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Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Don’t panic on the OPEC production “cut” Those in the know don’t believe it means anything: The question in the oil markets now is how seriously the cartel will enforce the cuts. The cartel is historically undisciplined. Year after year, members have pledged to each other to produce only a set volume in order to keep world prices at certain levels, but privately they sell more to gain a windfall.Opinion Journal has more on why gas prices are high and why tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a terrible idea. This doesn’t sound like a helpful response to the recent violence in Iraq. It is a critical time with great challenges ahead as we’re trying to implant the idea of freedom. Wednesdays are for W Today the GOP accused the Kerry campaign of illegally coordinating activities with external groups in violation of campaign finance laws. Here’s the always entertaining Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter in response: "We take the law very seriously. Republicans can't stand the fact the American people want change, so now they are playing politics with the law," Cutter said.“Playing politics?” Wrong, Ms. Cutter – we want you to obey the law. You can help to counter the Democrats’ oh-so-typical efforts to circumvent campaign laws by donating or volunteering for the campaign to re-elect President Bush. Visit the web site and then visit the other “Wictory Wednesday” bloggers. It’s important. Thank you. Tony Blankley is “Getting sick & tired of Kerry” – “And yet, John Kerry has impressive downside potential. Like Thomas Dewey in 1948, his deepest flaw as a candidate is his sheer unlikability.” Blankley also wonders about Kerry’s health and whether recent photo-ops (e.g. on the slopes) is a strategy to cover up deeper problems, like Kennedy did with touch football outings. Democrats inviting Monty Python comparisons From the WashPost: "The Bush White House has chosen its weapons well," he [Dem pollster Stan Greenberg] said, "but I really want to emphasize that while Kerry has taken some hits, I think they are surface wounds.”  ‘tis but a flesh wound! Have at you! Kevin Burlingame goes off message! I laughed out loud at this Boston Globe account of a Kerry photo-op in California. The cops shut down Interstate 5 for several minutes so that Kerry could address the press corps and a single customer at a gas station: Kerry advisers released his proposals to lower gas prices in bits on Monday night and yesterday morning, and the unscheduled stop at the San Diego gas station hit a few bumps.Now that’s a well-oiled campaign team. I’m sure the commuters on I-5 didn’t mind. Bush takes the Keystone State - I've always thought that if Bush wins Pennsylvania or Michigan, he'll be unstoppable in 2004. So I was very happy to see this on the Hedgehog Report: "Bush now leads in PA" by a healthy 6%. Make it real - To be perfectly honest, I think the latest Bush ad “Wacky” is a childish, chaotic, and fails to connect with voters. A simpler ad showing a gas price suddenly rising by fifty cents (think of a spinning price readout on a gas pump) would convey the cost of the Kerry tax much more effectively. Speaking of ads, this freelance effort is worth a look. Do I link to the Man without Qualities a lot? There’s a reason for that. Check out his latest post on the Kerry poll slide and the attendant media bias. Speaking of which: after a hiatus, Susanna is back, so Cut on the Bias is back on the blogroll. The continuing humor of the NY Times Corrections page Because of an editing error, a front-page article on Sunday about the difficulty of distributing drugs to AIDS patients in poor countries referred incorrectly to President Bush's January 2003 plan to spend $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS in the third world. While United States spending thus far has not kept pace with the plan, the president has issued a five-year budget plan that foresees reaching it; his requests have not fallen short of the goal.What a surprise. Bastards - Five members of the U.S. military were killed by a bomb blast west of Baghdad on Wednesday, Fox News has confirmed. The Associated Press is reporting that the five killed were soldiers, but that report has not been confirmed. Tuesday, March 30, 2004
It's a fact: Kerry raised gas taxes before The latest installment of John Kerry’s DBunker section is an unmitigated mess. It’s just a baffling collection of spurious and contradictory statements on the issue of rising gas prices. It would take me pages to unravel all the false assumptions and outright lies, but let me try to cut the Gordian knot here and summarize the DBunker allegations: Dick Cheney met with energy executives and conspired to raise gasoline prices during an election year to hurt the re-election prospects for a pro-energy President. This same President has too much pride to beg Saudi Arabia to pump out more oil (and after they’ve been such good allies in the war on terror!) As a result, Americans now face a “tax” in the form of higher gas prices. John Kerry, on the other hand, is not ashamed to kiss the feet of the Saudis. (Hijackers? What hijackers?) And he’ll tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, reserved for wartime, because we’re not in a war – free oil for everyone! Of course, neither of these actions reduces our dependence on foreign oil but that’s OK because we’re all going to drive hybrid cars. It’s…let’s say “interesting”…to characterize a price increase on a commodity as a “tax increase.” But there’s only one candidate in this race who has unquestionably voted in favor of high gasoline taxes: John Kerry. As noted here, Kerry voted for a BTU tax and a 4.3 cents-per-gallon increase in federal gas taxes. Also, in 1994, Kerry told the Boston Globe that he supported for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax; this would cost the average family over $600 per year. Take it from John Kerry – a man who knows how to keep taxes high – that’s a tax. Extra: See how much Kerry’s 50-cent tax could cost you with this handy calculator. [Cross-posted on Blogs for Bush] Predicting Presidential contests The Weekly Standard has a review of the “Rule of 14” and the “Four Factor” and all those other intangible determinants of Presidential elections. My favorite: Fair warning. Yale economist Ray Fair has a model for predicting the outcome of two-party votes, based on economic variables such as inflation and GDP growth. In early February, he predicted 58.7 percent of the two-party vote for Bush (up from 58.3 percent in October). It's bad news for Kerry. Since he started this voting forecast back in 1978, Fair has never misgauged the incumbent party's vote by more than 1.9 percent.Bush/Cheney – mathematically unbeatable! You asked for it Fox News: “Rice to testify publicly before 9/11 commission” Viking Pundit: “Is the strategy to keep the story alive, build it up, so that Dr. Rice can confute Clarke’s self-serving testimony in the most public way imaginable? Maybe!” Rosemary at Dean’s World: “I have a strange feeling. I keep expecting to hear check-mate. From Bush.” Bill Hobbs: “The Democrats demanded it, though she already has testified for more than four hours in private, because the Democrats are politicizing the commission and, by extension, 9/11 itself. I rather suspect they'll rue the day they demanded Rice testify publicly. A brilliant African-American woman will soon be testifying in front of a sure-to-be-mammoth national TV audience, defending the Bush administration's record on fighting terrorism before 9/11 and since. Condi Rice may well do to them what Oliver North did in the 1980s when he made the Democrats on the Iran-Contra hearings look like fools.” Another article about how we’re going to drown in a sea of Social Security debt. Meanwhile, the airheads at MTV – the Gen-Xers who will be soaked for years before the Social Security trust fund runs dry – couldn’t bear to ask John Kerry what he would do to solve this massive problem. Oh, but they’ll get help with student loans. Sweeeeet. Only Pejman can get away with this headline: “Choosy Jews Choose Republicans?” It’s about shifting alliances among American Jews towards the GOP. And now, George Will with his two cents With a hat tip to Betsy, here’s George Will on why “Clarke’s book will be quickly forgotten”. This excerpt echoes my opinion about Clarke’s “apology” to the 9/11 families: Clarke's apology to the American people, delivered to the Sept. 11 commission, should be considered in the context of the book, the publication of which was timed to coincide with his testimony. When, presuming to speak for the entire government, he said ``we tried hard,'' he actually must have been using the royal plural, because the gravamen of his book is that only he was trying hard. Indeed, parts of Clarke's memoir call to mind Finley Peter Dunne's jest that Teddy Roosevelt's memoir of the Cuban expedition should have been titled ``Alone in Cuba.''I have nothing to add to that. “That paragraph is complete fiction” Somebody in the Situation Room on 9/11 says that Clarke is just makin’ stuff up. From the NY Times: “Colleague of Ex-Official Disputes Part of Account” A senior national security official who worked alongside Richard A. Clarke on Sept. 11, 2001, is disputing central elements of Mr. Clarke's account of events in the White House Situation Room that day, declaring that it "is a much better screenplay than reality was."This is just the start, now that the book is out. Monday, March 29, 2004
USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll flip What a turn of events! Was it the inept finger-pointing of Richard Clarke? The ads portraying Kerry (accurately) as a Washington flip-flopper? The series of self-inflicted Kerry gaffes? In the first week of March, Kerry was beating Bush in a one-on-one matchup by 8%; the latest poll has Bush over Kerry by 4% - a huge 12% swing in less than one month. More: on question #3, we find that likely voters who are “certain” to vote for Kerry dropped 5% while those certain to vote for Bush rose 6%. On question #6 we find President Bush’s favorable-unfavorable gap rising from 1% in early March to 9% (53% - 44%) in the latest poll. I’m going to sleep well tonight. What media bias update: as of this writing, there’s nothing on the CNN homepage. Black gold, Texas tea, Al-Qaeda’s ATM  Ain’t that a shame? The Saudis are running out of oil (maybe). From a new Business Week article titled “Oil Shortage?” If Simmons is right [that Saudi oil fields are running dry], the Saudis could soon be in deep trouble. Their relations with the U.S. are already strained thanks to the participation of so many Saudis in the September 11 attacks. If it turns out they have much less oil than they claim, "the role of the kingdom would be completely devalued strategically," says Roger Diwan, a senior analyst at consultant PFC Energy in Washington. With no alternative to oil in sight for decades, the U.S. and other consuming nations would increasingly need to look to other sources, such as Russia or Iraq.I’m not crazy about giving cash to the Russians, but they’re a damn sight better than “Terrorists ‘R’ Us.” And anything to help out Free Iraq is a plus. Another insidious Karl Rove strategy? The conventional wisdom is that the SHIELDS: Kate O'Beirne, has Richard Clarke's testimony seriously damaged President Bush's credibility as a fighter against terrorism?Here’s at least one poll indicating that Bush still has a double-digit lead over the Democratic challenger on defense and terrorism. If this is the defining issue going into November, Bush wins big. This is a fact not lost on Robert Musil: Could it be that Democrats and the media hurt John Kerry by moving the public's mind away from the economy by making a broo-hah-hah over terrorism - including much criticism of Bush?Corollary question: Is Karl Rove pulling a huge rope-a-dope with Condi Rice’s pending testimony before the 9/11 Commission? Is the strategy to keep the story alive, build it up, so that Dr. Rice can confute Clarke’s self-serving testimony in the most public way imaginable? Maybe! Thin books: “Hassidic football players” and “Kerry’s legislative work” From the Associated Press today: Kerry never mentioned Bush by name during his speech at New North Side Baptist Church, but aimed his criticism at "our present national leadership." Kerry cited Scripture in his appeal for the worshippers, including James 2:14, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?"Fox News: “Kerry’s Senate career short on lawmaking” Asked what he has accomplished during his 19 years in the Senate, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry