thanks to those coming in via Exurban League. Those fellas run a first-class, and local site, and I'm not sure what I've done to rate their link. Lately, I don't post all that often (watching my investments dwindle, and we have a daughter getting married soon), but I'll try to be worthy of their support. In that vein, if you care to see one of my rare uber-posts, and especially if you're interested in Arizona, here is something I did last year on Havasu Falls.]

The cool black guy...

...beats the cool white chick to win who gets to be Student Body President.

Thought Bubble....

Damn my meager internet, html, photoshopping skilz....

This thing just begs for a thought bubble...."I'm going to cut to bowels out of the next aide who sets me up to dance in front of the cameras."



h/t Gerard.

The Post-Election Democrats...

I've long thought (although I admit that at times certain circumstances have had me waver a bit) that this country will not elect an anti-war President in a time of war. I agree with John Fund here that McCain may have a better chance against either Clinton or Obama than many give him credit for.

However...

I have a nagging concern on what a post-election Democrat Party will look like should McCain win. Not long after 9/11...probably due to the closeness of Bush's win in 2000 and certainly after the Republicans increased their majority in 2002, the Democrats' public face showed that they had simply lost their minds. They embraced, then ceded their foreign policy agenda to a woman who is a simple fool. They held on to her until after her 15 minutes of fame were gone. They tolerated shrill harpies who are capable of taking the most vile of positions. Their lions were unable to take a calm rational argument to the public.

However, maybe the face of the Democrats was not insane, but something they cynically used to oppose the Republicans. Early on, Democrat David Obey knew that they did not have the votes to support a proposal to defund the war. Yet, they spent the entire year after they attained the majority doing nothing except to do exactly this. And when President Bush adopted Gen Petraeus' Surge, did the Democrats even allow that this approach might yield the desired results? No. They (or more correctly, their mouthpieces) questioned the General's patriotism. And after the Surge had had it's time in the field, did the Democrats even state the obvious: that it was actually working? No. The Rolling Stone now has a name for them: Chicken Doves...those Democrats who took an anti-war stance, not as a true measure of their commitment to ending the war, but to use as a tool to club the Republicans and Bush with.

So what will happen if Obama wins the popular vote, but Clinton takes the nomination through her strength with the super delegates? What will happen if McCain wins? What will happen if either Democrat wins, and then decides that we cannot leave Iraq? Will the Democratic faithful take to the streets (again)? Can the leadership rein in their extreme edges to be able to actually accomplish an agenda?

As much as I think it will be a disaster for either Clinton or Obama to win the Presidency, I don't think that a McCain win will be easy. Over the last 7 years, the Democrats haven't shown that they're able to do much other than attempt to obstruct.

A Nightmare I hadn't anticipated...

No. Not that Hillary Clinton's advisors are "in a state of panic". Her hubris thus far means that she deserves panic. She deserves endless harping about her campaign donors. She deserves to be called a flip-flopper. She deserves criticism for crapping on Shuster. She deserves everything.

No. The nightmare would be the possibility of a McCain/Powell ticket mentioned towards the bottom of the article.

Let's stipulate that (open-minded) Democrats would agree that the black community is as concerned with identity politics as they are about the issues. And that perhaps, in a bit of triangulation, that McCain might want a black VP nominee.

But Powell? McCain may be less than conservative-pure, and he may be a Maverick, but he ain't suicidal. He's essentially running on the wisdom of continuing the war. How does Powell help him there? McCain picks Powell, and the conservatives he's been sucking up to since Super Tuesday would draw and quarter him.

I could live with, and perhaps welcome a McCain/Watts ticket. But McCain/Powell would be too far.

Imagine my surprise...

...that Hillary Clinton would have an anti-American fundraiser. I am shocked. Shocked!

h/t Glenn.

Please, oh Please, OH PLEASE!!!

...If there is a God in Heaven, let this movie premiere before November.



They'll say she was "swift-boated" with this. What they won't get is that for many of us saying this will be read as: "The truth told about you".

h/t Theo. New location noted.

"...[T]he most innocent..."

Yep. She-who-must-not-be-elected says she's the "most innocent" (as well as "most investigated, and most vetted").

One wonders, however: Are there degrees of innocence? Isn't innocence either a black or white thing?

OT: The Politico page above had a McCain ad on it's edges when I looked at it. He's shown saluting as he re-enters American hands after his life as a P.O.W. Does anyone else find his use of this image in a political ad to be, at least, inappropriate, if not off-putting?

Clinton-Kerrey?

This article makes the interesting case that should Hillary get the D nomination, that one of her short-list picks for VP is none other than Bob Kerrey. He, the former Senator from Nebraska, and lately President of NYC's New School, offers some "backbone" credibility to a Clinton ticket via his status as a former Seal who wears the Medal of Honor.

I dunno, though. The article brushes by Kerrey's famous quote that [referring to Bill Clinton] "Clinton is an unusually good liar. Unusually good". To me, this seems to be an awfully wide gulf to bridge, and it only serves to remind the general election voter of the many Clinton scandals, and in particular, remind that voter of Hillary's connection to a number of them.

The Politics of Personal Destruction, Case #2087...

Even I, from my distant perch, can see this article as being germinated in the bowels of the campaign of She-Who-Must-Never-Be-Elected-Again.

As seen in Arizona in July...

Shamelessly stolen from Gerard.

Update from the road...

The family room remodel project is on the downhill portion, but there remains many details to yet get to. The home theater system needs to be re-wired, baseboards and crown moulding installed, and I may have to rip into the fireplace false-wall to re-wire the HDTV.

On the political front, it appears that Hillary isn't all that invincible, which is something I've thought for some time. Now if the R's can get a front-runner, then maybe the D's can be beaten.

Thanks to all my tens and tens of faithful readers (as well as those here after searching for pictures of Iranian WIG vehicles) for your continued patience. Serious blogging (assuming I can get my computer up to speed) should resume no later than the Christmas holidays.

Drip, Drip,...

Drip.



h/t Theo.

"I have a million ideas...."

"...it's just that the country doesn't want any of them."

Oh, wait. That's not what she said. It's what I heard, but not what she said.

I will give Hillary credit for dropping the "baby bonds" idea, though. I guess lead balloons don't float after all.

Hillary on Fox News Sunday...

You don't need to get more than 45 seconds into this 10 minute interview before Hillary delivers more of her trademarked Insincere Laughter.

Hillary's Tin Ear...

...via Beldar.

She is also in danger of becoming another Imelda Marcos.

Update: Gateway Pundit has a great roundup here.