gives a lengthy answer but has a short list of laws that bear his name.Factcheck: John Kerry is fond of saying "I led the fight" on a lot of things -- against Arctic drilling, against Bush's Medicare prescription drug legislation, for federal grants for 100,000 new police officers, against Newt Gingrich's attempts to lessen environmental regulations.Mickey Kaus: The hints in Kerry's senatorial résumé aren't encouraging. Legislating is an almost pathologically collaborative effort, and Kerry has been a conspicuous non-performer in the legislation department. Time magazine found exactly "three substantive bills passed with Kerry's name on them." Two of these "had to do with marine research and protecting fisheries." (The other was "designed to provide grants for women starting small businesses.") Kerry's record as a senator for two decades would be embarrassing were it not for his investigations into drug commerce and his initial digging into illegal aid for the Nicaraguan Contras.How about those investigations? From the Washington Post: Kerry's high-profile investigations, such as his probes of the deposed leader of Panama, Gen. Manuel Noriega, and the scandal-ridden Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), have led some colleagues to complain privately that he has been more of a show horse than a workhorse.That's my Senator! I guess the lesson here is that Kerry will work if there are cameras on him. Kerry Vote Watch How do I break into this gig? The Senate is off for twelve days, returns to “work” on Wednesday, casts a total of four votes over two days, then heads off for a long weekend. Well, Kerry showed up to vote against the “Laci and Connor” law since he was in Washington anyway for the big “Unity” fundraiser. Sadly, Al Gore did cast the fatal blow of endorsing the Senator. Days worked in the Senate this session: 3 Voting percentage: 14/63 = 22% William Safire keeps the heat on the U.N.’s Oil for Food scandal: “Follow up to Kofi-gate” - "Never has there been a financial rip-off of the magnitude of the U.N. oil-for-food scandal." Sunday, March 28, 2004
I failed you, but you know what I really mean - (wink wink) Mark Steyn on Dick Clarke: “Bush has nothing to fear from this hilarious work of fiction” Instead, all the Islamists who went to Afghanistan in the 1990s graduated from Camp Osama and were dispersed throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, where they lurk to this day. That's the Clarke-Clinton legacy. And, if it were mine, I wouldn't be going around boasting about it.Yet there he was on “Meet the Press” and CNN and who knows where else, telling America – in direct contradiction to his “apology” before the 9/11 Commission – that it was all George Bush’s fault. Take your cash and go away already. Saturday, March 27, 2004
America thinks Clarke is a fraud – Russert to confirm David Wissing has a great post called “What Clarke Effect?” with the results of a Newsweek poll. Bottom line: Bush’s popularity has not suffered, the Bush/Kerry matchup numbers have not moved, and by a wide margin people think that Dick Clarke is motivated by partisan or personal reasons. Meanwhile, Mark Kilmer notes that Clarke will be on “Meet the Press” tomorrow: “Russert is very good at grilling guests for inconsistencies, and he doesn't always accept lame answers from Democrats and their sympathizers.” Yes, and my feeling is that Russert will solidify the impression most Americans have about book-hawker Dick Clarke. Senator Splunge’s flip-flop du jour John Kerry, March 10th: [Republicans are] “the most crooked, you know, lying group I’ve ever seen. It’s scary.” Today: “John Kerry said the White House is committing character assassination with its treatment of former counterterror chief Richard Clarke to avoid responding to questions about national security that Clarke raised.” Friday, March 26, 2004
The evidence mounts that Democrats are jerks Paul at Wizbang says: “Democrats prove they are scum” Well, that might be a little strong. But wait…what’s this? “Senate Dems to block all nominations” Chuck Schumer is a bastard. The Democrats won’t allow certain judicial nominees to have a straight up-or-down vote in the Senate, so Bush gives recess appointments a grand total of two judges. Well, get ready for a whole lotta recess appointments, Chuck, if you’re going to play this game. More bad news for the Democrats: March 26 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. personal spending rose for the fifth straight month in February and consumer confidence unexpectedly climbed in March, suggesting the economy will continue to grow. Update your blogroll - Jay Solo + Accidental Jedi = Accidental Verbosity While you're at it, why don't you add the always-excellent Viking Pundit? Heh. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail You have to slog through to the final paragraph of this NY Times editorial about the “Entitlement Crisis” to find out their recommendation for a solution: “Congress can certainly take a first step in dealing with the looming entitlement shortfalls by rebuffing the administration's efforts to extend its tax cuts for wealthy Americans.” A tax hike. Surprise, surprise. No Slick Willie zone I don’t want to discuss Bill Clinton because I think his presidency does nothing to elucidate the problems facing the country now. This section from Lileks’ latest Bleat is right in line with my sentiments: Look: to me that’s ancient history. That’s Flintstone time. If it weren’t for these hearings I wouldn’t give a tin fig for who didn’t do what when and where. September Eleventh was the bright red gash that separated the Now from the La-la Then, and we’ve been living in the hot spiky Now ever since. I am interested in the Now and the What Next.But Dick Clarke’s The Economist on “The Blame Game” The British magazine is always measured and even-handed since it exists outside the bubble of American debate. Here’s the conclusion of the Economist’s analysis of the 9/11 investigation: Most important, Miss Rice argued, even if the administration had done everything Mr Clarke wanted, that would probably not have been enough to deal with al-Qaeda or stop the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. Mr Bush, she said, was tired of “swatting flies”. Something more was needed, which the administration was working on throughout 2001. But it was too late.Even the Clintonites appearing before the 9/11 commission cited the chasm between “pre-9/11” and “post-9/11” mentalities. Hindsight on the threat of Al-Qaeda is crystal clear now. Thursday, March 25, 2004
Taxing America and the definition of a vote The Kerry campaign has been consistent on one matter: when votes in the Senate serve John Kerry, they are loudly paraded for all to see. When other votes don’t help him, loudly complain about “misrepresenting” Kerry’s record and negative campaigning. Several weeks back, Kerry proclaimed that he had voted in favor of the Helms-Burton legislation to tighten restrictions on Fidel Castro’s communist Cuba. In fact he hadn’t voted for the final bill, but for a motion leading up to the bill. This is how Slate characterized this unique rationalization: Kerry aides told Wallsten that Kerry voted against the final bill because he disagreed with some technicalities added at the last minute, but that he voted for an earlier version of the bill. But every piece of legislation that comes before the Senate is subjected to a succession of votes, many of them tactical in nature. The only vote that counts is final passage. If it were otherwise, any legislator could claim to have voted for or against almost any bill, depending on the audience, and there would be no accountability at all.However, Kerry would not heed this common-sense definition of “voting for” a bill and chose to highlight procedural motion and amendment votes while glossing the only vote that truly mattered: his position on the final legislation. The Bush campaign then accepted Kerry’s wide definition of which votes count and declared that the Democrat had voted to raise taxes “350 times.” This may be a semantic argument (i.e. does voting against a tax cut constitute “raising taxes”?) but it is clear that on vote after vote throughout his Senate career, John Kerry voted in favor of the philosophy that higher taxes are always the better choice. “Foul!” cried the Kerry campaign and Michael Kinsley complied with an article criticizing the Bush campaign’s definition of a vote: The logic seems to be that if a bill contains more than one item (as almost all bills do), it counts as separate votes for or against each item. The Bush list also includes several series of sequentially numbered votes, which are procedural twists on the same bill. And there are votes on the identical issue in different years.Those “sequentially numbered votes” and “procedural twists” were good enough for John Kerry when he “voted for the $87 billion before he voted against it.” But now they’re off-limits when Bush tries to illustrate how John Kerry has sought to keep taxes high on Americans. And the Kerry campaign is still at it: this Dbunker post has a series of votes cast by Kerry allegedly to lower the tax burden on Americans, with helpful Senate vote numbers. The problem is that every single one of them is a rejected procedural motion vote before the final passage of Vote #179 – H.R. 2 – the Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Act of 2003. On that bill, Kerry voted “Nay.” So when the Bush campaign runs an ad declaring that John Kerry voted against tax relief for American families, it’s an un-debunkable fact. [Cross-posted on Blogs for Bush] The Gore curse confirmed The former pollster for Howard Dean reveals how Al Gore destroyed Howard Dean’s candidacy: Although the endorsement by former vice president Al Gore was initially viewed as a coup, Maslin discovered in polling that it had "little if any value." That is because Gore's former Iowa supporters -- some of whom blamed him for the Democrats' defeat in 2000 -- said it made them less likely to back Dean.That’s some bad karma there. Bad news for Kerry: The economy grew a solid 4.1% in the fourth quarter, stocks are way up, and oil prices dropped a dollar today. Welcome aboard, Dean! – “This is a Blog for Bush” If you’d like to join the Blogroll for Bush, click here. Poll positions Rasmussen tracking flips: Kerry 47% / Bush 44% But Quinnipiac has Bush 46% / Kerry 40% / Nader 6%. Without Nader, Bush still leads 46 – 43%. The updated Real Clear Politics average has Bush leading by 2%. Back on campaign trail, Kerry catches up on flip-flopping From the Boston Globe: “Kerry spoke of meeting negotiators on Vietnam” Asked about the appropriateness of Kerry's saying that the United States had "murdered" 200,000 Vietnamese annually when the United States was at war, Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan said "Senator Kerry used a word he deems inappropriate."Here’s Kerry’s statement from the Senate hearing: If the United States did not withdraw, Kerry said, then US bombing would continue, and "the war will continue. So what I am saying is that yes, there will be some recrimination but far, far less than the 200,000 a year who are murdered by the United States of America . . . ."Draw your own conclusion. By the way, when is Kerry going to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington? I’m curious about the reception he’ll get there. Rich Lowry on “Clarke’s Collapse”: “If Clarke is ever hired in another administration, it should be as Dishonesty Czar. Even by the standard of the host of recent anti-Bush books, Clarke's "Against All Enemies" distinguishes itself for its pathetically misleading and incomplete account of the facts.” Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Josh Marshall’s profound insouciance After expending untold electrons on his blog about the unimpeachable Richard Clarke, Josh Marshall is placidly unconcerned about Clarke’s comments back in August 2002 when he was vigorously defending the White House. All part of his job! In any case, the larger point I think is this: Career civil servants working for a given White House do tend to follow that White House's spin when they're giving background briefings. That's hardly a surprise. It's somewhat in the nature of the enterprise.So, according to Marshall, Clarke had an incentive to shade the truth back then, but he has no incentive (order your book now at Amazon and get 30% off the $27 list price!) to do so now. Later, in his post, Josh points readers towards this piece in Slate by Fred Kaplan. I’ll quote the key part: But on to the substance. Clarke's main argument…is that Bush has done (as Clarke put it on CBS) "a terrible job" at fighting terrorism. Specifically: In the summer of 2001, Bush did almost nothing to deal with mounting evidence of an impending al-Qaida attack.Yet here’s Clarke in the 2002 background briefing: And the point is, while this big review was going on, there were still in effect, the lethal findings were still in effect. The second thing the administration decided to do is to initiate a process to look at those issues which had been on the table for a couple of years and get them decided.So “almost nothing” was quintupling the budget to fight Al-Qaeda, picking up on the issues left behind by Clinton, and employing a new strategy for the “rapid elimination” of the terrorist group. I agree with Glenn Reynolds: “This guy’s working for Rove.” Also, be sure to check out Dodd’s analysis of Josh Marshall’s response to the Clarke flip-flop. And right-wingers, too! I’m on a Democratic mailing list so I get some amusing letters on occasion. Today there’s one from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asking for cash. Choice quote: “George W. Bush and the right-wing Republican controlled Congress are advancing a radical agenda backed by a bizarre alliance of right-wing zealots, ultra-conservative ideologues and greedy special interests.”Don’t forget about the vampires! What? Oh. No vampires. The Clarke scandal goes “poof!” Like I said: he was just trying to sell books. Here’s an excerpt from an August 2002 briefing via Fox News: CLARKE: No, it came up in April [2001] and it was approved in principle and then went through the summer. And you know, the other thing to bear in mind is the shift from the rollback strategy to the elimination strategy. When President Bush told us in March to stop swatting at flies and just solve this problem, then that was the strategic direction that changed the NSPD from one of rollback to one of elimination.Read the whole thing, then check back later to see how Josh Marshall spins it. Wednesdays are for W The WashPost has an article today called “Democratic Spending is a Team Effort – Groups Ads Level Field for Kerry” about how certain “527” groups are free to supplement the negative advertising of the Kerry campaign outside of campaign finance law spending limits. It’s all legal as long as these groups don’t coordinate their activities with the Kerry campaign or the Democratic National Committee. It’s just sheer coincidence that John Kerry’s former campaign manager, Jim Jordan, is “advising several of the Democratic groups, including the Media Fund.” Now (yes, now) is the time to help out President Bush by donating and/or volunteering to his re-election campaign. Then visit the other bloggers in the Wictory Wednesday blogroll. It’s important. Thanks. We’re from the United Nations and we’re here to “help” The American Spectator reviews the U.N.’s track record in Kosovo and wonders why certain people (cough Democrats cough) want to subject Iraq to the same mismanagement: I mention this partly because conservatives, especially American ones, often are accused of being insufficiently deferential to the U.N. Allow me to remedy this state of affairs: the U.N. should be acknowledged for its role in perpetuating the chaos in Kosovo. Lest I judge too harshly, let me point out that the U.N.'s solution to the region's conflict is typical of its solution to every international conflict: announce that everything is fine, then hope reality cooperates.Remember when Jesse Helms was withholding U.S. funding for the United Nations? With a Security Council chaired by Syria and Libya heading up the Human Rights Commission, it’s hard to fault him. Spinning that “S.O.B.” quote From NY Post’s Page Six: THE Sen. John Kerry team seems more than a mite embarrassed the presidential wannabe cursed out a Secret Service agent as "that son of a bitch" after colliding with him while snowboarding last week. Asked if that's appropriate language, Kerry's spokesman, Michael Meehan, tried to wriggle out of answering on Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes." Quoth Meehan: "I don't know. I wasn't there . . . it's a hypothetical I'm not interested in . . . I wasn't there. Were you?" Nope, but the report of Kerry's trash talk came from the ABC News field producer who was there and appeared in the New York Times (though with the expletive deleted).That’s some smooooooth spinning there. Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Thank you, President Bush! Well, I just finished my taxes tonight and I'm getting a healthy return. (This is a pleasant surprise after paying last year.) Judging by the feedback on Instapundit, I'm not the only one who is happy with the new tax structure. Stephanie Cutter speaks She’s the greatest. Here she is in a NY Times article about how the economy is doing somewhat better in the 17 battleground states important for the 2004 election than in the rest of the country: Stephanie Cutter, Mr. Kerry's spokeswoman, said that even in states where the economy was stronger than the national average, "there's still a sense we could be doing better."How’s that for a slogan? “We could be doing marginally better, America!” Kerry: Closet Frenchman U.S.-based correspondents for the French media, aware that Kerry learned fluent French while in boarding school in Switzerland, have been trying to get him to do an interview in French. Correspondents say they have spoken French with him in private, but as soon as the cameras go on, Kerry switches to English to avoid giving the Bush campaign more ammunition.Oh, c'mon! Dick Clarke’s Cassandra Complex Only the diehard Democrats will try to keep this story alive – the vast majority of Americans will recognize Clarke’s bogus allegations as a cynical strategy to sell books. For my money, John Podhoretz has the best review today with Rich Lowry a close second. Bonus - Nice find on Free Republic: in 1992, a then-Deputy Secretary of State Dick Clarke complaining about America’s lax response to Iraq’s buildup of weapons of mass destruction. Nobody listens to Cassandra Clarke. Update: Like I said, this story has no legs - "Clarke praises Bush in resignation letter" Searching for the truth on the jobs issue A very interesting article in the Boston Globe - “What the jobless statistics don’t reveal” – tries to reconcile the vast gap between the payroll survey and the household survey of employment. When properly interpreted, the two surveys together reveal the real emerging story line: Unable to find regular payroll employment, many workers are accepting second choice self-employment, contract labor, or off-the-books work arrangements. In other words, the growth in nonformal payroll employment over the past two years has acted as a labor market safety valve. American workers are finding that for now, their best and maybe only alternative lies somewhere between a regular wage and salary job and unemployment.I can speak from experience here. Last year, my wife “quit” her job at a nearby university to do the same work as a “consultant” (this was done voluntarily for personal reasons that I won’t detail here). So she no longer appears on the university’s payroll but collects a paycheck nonetheless. She is not unemployed, despite what the Democrats choose to believe. Kerry’s Katholic Kibbitzing Senator Splunge isn’t making friends with the local (or national) Catholics: So much for Kerry Catholicism. On Sunday, John Kerry showed up for the 10:30 Mass at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church at 10:41 a.m. (The church had roped off two pews for the VIP.) Adding further insult, Kerry arrived noisily, fully outfitted for skiing, not dressed for a religious service. Compounding the insult -- this time to all Catholics in good standings -- Kerry received the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, even though he's not considered to be a Catholic in good standing.Kerry is not in “good standing” because of his split from Catholic positions, particular abortion. Of course, it doesn’t help that he’s a skinflint with charitable donations: Kerry's returns from 1995 and earlier, before his marriage to Heinz, have sometimes attracted criticism over the issue of charitable giving. In 1995, according to published reports, Kerry reported a taxable income of $126,179, and charitable contributions of $0. In 1994, he reported income of $127,884, and charitable donations of $2,039. In 1993, he reported income of $130,345, and contributions of $175. In 1992, he reported income of $127,646, and contributions of $820. In 1991, he reported income of $113,857, and contributions of $0.So much for noblesse oblige. The Kerry slump continues: As I predicted, things are going poorly for Senator Splunge. Real Clear Politics has all the latest polls and, even without Nader, Bush holds a slim lead. How “Never again” became “Neville again” An angrier-than-usual Mark Steyn has some sharp words for the appeasers: Among all the foolish apologists for the murderers of Madrid, it was the Reverend Mark Beach who happened to catch my eye. Preaching at St Andrew's Church, Rugby, nine days ago, Mr Beach said: "The people of Madrid are reaping the fruits of our intolerance towards those of different races and religions. The war in Iraq was never going to solve the problems of that region but instead inflamed Arab people all over the world to new heights of anger towards the West."RTWT. No static at all - Last night on my satellite radio, the song "FM" by Steely Dan came on. Apparently to avoid confusion, the title was changed to "FM on XM" on my display. I thought that was funny. Monday, March 22, 2004
The John Kerry Spend-o-meter Projected spending - Increased taxes = Kerry budget gap:  "If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free." - P.J. O'Rourke And put on a sweater! The NY Times never tires of telling us what to do. Today, they want Americans to stop buying SUVs: A much better way to strengthen America's leverage, as this page has suggested before, is for the United States to limit its own consumption of energy. There are many ways to do that, but the most straightforward is to raise fuel economy standards by significant amounts.I have an idea: how about if the NY Times ceases printing their physical paper and offers only a virtual paper through an on-line subscription? No more printing presses (using oil-based inks), no more delivery trucks, and no further need for Dad’s car to deliver papers at 5 a.m. Lead by example, NY Times. Do you know why Islamists don’t want to hold free elections? This is why: “Secular-minded incumbent Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in Monday as Malaysia's prime minister, a day after scoring a landslide election victory that handed the fundamentalist Islamic opposition its worst defeat in more than a decade.” Hat tip to Wind Rider at Silent Running who comments: “It's a good sign. Let's see what Abdullah Ahmad Badawi does with the huge mandate he was given, and watch for the nut jobs claiming G-d's will to start causing trouble.” Where have you gone, Pat Moynihan? I miss the late Senator from New York. In my opinion, he was a principled liberal, and he didn’t shy away from a direct answer to a direct question. He was great on “Meet the Press” because he would respond “Oh my, yes” or “Oh, no” before fully explaining his position. The closest approximation in the current Congress is Rep. Barney Frank who is feisty and intellectual, but rarely evasive. I bring this up to make a direct comparison to that scion of the Democratic Party, Ted Kennedy, who made an ass of himself yesterday on “Meet the Press.” Where Moynihan was confident and composed in his responses, Kennedy deployed a shrill invective of Democratic talking points. He even deployed the Max Cleland myth, for heaven’s sake! It was all red meat for the left-wing faithful, leading Martin Devon to conclude: “I'm sure that Teddy Kennedy's words brought joy to hard core Democrats but on balance the interview helped George W. Bush far more than it did John Kerry.” (Also see Tom Maguire and Mark Kilmer on Kennedy’s performance.) By the end of the interview, I was left to wonder: what happened to the Democratic Party? Aside from Joe Lieberman (and maybe Joe Biden) is there a single Dem politician who can explain a position without resorting to prickly tones and wild gesticulating? The American Spectator Prowler has the whole story on John “I don’t fall down” Kerry’s tumble on the slopes (along with the Senator’s “new isolationism.”) Mark Steyn on Senator Splunge: “But he is beyond satire now.” Even I, though, would have balked at so crude and obvious a parody as this line some Kerry impersonator did on the radio the other day: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."The words “Jacques Chirac” and “jock strap” are used in the conclusion in a rare display of satiric assonance. Stephanie Cutter never fails to entertain The Kerry spokeswoman has a flair for hyperbole: "George Bush has been the steward of the worst economy since the Great Depression, and now he's hypocritically criticizing John Kerry for his efforts to put the nation back on track," she said.Keep in mind that at the depths of the Great Depression, the stock market had lost some 90% of its value and unemployment topped 25%. But if Kerry wants to get us “back on track” I’ll take the bus: [Bush campaign manager Ken] Mehlman said the Bush campaign will paint Kerry as "a senator who has a consistent record of voting for higher taxes, who wants to cut the deficit in half but, if you cost out some of his proposals . . . has a trillion-dollar tax gap" between what he has proposed in new spending and new revenue.Even if Senator Splunge seized the assets of Bill Gates and the entire Wal-Mart family, he cannot remotely pay for all of the programs he’s promised. Where will the money come from? I wonder… Obviously, William Safire doesn’t read his own paper’s doom-and-gloom editorials. Here’s his optimistic take on the lessons of Iraq in “Creeping Democracy” Kerry Vote Watch Hold onto your hats, loyal readers: John Kerry missed no votes in the Senate last week! The Senate was in recess. Kerry rested from his two days of labor with a week-long vacation at his mansion (one of five) in Idaho. Sunday, March 21, 2004
Kerry takes “repeated tumbles” – quickly finds new excuse Senator “I don’t fall” was on the slopes again yesterday and “reporters counted six falls, although Kerry was out of sight for part of the descent” so there could have been more. No secret service agents to cuss out…what’s a guy to do? "The snow up there was the worst I've ever seen," Kerry said Friday after spending more than three hours on a backcountry mountain. "I've never seen the snow so soft."He added: “I was misled about the density of the snow. It’s a fraudulent snowpack.” Dueling campaign cartoons and illiterate liberals The RNC has a sharp and funny ad called “John Kerry: International Man of Mystery” mocking his secret foreign support. Meanwhile, the DNC has something about the Bush deficit that makes “South Park” animation look like “Final Fantasy.” Even the leftists over at Daily Kos couldn’t contain their disappointment: It is worse than amateurish. It is embarrassing and richly deserving of the derision it has received here and on national political programs.The first step towards improving communications might be spelling the word correctly. Saturday, March 20, 2004
Don’t make a move until we hear from France Tomorrow’s (today’s?) WashPost: “Engagement is a constant in Kerry’s foreign policy” Kerry's aides cannot recall whether he ever sketched out a broad foreign policy vision before he sought the presidency. Indeed, many of Kerry's speeches during his Senate years were lengthy and subtle, reflecting an understanding of complex issues but also a tendency to sketch so many shades of gray that the reasoning for his position became opaque.But, despite his wonkish waffling, surely Kerry wouldn’t compromise American security if it meant alienating foreign governments, right? Kerry is a frequent visitor to the international conferences in Davos, Switzerland, where he mingles with foreign leaders and chews over the policy problems of the day. "He eats that stuff up," Stetson said.Uh-oh. "I've fallen and that S.O.B. knocked me over!" Here's Mickey Kaus on what happens when the New York Times conspires with the Kerry campaign: A presidential candidate says "son of a bitch" in public, and the NYT can't print it? In this case, the omission hurt Kerry--readers of the Times probably assumed he'd said something much worse.I know I did. I figured Kerry used (appropriately!) a word that rhymes with "Mass-hole." I know I’ve posted on this before, but I’m gonna post it again Here’s a section from an AP story (reproduced on Fox News) – “Bush officially kicks off campaign in Florida” Bush used his first negative ad against Kerry to contend that the presumptive Democratic nominee would raise taxes by $900 billion if president. The figure comes from estimated costs of the health care plan Kerry has proposed. Kerry has not yet said where the money would come from to pay for the new health benefits.$250 - $900 = a whole pile of tax hikes on YOU (yes you!) Friday, March 19, 2004
Poochie! I nearly spit out about fifty-cents of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat when I saw this on Right Wing News:  Hey kids! Remember to flip-flop TO THE EXTREME! So, what, it’s a “specialty” beer now? $8 for a six-pack of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat? Why? Because of a fancy new label declaring it part of the “Brewmaster’s Collection?” Can’t a guy enjoy his favorite beer without getting gouged? Eight dollars! My latest debunking of John Kerry's "Dbunker" section is up on Blogs for Bush. This one reminds DBunker that, yes, John Kerry really did vote against funding for U.S. troops in Iraq. He admits it...remember? The French are stupid: (Paris - Reuters) - Want to stay fit and healthy? Two top French nutritionists are telling people to go for a Big Mac and keep their fingers off the traditional French quiche. Need more proof? Here’s that idiot French foreign minister. Parapundit reviews the pending entitlement crisis: “Social Security and Medicare heading for bankruptcy sooner” I call him “Senator Splunge” but the Cracker Barrel Philosopher calls him “Lurch”. Check out his comments on Kerry’s spring break (here and here). Kerry’s structural weaknesses The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber reveals all in “Flip Side.” My favorite excerpt: Responding to a Bush ad thrashing him for voting against last year's $87 billion supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan, Kerry managed an impressive trifecta of ineffectiveness: "I actually did vote for his $87 billion, before I voted against it," Kerry told a crowd of veterans at Marshall University, before going on to explain that the version he voted for would have been paid for by repealing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Which is to say, Kerry's first instinct was to move rightward ("I actually did vote for his $87 billion"), his second instinct was to strive for consistency ("...before I voted against it), and his third instinct was to retreat into the kind of inside-the-beltway legislative-ese that got him into so much trouble last summer and fall.Memo to Democrats: don’t take Dean off your speed-dial yet. It’s four more months until the convention in Boston. Fortunately, the Iraqis aren’t reading the NY Times From an editorial in the WSJ’s Opinion Journal: “Optimists in Iraq” A paradox of the Iraq War that began a year ago today is that the Iraqis living through it are far more optimistic than the American elites who fret from afar. As predicted, and despite the car bombs and other violence that dominate the headlines, Iraqis really do believe they've been liberated.And the Wall Street Journal sees the big picture: The way to honor [American soldiers and volunteers’] commitment , and sacrifice, is not to impugn the war as a "fiasco" as the new Spanish Prime Minister so mindlessly has, or to rush to pull out because we haven't yet found stockpiles of WMD. It is to fulfill the tremendous opportunity that those who have died have opened, by helping to build Iraq into a stable, democratic Arab state as the first step toward transforming the Middle East. A year after Americans began marching to Baghdad, this is the legacy worth celebrating.Right. Detached from reality I started reading this NY Times editorial on Iraq – “One Year After” – and hit the following line, which I had to re-read several times. In the short run, the invasion of Iraq and the toppling of its leader have done virtually nothing to stop terrorism.Then I did a word search on “Libya.” Nothing. “Syria?” Nothing. Anything about Iran? Nope. Nascent democratic reform in Saudi Arabia? Nada. In fact, nothing at all about eradicating state support for terrorism and changing the debate for democracy in the Middle East. The Times would have you believe that the actions of a handful of Iraqi insurgents, desperate to reverse the course of freedom, constitute a failure of policy. So I stopped reading. Why do I believe this story more than any of the others? Pakistani officials are now suggesting that Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may have escaped an area of intense fighting near Afghanistan's border. Thursday, March 18, 2004
Today’s vocabulary lesson 1 - hoist with one's own petard : victimized or hurt by one's own scheme Remember when John Kerry suggested he had international support in his bid for the American presidency? Kerry said last week that he has talked with several foreign leaders who said they want him to win the presidential election in November in order to introduce "new policies."Well, he wouldn’t provide the names of these foreign leaders, but today one of them voiced his strong support for Kerry: He may have not been one of the foreign leaders with whom John Kerry spoke about his presidential candidacy, but former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad endorsed Kerry anyway on Thursday.Now that’s irony! Extra - This is too funny: the Kerry campaign begs foreigners to stop endorsing him. Hahaha!!! Gee, what brought this on? For the latest updates on the situation in Pakistan, check the Command Post or this thread on Free Republic (over 1500+ posts so far) Devastating – The Bush campaign has a new ad out using the Kerry “I voted for/against” quote. Click here and follow the links for “Troops – FoG”. That waffle is going to haunt Senator Splunge worse than the “foreign leaders I can’t name” gaffe. We’ll see… “High value target” surrounded in Pakistan - Mansoor Ijaz, Fox News' Foreign Affairs Analyst, reported Thursday that according it is "highly probable that the high value target" that has been surrounded is either Usama bin Laden or al-Zawahri," according to Pakistani intelligence sources. Update: Bloomberg says it’s Zawahiri NRO’s Corner says no it’s not. And here's sorta-reputable Sky News (via Rantburg): But President Pervez Musharraf said: "(Judging by) the resistance that is being offered by the people there, we feel that there may be a high value target."If it's true. Observation: Did you notice that whenever there’s an overwhelming consensus in the blogosphere on a particular matter, there’s always somebody out there trying to buck the conventional wisdom and justify a contrary opinion, if only to be a devil’s advocate? I’m yet to see anybody defend Kerry’s asinine “I voted for it, but against it” statement. A coveted VP-mention for the first to find anybody (blogger, columnist, DU poster) explaining how Kerry’s waffle was – in actuality! – accurate or helpful to his campaign. You are not reading this: Viking Pundit’s popularity plunges! Zero visits today?!? I think something’s wrong with Sitemeter. He is Superman! “Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands…” From the American Spectator: After paying for all the landscaping on the Sun Valley property, the Kerrys determined that their water supply was not great enough to keep their vegetation thriving. And so the couple petitioned the state [Idaho] to have a small river redirected so that its waters could be used to keep their garden nice and green. The state complied, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the work done. The state covered the cost ostensibly to ensure that the river's redirection would be environmentally sound.A small price to pay for half-truth, injustice, and the European way! The waffle king Here’s Michael Barone in “Kerry takes both sides” The Bush campaign struck hard at John Kerry this week. When Kerry visited West Virginia on Tuesday, the Bush campaign ran an ad in West Virginia media attacking him for voting against the $87 billion supplemental appropriation for Iraq. The ad noted that Kerry voted for the Iraq war resolution but "later voted against funding for soldiers." It went on, "No body armor for troops in combat. No higher combat pay. No to better healthcare for reservists and their families. No–wrong on defense."I wonder if Karl Rove himself couldn’t have scripted a better line to underscore Kerry’s inability to take a position and his flippant attitude over what was arguably the second most important vote in the Senate last year. The insult of flattering minorities The Boston Globe’s token conservative examines the soft bigotry of low expectations. Nut graf: Once upon time it was racists who insisted that "nonwhite" was a synonym for "intellectually deficient." Today that attitude is promoted most emphatically by the defenders of affirmative action, a system rooted in the belief that blacks and certain other minorities can't hope to win if they have to compete on a level playing field. And so racial preferences are used to tilt the field in their favor: lower admissions standards at colleges and graduate schools, minority set-asides for government contracts, unofficial racial quotas to benefit those applying for jobs. Racial preferences are clearly a boon for some minorities -- particularly those from upper-middle-class families who know how to leverage them to get into a good school or land a good job or get in on a good investment. But they do no favors for minority groups as a whole. Preferences stigmatize them as less able than other Americans to stand on their own two feet. Many end up resenting those who believe they need such a crutch -- and resenting those who would take it away.“Leverage them…to get in on a good investment?” I think that was a swipe at Jesse Jackson. Wednesday, March 17, 2004
"I'm gonna let ya' in on a little secret, Ray. Wal-Mart sucks." I'm allowed to vent a little on this blog, right? It doesn't have to be politics all the time. Yesterday, during my lunch break, I went to Wal-Mart to buy a gas can and some light bulbs. That's it. Up front, there are four registers open and nobody manning the express lane. Shopping carts are blocking the aisles and an angry mob had formed at the "service" counter. I dumped my stuff on a Snickers display and left. Today (in a move sure to meet the James Lileks seal-of-approval) I went to Target to get the same stuff. Once again, I felt there weren't enough registers open and I got on line behind (only) three other people. But almost immediately, they opened up another register, and called me over with a jaunty "Over here, sir." Guess where I'm going to do all my shopping? Can you hear me knockin’? - "Paramilitary troops stormed a fortress-like compound with mortars and machine-gun fire Tuesday, killing 24 suspects in a fierce crackdown on al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives in the rugged tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, the army spokesman said." Wednesdays are for W “By the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes” Here they come: “Clintons E-mail for Kerry cash” Don’t be fooled by the “official” fundraising totals: the Democrats are organizing with independent groups like MoveOn to circumvent campaign finance laws and pour money into the campaign for their man. Show your support for President Bush now by volunteering for his campaign, or giving what you can in a donation. Also, be sure to visit the George W. Bush website and the “Wictory Wednesday” blogroll. It’s important. Thanks. The wheels come off the Kerry bandwagon From the American Spectator Prowler: Is the Kerry campaign on the verge of imploding? Barely two weeks after unofficially sewing up the nomination, John Kerry doesn't look at all like a candidate who has been leading in the polls. He seems increasingly gaffe-prone, the quality that ultimately sank Howard Dean.And this was written before the risible “I voted for it but against it” gaffe. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t  Mickey Kaus poses this question today: “Even if Al Qaeda does not launch Madrid-style attacks in the U.S. right before the November election, isn't it now likely that widespread worry about the possibility of attacks--with constant alerts and an intense police presence in the days before the election--will itself have an effect on the results? It's hard to believe that this effect won't be to help Bush, by putting terrorism (and not jobs or health care) in the forefront of voters' minds.” In the wake of the Madrid bombings and the Spanish election results, it’s inconceivable to me that the Homeland Security Threat Matrix would not be raised to orange in the weeks before November 2nd. In turn, the Democrats would almost certainly denounce it as a political ploy to focus the country’s attention on an issue that helps President Bush’s re-election. William Safire in “Scandal at the U.N.” – “The cover-up in the office of the U.N. secretary general of a multibillion-dollar financial fraud known as the Iraqi oil-for-food program is beginning to come apart.” Gaming the vote on Iraq funding From a NY Times analysis of the latest Bush ad against Senator Splunge: ACCURACY Mr. Kerry did vote against an $87 billion supplemental financing bill for military and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. That bill included provisions for new body armor, special pay increases and expanded health care benefits for mobilized National Guardsmen and Reservists. Mr. Kerry, who has criticized the Bush administration for inadequate body armor supplies, said he voted against the appropriation because he did not support the president's military and reconstruction plans. But he supported a failed amendment that would have paid for the supplement by repealing tax cuts for the wealthy. Mr. Kerry has indicated that he might have voted differently had his vote been decisive. The bill passed the Senate 87 to 12. Mr. Kerry's staff said he had voted for numerous bills to raise pay and expand benefits for military families.Doesn’t the highlighted statement confirm that Kerry was merely playing politics with the critical issue of funding for troops and Iraq’s rebuilding? He’s in high dudgeon now about the war, but back then the troops were just pawns for his political maneuvering. Update: Chris Lawrence expands on my original thought here, but mis-spells my name. Oh well. Quote of the Day: “"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it” – John Kerry Runner-up: “We are the ones who get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders.” – Dick Cheney Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Senator Splunge flips out on Cuba Here’s a recent entry on the inaptly named “DBunker” feature on Kerry’s blog: John Kerry clear on CubaThis one doesn’t pass the laugh test. Timothy Noah called this prevarication a “Whopper” on Slate: Kerry aides told Wallsten that Kerry voted against the final bill because he disagreed with some technicalities added at the last minute, but that he voted for an earlier version of the bill. But every piece of legislation that comes before the Senate is subjected to a succession of votes, many of them tactical in nature. The only vote that counts is final passage. If it were otherwise, any legislator could claim to have voted for or against almost any bill, depending on the audience, and there would be no accountability at all.The issue of Cuba gives Kerry the hives because Presidential politics forces him to betray his true position to appease voters in Florida. Look at how the Senator sidestepped this volatile issue when Tim Russert raised it on “Meet the Press”: SEN. KERRY: How do you try to begin to push the capacity for change in Cuba? I think we ought to look at that question.It certainly is an honest statement that we should do…stuff. And reevaluate it. Possibly. Now that’s clarity. (Cross-posted on Blogs for Bush) I can’t wait to hear how this is an “unfair” smear Via California Yankee: “President Bush calls Kerry to task for failing to support troops” "Few votes in Congress are as important as funding our troops at war. Though John Kerry voted in October 2002 for military action in Iraq, he later voted against funding our soldiers," the ad says.Here’s Mort Kondracke back in October 2003 when the $87 billion supplemental bill was being debated: It's true that a poll conducted by Republican Bill McInturff and Democrat Stan Greenberg last week for National Public Radio showed that, by 55 percent to 42 percent, likely voters oppose the $87 billion.Watching Senator Splunge try to explain his vote now that things are improving in Iraq will be delicious. It’ll be more of that tortuous rationalization combined with that thick-tongued drone of a bad Shakespearean actor which has been the hallmark of his campaign. John Kerry won’t protect us from terrorists…. …but he’ll make sure the ambulances get to the scene quicker. Bill Hobbs has a must-read post called “John Kerry: Let’s play defense” Do you hear it? It's the language of disengaging from the terrorists, and preparing for when they hit us again. It's the language of switching from offense to defense.Unacceptable. Condolences - Scott Elliott of Election Projects lost both his parents today. They were Baptist missionaries working in Iraq. Fun facts on Flipper from the CBS/NYT poll Question #55: “Do you have confidence in John Kerry’s ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, or are you uneasy about his approach?” Confidence – 33% / Uneasy – 48% Question #62: “Do you think John Kerry has the same priorities for the country as you have, or not?” Has – 41% / Does not have – 43% Question #63: “Do you think John Kerry says what he really believes most of the time, or does he say what he thinks people want to hear?” What he believes – 33% / What people want to hear – 57% I find that last one to be absolutely stunning. By a huge margin, Americans think Kerry will say anything to get elected. Excellent choice of words, Mr. Carpenter From the NY Times article on that CBS/NYT poll: "He seems to change his mind or his opinion about things depending on whom he's talking to," David Carpenter, 78, an independent and retired engineer from Wakefield, Mass., said of Mr. Kerry. "He just tries to appease those that are in front of him, and as a result he isn't consistent. The lack of consistency indicates to me that he's trying to appease the people that he's talking to or appeal to them rather than sticking to a straight line. He's done it with the war in Iraq."All he wants is peace in our time. Monday, March 15, 2004
Advantage: Viking Pundit! From one my posts over the weekend - “Minor prediction: there are going to be more polls reflecting a Kerry slump because of (in my opinion) his on-microphone “lying crooks” gaffe.” And now, via the Hedgehog Report: Bush leads Kerry in CBS/NYT poll Be sure to check out the “Says what he believes” numbers. Heh-heh. Kerry's statement on fraudulent coalition member Spain John Kerry then: The President built a “fraudulent coalition” in Iraq (also, see Andrew Sullivan). Now: From a “Statement from Kerry on the Terrorist Bombing in Madrid” “In addition to words of condolence and condemnation, America should offer every assistance to Spain in dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy and in bringing those responsible to justice. We must remember that all civilized nations are joined as one in the global battle against terror. While these attacks remind us that the fight is far from over, they also strengthen our resolve to stand together for the right of free people to live in a peaceful world.” [Emphasis added]So where do you cross the threshold from “fraudulent coalition member” to a legitimate partner in the war on terror? Is it 200 deaths? Just wondering. (Cross-posted on Blogs for Bush) Mark Steyn: The Spanish dishonored their dead Last Friday, for a brief moment, it looked as if a few brave editorialists on the Continent finally grasped that global terrorism is a real threat to Europe, and not just a Bush racket. But even then they weren't proposing that the Continent should rise up and prosecute the war, only that they be less snippy in their carping from the sidelines as America gets on with it.John Ellis also expressed hope that the Europeans would “get it” only to be “proven wrong in record time.” Crocodile. Tigers. You get the picture. Winston Churchill: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” James Lileks: “Vote against the party that maddened the terrorists, so the terrorists will leave you alone for a while – brilliant. It’s like sitting on a cooler of raw meat with tigers prowling around, and deciding to put down your rifle so you can throw some steaks at the tigers. If you throw hard enough, they won’t come back.” People everywhere just got to be free I loved this line from Damian Penny, commenting on an uprising in Syria: A free Iran and a free Syria in 2004? We've been let down before - but it's starting to look like a tantalizing possibility (which has absolutely nothing to do with the removal of the totalitarian madman whose regime bordered both countries, of course).Sheer coincidence, that is. My two cents on Spain Everybody seems to believe that the elections in Spain handed the terrorists a huge victory. I’m inclined to agree but remain unconvinced that the terrorist attacks in Madrid were a direct cause of the election results. The prevailing opinion seems to be that the ruling Popular Party had a slight lead and that the terrorist attacks shifted support to the anti-war Socialist Party. But a news search on the Spanish elections prior to the Madrid bombings indicates that the ruling Popular party might have been heading to defeat anyway: “Spain poll forecasts ruling party slippage.” It’s my opinion that most Spaniards had their mind made up before the terrorist attacks and as a result very few changed their minds right before going to the polls three days later. (I may be completely wrong here, but bear with me for a moment). Sensing a defeat of the ruling party, the terrorists launched an attack. As the Aznar party is swept from power, the terrorists gain new stature as a toppler of pro-American governments. For lack of a better term, the terrorists “jumped on the bandwagon” of the Aznar defeat. Think of the alternative. Assume that Aznar had a healthy lead going into the polls this past Sunday – would the terrorists have attacked? If they had, and Aznar held onto power, it would have been a repudiation of the terrorists and the anti-American left. Europe and the world would have rallied behind Aznar as he swore to continue the fight against terrorism at home and in Iraq. I’m probably giving the terrorists much more credit for sophistication than they deserve, but I would be put into this position of rationalization if the Spanish voters had understood that there’s a war going on. Unfortunately, they’ve decided to capitulate and, as a result, they’ve emboldened terrorists everywhere. Good article in the Christian Science Monitor: “Social Security needs long-term overhaul, not campaign slogans.” Met (v.) – “came into the company or presence of, as for a conference” John Kerry is not backing down from his claim that he “met” with foreign leaders supporting his candidacy. He is, however, expanding the definition of what constitutes a “meeting”: Kerry later said the issue was not whether he met face to face with foreign leaders or spoke with them by phone or through third parties. Rather, he said, the issue was whether the Bush administration's foreign policy has isolated it from allies and other foreign nations, leaving some leaders yearning for a change in the White House. Nonetheless, Kerry appeared to concede some imprecision in his statements.No! Kerry Vote Watch According to Fox News, Kerry was in Washington on Thursday 3/11: Kerry met privately for 45 minutes with Congressional Black Caucus members as he spent the day on Capitol Hill shoring up his support among congressional Democrats.Too bad he couldn’t take some time to do his job. According to the Senate webpage, there were 17 floor votes taken in the U.S. Senate on Thursday 3/11, most of them related to amendments to the Fiscal 2005 budget resolution. How many votes did Kerry cast on Thursday? Zero. Votes cast last week: 5 (out of 27) Voting percentage this session = 12/59 = 20% Days worked this session: 2 (P.S. - He didn't vote for the budget resolution either.) Sunday, March 14, 2004
Green stamps? Chuck E. Cheese tokens? Here’s a mini-analysis from Time’s Campaign Notebook: THE CHARGE: A President sets his agenda for America in the first 100 days. John Kerry's plan: to pay for new government spending, raise taxes by at least $900 billion. --GEORGE W. BUSH, in a campaign ad running in 18 states that attacks his opponent's tax planAccording to the Washington Post, soaking the “rich” will only bring in an additional $250 billion over ten years – not enough to pay for one-third of Kerry’s proposed plan. Where will the rest of the money come from? Take a look in the mirror, American taxpayer. Oops! There goes Florida! Via Mickey Kaus: Kerry’s stances on Cuba open to attack Then, reaching back eight years to one of the more significant efforts to toughen sanctions on the communist island, Kerry volunteered: ``And I voted for the Helms-Burton legislation to be tough on companies that deal with him [Castro].''There’s more – I swear you can’t make this stuff up. Afghan push for Osama - U.S.-led forces have launched a sweeping new offensive in Afghanistan's remote southern and eastern mountains aimed at crushing the Taliban and al Qaeda and snaring terrorist leaders - including Osama bin Laden. Saturday, March 13, 2004
The Boston Fog Machine David Brooks' column is so good today that, of course, the New York Times buried it on the Saturday paper: The Iraq problem returned in 1998, and Kerry proved again that there is no world crisis so grave it can't be addressed with a fusillade of subordinate clauses. Teams of highly trained spelunkers have descended into the darkness of the floor speech he gave on Oct. 10, 1998, searching for meaning, though none have returned alive.and Kerry has made clear that if he is elected president, the nation will never face a caveat shortage. He has established the foragainst method, which has enabled him to be foragainst the war in Iraq, foragainst the Patriot Act and foragainst No Child Left Behind. If you decide to vote for him this year, there would be a correctness in that judgment, but if you decide to vote for George Bush, that would also be correct.That's some great writing there. Back to reality for Senator Splunge Investor’s Business Daily: Bush takes back the lead as ‘primary effect’ wanes President Bush has regained the lead from Sen. John Kerry in the latest IBD/TIPP Poll as the boost the challenger got from the Democratic primaries wears off and the incumbent starts his own campaign in earnest.Minor prediction: there are going to be more polls reflecting a Kerry slump because of (in my opinion) his on-microphone “lying crooks” gaffe. UN-presidential. Steven Taylor’s Toast-O-Meter on the Presidential race also links to this Business Week article: “Where are the Jobs?” It looks like the “problem” is that Americans are too productive: “The real culprit in this jobless recovery is productivity, not offshoring.” Friday, March 12, 2004
Glenn Reynolds blogs on the scene from the Spanish Embassy in Washington (with pics). Remember how Americans reached out to the Australians after Bali? Same deal for Spain now. We’re all in this together. Tim Blair on the marches in Madrid: “Well done, terrorists. You’ve successfully not terrified anybody.” (w/ another great pic) Greatest song ever? - Boy, it would be hard to keep "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone off of a top 10 list. If you've ever seen the 1999 version of "The Thomas Crown Affair," it's the song played as he returns the Monet to the museum. I have it on my "Best of Nina Simone" CD. Big surprise: I support President Bush Readers of this blog know that I’m just a tad conservative. So it should come as no surprise that I’ve joined the “Blogs for Bush” team. Read my latest post, uploaded just moments ago. There will be more. Scott at Election Projection has a good analysis of the economic picture in terms of manufacturing, spending and jobs. Oh, and be sure to wish him a happy birthday, too. 3/11 Opinion Journal – “A horrifying reminder that the war on terror isn’t over” The Madrid bombings are a reminder that terrorism remains the largest single threat to Western freedom and security. It threatens every country that refuses to cower in fear and dares to take the battle to the terrorists. We've made large strides in this war since 9/11, thanks in part to friends like the Spanish. Their current grief should inspire America's renewed determination.Washington Post: The horror of Madrid only confirms that a broad and determined alliance is the only answer to terrorism. It reminds us that the United States neither fights, nor suffers, alone.And there’s this chilling image: Cell phones rang unanswered on the bodies of the dead as frantic relatives tried to call them.Two-hundred innocent people, gone. There’s a war going on. Quote of the Day: "March 11, 2004, now holds its place in the history of infamy." - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. No wonder he's so unpopular in Hollywood From today's NY Post Page Six: OUTSPOKEN actor/director Vincent Gallo has his own take on why Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, Sting, Robin Williams and other showbiz types have taken to driving around in environmentally correct Toyota Prius cars. "I went to the Oscars this year and there were groups of actors showing up in these hybrid vehicles," Gallo tells the Washington Times. "Not one of these clowns has been on a private plane less than 25 times. It's one of the great radical clichés of good will that they have in Hollywood . . . They want to feel good about something."Testify! Thursday, March 11, 2004
Whatever, dude Here’s a quip from Fark: “Kerry refuses to apologize for comments about Republicans. If history is any indication, he will reverse his position in two weeks” About the only constant in Kerry is his preoccupation with telling everyone how he’ll fight. He’ll fight the Republican “attack dogs” and won’t let “them” get away with what they did to Max Cleland and “bring it on” and “we’re coming, they’re going.” Lately Mark Kilmer has been wondering when Kerry will reach the “meltdown stage” (tick tick tick). The new Bush ads – “Kerry: Wrong on Taxes, Wrong on Defense” - might send the Senator into a tailspin. But he’ll fight! Oh how he’ll fight. Love that quote! From Best of the Web today in a post titled “Desperation Time Already?” Kerry can't very well wage a "campaign of ideas" when he has no ideas other than to raise taxes (the topic of the speech that preceded his "crooked, lying" remark). Actually, let's amend that: Kerry can't campaign on ideas because he's on every side of just about every issue. It calls to mind Groucho Marx: "Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."Heh. Kerry is not electable Whew, I feel so much better! Mark Kilmer points the way to this National Review article by John Samples of the Cato institute. Simply put, history is stacked against liberal Senators from the Northeast who don’t show up for work and waffle on every issue. Expat Yank has many updates and opinions on the bombing in Madrid. Command Post also has the latest, updated continuously. The death toll is approaching 200. Winds of Change on Iraq’s new constitution: “This constitution is easily the most liberal document of its kind in the Arab world and represents the best hope for the Iraqi people after decades of Baathist tyranny.” Don’t forget about its effect on Iran and the Saudis. Absolutely hilarious Who’s calling Chris Rock? Adam Sandler, Spike Lee, Ken Burns and Jack Nicholson’s assistant. Problem is, you see, is that they’re all calling his old cell phone number which now belongs to Laura of the NYC Tales. (A hearty hat tip to Eric Berlin.) John Hawkins has a good analysis on Kerry’s “fluid” positions on fighting the war on terrorism. I think Kerry is against the terrorists, but I’m not entirely sure. Sean Hackbarth of The American Mind has the latest "House of Ketchup" (anti-Kerry links) Sadly, Viking Pundit is not included. Mr. Spock with a beard? There are so many news stories today hammering on liberals that I feel I’ve entered an alternate universe. Here’s a partial listing starting with the New York Times criticizing Democrats for violating campaign laws – it’s Bizarro world I tell ya! New York Times editorial: “Soft Money Slinks Back” – “We sympathize with the Democrats' desire to level the playing field. But they do not have to subvert the law to do it.” Boston Globe: “Kerry no hero in ex-crewman’s eyes” But did she go duck hunting? – “Ginsburg is linked to liberal group - Justice's affiliation raises questions on her impartiality” The Democrats aren’t giving back the cash they got from Martha Stewart. Peggy Noonan on Senator Splunge: “Mr. Kerry has a structural weakness on the stump. It's John Kerry.” Proving once again that there was no chance of getting the United Nations (or France) behind the liberation of Iraq, Opinion Journal has a long piece on “The Oil-for-Food Scandal.” David Broder answers: “Would FDR run those 9/11 ads?” with this quote: “What you learn from such an exercise is that Bush is a piker compared with FDR when it comes to wrapping himself in the mantle of commander in chief.” The New Republic excoriates Tim Robbins. The WashPost runs an editorial called “Flip-Flop, Hedge and Straddle” that’s critical of President Bush but more so of (guess who?): “Mr. Kerry has a similar problem for a different reason: It's not always clear what, if anything, he's committed to….Where are the bedrock principles that would guide him in office?” Meanwhile, George Will expertly defends No Child Left Behind in “A Genuine Education President.” What a beautiful morning. Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Losing it Here’s the latest from Reuters: At a morning stop in Illinois, Kerry criticized Bush's economic record and renewed his promise to repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and boost tax relief for the middle class. He told a worker in Chicago, in an exchange picked up by television microphones, that his Republican critics "are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen."That “exchange picked up by microphones” is priceless – it implies that the statement was not meant to be heard by the press and/or it was much more vitriolic in tone than the text suggests. John Kerry has been described as notoriously thin-skinned to criticism. Now that he’s the front-runner, he’s getting it with both barrels. Normally, as John Ellis noted, he deploys the “Vietnam Heat Shield.” Mark Alexander in Town Hall also picked up on this defense technique: More recently, we note the senator's whiny, thin-skinned response to questions raised over his defense voting record by Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss -- questions utterly appropriate to anyone aspiring to be commander-in-chief: "[The President has] decided once again to take the low road of American politics. ... Saxby Chambliss, on the part of the president and his henchmen, decided today to question my commitment to the defense of our nation...." And again, when responding to similar queries: "I'd like to know what it is Republicans who didn't serve in Vietnam have against those of us who did." Wait a minute -- you mean John Kerry actually served in Vietnam? Who knew?At some point his handlers must have pulled Kerry aside and said: “You’ve been playing that one note too many times” and he stopped. (Anybody else notice he’s been relatively quiet on Vietnam lately?) But like somebody trying to hold back a sneeze, he explodes in unexpected ways when he can’t use his favorite retort. So while under normal circumstances, Kerry might say: “How dare they impugn my honor, those who have never served in Vietnam” he blurts out impetuous thoughts about “blowing Osama’s brains out” or a “crooked” White House. Poor John….let it out, man, let it all out. Wednesdays are for W I’m sure the question that arises whenever there’s a request to make a contribution to George W. Bush’s re-election campaign is: “he’s already got so much money in his campaign chest, why should I donate?” The perfect response (with perfect Wictory Wednesday timing!) came in today’s WashPost: “Democrats forming parallel campaign.” In a nutshell: left-leaning “527” groups are raising large sums of soft money outside the barriers of McCain-Feingold and using them to supplement campaigns against President Bush. Led by veterans of presidential and congressional campaigns, a coalition of Democratic Party interest groups, armed with millions of dollars in soft money, is rapidly constructing an unprecedented political operation designed to supplement the activities of Sen. John F. Kerry's campaign in the effort to defeat President Bush.Make no mistake, I believe that McCain-Feingold is a clear violation of First Amendment rights. However, the Democrats pushed for this legislation and – hoisted by their own petard – they’re conspiring to circumvent the law rather than live by it. Your help is needed now to ensure the re-election of President Bush. Visit his re-election website, volunteer, or make a contribution. It’s important. Thank you. Great moments in oratory Abraham Lincoln: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right—let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” Winston Churchill: “This is no war for domination or imperial aggrandisement or material gain. … It is a war … to establish, on impregnable rocks, the rights of the individual and it is a war to establish and revive the stature of man.” John Kerry: “That status of war led me to find it impossible to suggest I wouldn't want to blow Osama bin Laden's brains out and treat him as an enemy.” Josh on BushBlog: “The Democrats are "motivated", "angry" and "organized" to oust President Bush. So motivated, they apparently drove right past the polling place on primary day.” Boston police union threatens Democrats’ convention From the Boston Globe: “Union raises stakes for July – Police group eyes convention boycott.” Boston's largest police union is asking Democrats nationwide, including presumptive presidential nominee John F. Kerry, to boycott the Democratic National Convention in July, a dramatic escalation of tactics in the union's quest for a contract.Next story out of Boston: “Mayor Menino caves completely to union demands” It’s never the criminals who are guilty: James Bowman in the American Spectator reveals how the mindset of the trial lawyers has perverted the Democrats’ position on whom to blame for terrorism. The Big Trunk at Power Line comments on Kerry’s recent spurious claim that foreign leaders are supporting his candidacy: “I am sure that M. Chirac will be glad to continue to kiss Mr. Kerry's hand, as long as Mr. Kerry will kiss a lower, dorsal part of M. Chirac's anatomy. But I rather doubt John Kerry will get elected president by American voters while in that posture.” Tuesday, March 09, 2004
The latest Social Security quick fix Slate has an article called “The Social Security Crisis – Solved!” Robert Gordon of Northwestern University has a survival theory that depends on higher productivity and more immigration. However, we need all those new foreigners to work in the U.S. for a couple decades then go home: Indeed, Gordon believes immigrants—who tend to be young workers, tend to start paying into Social Security right away, and often return to their homelands before receiving benefits—will likely prove the saving grace of the Social Security system.And there’s another problem: There's a growing backlash against the two most significant factors that feed Gordon's projections. Productivity and the trends that fuel it—outsourcing and off-shoring—have become dirty words in Washington. Immigration isn't too popular either.If we want to prop up that Ponzi scheme of Social Security, we need to exploit workers all over the world. The Joint Economic Committee of Congress says: “Forecasters expect sustained and robust growth, low inflation, and accelerating job gains.” That’s good, right? Weird cultural revelation – Here’s a little music trivia: I was listening to a classical music compilation that included Rachmaninoff’s “Adagio sostenuto from Piano Concerto No. 2.” As the melody is playing, I’m like “isn’t that ‘All by Myself’ by Eric Carmen?” Sure enough, it was. The Best of the Web is particularly good today, esp. the “Facts vs. Nuance” comparison between Dubya and Splunge. China bans deathmobiles! Officials in south China have decided to delete the number four, which is traditionally considered unlucky, from license plates, drawing flak for encouraging superstition state media said. "Four" sounds almost exactly like "death" when pronounced both in the local Cantonese dialect and in Mandarin, causing many car owners to shy away from having it on their license plates, the China Daily reported Monday. Speaking of the death penalty…..another flip-flop takes shape Did I speak too soon? John Kerry has said in debates that he opposes the death penalty except for terrorists. (Curiously, there’s no official position on Kerry’s web site – only assorted press clippings). Here, via Talk Left, is John Kerry on “Meet the Press” in December 2002 discussing the ultimate penalty: MR. RUSSERT: But, Senator, why shouldn’t Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the Oklahoma building, or if John Muhammad is convicted of being a sniper here in Washington—why shouldn’t they receive the death penalty?So, somewhere in the nuance, I think Kerry’s response was “No, Muhammad should not receive the death penalty.” And since Kerry has made an exception for terrorism, he clearly did not believe (then) that John Muhammad’s crimes fell under that definition. Prediction: By this time tomorrow, Kerry will be reclassifying John Muhammad as a terrorist and applauding his execution. In the spirit of the Drudge Report: “Must credit Viking Pundit!” (if the flip happens). Update - Robert Moran in the NRO has a better idea: If Kerry, who voted at least three times between 1989 and 1993 against applying the death penalty to terrorists, now favors the death penalty for Muhammad, he's flip-flopped again and we can draw him into a debate of when the death penalty should be administered.Whoa... This made me feel a little better Via the New England Republican, here’s Dick Morris in the NY Post: We must remember that Bush's father trailed Mike Dukakis by 17 points in the months before the conventions. Until Bush Sr. ran negative ads, it seemed that the Massachusetts governor would be Reagan's successor. Kerry's bubble may prove to be just that fragile.Yeah, but Dukakis was a liberal from Massachusetts who wouldn’t approve of the death penalty for John Muhammad. Things are different now! Rantburg: “Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden might be preparing to move from Pakistan to Afghanistan, according to sources with access to the latest U.S. intelligence.” Robert Musil has some thoughts on “Jobs Jobs Jobs” and whether Labor Department estimates are accurately presenting the full picture on employment. Why are these polls so close? Yes, yes, I know eight months is an eternity in politics. And I know that Bush’s slump in the polls is an understandable effect of months of unanswered Democratic attacks. The anemic jobs report didn’t help. But, c’mon, America. Maybe the issue is too black-and-white for me. Maybe I’m in denial. But once again (with feeling!): George Bush will keep this country safe. John Kerry will not. George Bush has served notice that we will not let dangers gather and wait for approval from the United Nations. John Kerry believes….who knows what he believes? And that’s precisely the problem. Ambiguity is dangerous because it projects a lack of resolve. Here’s former Wall Street Journal editorial writer Richard Miniter on the costs of ambiguity: "Every perception of American weakness increases recruitment, funding and prestige for Osama bin Laden," Miniter told WND. "When they attack and we retreat, you just embolden [your enemies]. When they get their way, they don't stop bombing, they bomb more. It works, and they just continue the process."I realize the economy and jobs are the top issues right now, but they’re meaningless unless we have our security. Extra: Power Line has multiple analyses of the polls with some good/bad perspectives. Bonus: Robert Tagorda also notes that more people seem to be voting against Bush than for Kerry. Hey, if you’re looking for a protest candidate, there’s always Nader! Andrew Sullivan gets the final word on this post: “My stomach lurches at the thought of another terror attack while Kerry is president. What would be his first response: reach for a dog-eared copy of the early Sartre?” Flip-flop de jour Strange…John Kerry used to believe that politics stopped “at the water’s edge.” Now, he doesn’t seem to believe that anymore: "I've met foreign leaders, who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, `You gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy,' things like that," Kerry said.I would have guessed Castro and Robert Mugabe. Quote of the Day: “My opponent clearly has strong beliefs, they just don't last very long.” – President Bush Muddled message on the war Here's Joan Vennochi in the Boston Globe: "BRING IT ON" is the mantra of John Kerry's presidential campaign. So why complain when President Bush does just that, with campaign commercials that portray images of the destroyed World Trade Center?Read the whole thing. Monday, March 08, 2004
Non-political interlude - I saw “The Big Lebowski” this past weekend. It was good, but I have a question: what do the Coen brothers have against Steve Buscemi? My sentiment exactly I just wanted to highlight this quote from Denbeste’s essay because it so closely matches my feelings about Senator Splunge: Based on everything I know about him now, I cannot in good conscience consider voting for him. I would rather vote for a candidate with known policies with which I disagree than for a candidate whose true policies – if any – are kept hidden under a bushel basket, at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, in a dis-used lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the leopard". If I were somehow forced to choose, I'd vote for Nader before I'd vote for Kerry. At least I know what Nader stands for. The self-Fisking Kerry When I found out that Kerry had an interview in Time this week, I felt a twinge of annoyance that he continues to receive so much media coverage. Then I read the interview: TIME: And you as Commander in Chief would not have made these mistakes but would have gone to war?Well, I made up that last one, but the whole interview is a train wreck. Kerry’s handlers would have earned their paychecks if they had attached large cow magnets to all recording devices and seized the reporters’ notes. I could spend hours going through each half-answer, but since both Stephen Green and Steven Denbeste have done the legwork, I’ll refer to them. John Leo wonders if public officials have gone mad with SFD: “Many public officials around the country seem to have contracted the San Francisco Disease, or SFD. This is the highly contagious ailment that convinces the stricken that it's all right to ignore laws they disagree with.” Payroll taxes only go in one direction: up State and federal income tax rates fluctuate depending on the composition of political administrations and public interests. But the payroll tax that funds national “entitlements” such as Social Security will never go down. This is why I condemn the pundits and columnists who blithely note that Social Security can be “fixed” if we only raise payroll taxes a tiny bit. The other day it was Krugman and now here’s David Francis in the Christian Science Monitor: But is the situation that gloomy? A number of economists argue it isn't. A hard look at the numbers suggests that Social Security isn't broken, only in need of minor adjustments.Just another 2% please…last time, we swear! All that “foreign policy experience” A self-described “exclusive” from Deborah Orin in the NY Post: “Kerry’s Yasser Woe” Democratic presidential nominee-to-be John Kerry called Yasser Arafat a "statesman" and a "role model" in a 1997 book that Kerry cites as proof of his own foresight about foreign policy.More duplicity. Kerry Vote Watch Senator Splunge came off the campaign trail on Super Tuesday to vote on a series of gun control measures such as the extension of the assault weapons ban. Thus, with one day of work, he managed to lift his voting percentage from zero. Votes cast this session: 7 Voting percentage: 7/32 = 22% Days worked: 1 Morning reading - Jay Reding writes on “Why John Kerry must never be President” (via DGCI) and Pejman gives a lengthy and thoughtful response to Kevin Drum on the upcoming campaign. Sunday, March 07, 2004
Boy, you know the Democrats are praying this story isn't true..... From the Austalian Age: Osama hunt intensifies after aide arrest A son of Osama bin Laden's deputy has given crucial information on the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leaders after being captured by Pakistani forces in a lawless frontier area close to Afghanistan, intelligence officials in Islamabad have revealed.Newsweek has more. Like the Rock of Gibraltar From today's Boston Globe story: "Kerry looks to neutralize 'Massachusetts Liberal' tag" - "Kerry and his advisers say that by emphasizing core values, while fighting back against political labeling, Kerry can solidify the Democratic base and bring swing voters into his camp." Why does everybody criticize Senator Splunge's lack of core values? He's been standing up for his beliefs ever since he was a member of the Yale Young Republicans. The economy is issue #1 I thought this was interesting in a Fox News story showing a dead heat between Bush and Kerry: While the race for the presidency is in a 44 percent to 44 percent tie, more see Bush as the candidate they trust to make decisions about taking the country to war. But presumptive Democratic nominee Kerry has the edge on managing the economy.Really? The Washington Post analyzed Kerry's economic plan and found that spending outstripped income by $165 billion. Looking down the road, there is a general consensus that the economy has been growing, inflation is low, productivity is high, and everything is in place for the lagging indicator of job creation. Can Kerry's approval survive an expanding American economy? Unlikely. Saturday, March 06, 2004
I assume that’s not Paris, Texas From the UK Telegraph – “How ‘war hero’ Kerry tried to put off Vietnam military duty” He wrote to his local recruitment board seeking permission to spend a further 12 months studying in Paris, after completing his degree course at Yale University in the mid-1960s.Mon dieu! Duplicity Webster’s Dictionary defines "duplicity" as "contradictory doubleness of thought, speech or action esp: the belying of one’s true intentions by deceptive words or action." Since "duplicity" derives from the same word root as "duplicate," it connotes a special quality of dishonesty associated with doublespeak or straddling two sides of an issue. No better word characterizes the efforts of Senator John Kerry to shape a political philosophy (such as it is) to take two sides that are mutually contradictory. Here’s the opening from the New York Times article: "Kerry’s Shifts: Nuanced Ideas or Flip-Flops?" When Senator John Kerry was speaking to Jewish leaders a few days ago, he said Israel's construction of a barrier between it and Palestinian territories was a legitimate act of self-defense. But in October, he told an Arab-American group that it was "provocative and counterproductive" and a "barrier to peace."Speaking of Iraq, today Senator Kerry gave the Democrats’ weekly radio address and made the following statement: "But I will never send our troops into harm's way without enough firepower and support." A minor point: Kerry voted "yea" to send our troops into harm’s way then voted against the supplemental bill to provide additional support to the troops. In Kerry’s duplicitous rationalization, a vote for the war in Iraq is a vote against it, a vote against funding for U.S. troops is a vote for our soldiers, his vote for NAFTA is a vote against free trade, Israel can defend itself unless it can’t, and gay marriage is acceptable unless it’s not. This isn’t a "fluidity" of thought or "nuanced" consideration of an issue. It’s duplicity. Friday, March 05, 2004
Stop teaching my kid A sad commentary by a California teacher who is tired of fending off parents who think their lazy kids are being pushed too hard. (Via Arts and Letters Daily). Joanne Jacobs (naturally) has the link and comments. (One wrote: "This is why I quit teaching high school.") Senator Splunge’s policy on job growth: there’s no there there Here’s the conclusion of “Whack Job” by Noam Scheiber in the New Republic I have no problem with John Kerry scoring political points on the jobs issue if it helps elect an administration that cares about the long-term consequences of its economic policies. But if Kerry seriously thinks he can influence the pace of short-term job growth any better than George W. Bush, then his view of himself is even more inflated than his detractors suggest.As I’ve noted, WashPost columnist Robert Samuelson said that all the tactics of job creation have been deployed by this White House. Meanwhile, Kerry’s spurious magic bullets of “three months notice” and “closing tax loopholes” indicate that he doesn’t want a solution, he wants an issue. James Lileks on the Bush ads we won't see Will Bush run ads that accuse the Democrats of fumbling the ball on al Qaeda in the Clinton years, and suggest that the last Democrat in the office seemed more concerned with slipping in some lap nooky before quitting time than killing bin Laden? No. Will Bush run ads that contrast John Kerry’s sonorous litany about “the worst foreign policy” with pictures of women in Kabul throwing off the burqa or men in Iraq toppling a statue? I can only hope; it would be right on the money. We fought back – but they were not wars of retribution. We salted no fields. We entered their lands – but they were not wars of conquest and sublimation; we demanded no tribute. We could have nuked the place flat. History will note that when we left, we left them with a constitution, a hundred thousand roofs festooned with satellite dishes, a souk where people could speak their mind again and buy newspapers that criticized the nation that had made this freedom possible.Well put. They’re quite mad – mad I tell you! Robert Musil: “It's getting to the point that an ordinary American - right or left - doesn't want to be alone in a dark alley with a committed Democrat” 9/11 and presidential politics I haven’t seen the Bush campaign video but today I was informed by Dean Esmay that the offending reference to 9/11 is about two seconds long. No matter: it’s transparently obvious that the Democrats had these attacks all lined up and they weren’t going to wait for a more overt reference to roll out the “exploitation” charge. As both Dean and the WSJ Opinion Journal note, the Democrats’ criticism reveals more about their vulnerability on national security issues than anything else. Grain of salt alert: “A local official in eastern Afghanistan says he has received credible reports that Osama Bin Laden escaped the recent Pakistani operation to catch him.” Metaphor of the Day: “Saudi Arabia's biggest neighbour, Iraq, is a cauldron whose swirling potion threatens to spill over into the kingdom.” From an Economist article on Saudi Arabia called “Adapt or Die.” All the cool kids are doing it I feel I have to get on record for who I think Senator Splunge will pick for his VP. So here goes: Michael Easley – Governor of North Carolina. A couple of reasons which will also serve to explain why other candidates are disqualified: 1.) Kerry needs a Southern state. A Florida pick makes him look too calculating and artificial. North Carolina’s fairly large and he may be able to appeal to more moderate “Northern” Southerners such as those in Kentucky & Missouri. Plus picking Easley would be a thumb in the eye of Edwards, whom Kerry does not like. 2.) Outside the Beltway. Kerry can’t pick a fellow Senator or Representative: too much Washington. A Governor adds an “executive” flavor to the ticket. 3.) No more Vietnam: Forget about Max Cleland or Bob Kerrey. 4.) Looking forward, not back: Nobody from the Clinton/Gore years. This rules out Bill Richardson, Joe Lieberman and Hillary. 5.) Not too popular: Another reason why Kerry won’t pick Edwards – he doesn’t want to be upstaged on his own ticket. A relatively unknown Governor adds gravitas without taking the spotlight off the Presidential nominee. The most dishonest conjunction Here’s a line from the conclusion of Paul Krugman’s latest half-baked screed “Social Security Scares.” Should we consider modest reforms that reduce the expenses or widen the revenue base of Social Security? Sure.Can anybody cite an example of when Krugman ever advocated cutting a government program over raising taxes? Increasing the tax burden on Americans is Krugman’s raison d’etre. In the opening paragraph of the same article, he states: “In fact it would take only modest injections of money to maintain that system’s current benefit levels for the next 75 years.” When you’re pulling in salaries from both Princeton and the New York Times, a little extra tax probably doesn’t matter that much. But since four out of five American workers pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes, a “modest” tax boost will fall heavily on lower and middle-class earners. And how “modest” would the payroll tax increase have to be to “widen the revenue base?” Krugman hides behind euphemisms such as these so that he can ignore an unvarnished fact: demographics are destiny. On Jan. 31, 1940, a check, number 00-000-001, for $22.54 was issued to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vt., making her the first recipient of recurring monthly Social Security payments. Then, in an act of dubious citizenship, she lived to 100, dying in January 1975, having received $22,000 in benefits. That did not matter because in 1940 there were 42 workers for every retiree. Today there are 3.2 to 1. In 2030 there will be 2.2 to 1.This is not multivariable calculus: in 25 years there will be one less worker available to pony up for a retiree’s Social Security check. Either the payroll tax on those two workers will have to rise by roughly 50% or benefits will have to be cut by 50%. We can reform Social Security now and spread the pain over a quarter-century, or we can continue to ignore it until we’re all broke. Update: For the record, I wrote this post before I read Matthew Hoy's blog this morning. He has a similar post that concludes thusly: "Modest infusions of cash and the repeal of the Bush tax cuts can't overcome Social Security's structural flaws. Krugman's contention that they can is a serious disservice to the American people. (For the record: I don't think Krugman is stupid. I think he's a liar.)" And Luskin has more on Krugman’s Social Security shiftiness. The ends justify the means From the American Prowler this morning: According to a DNC fundraiser, the Kerry campaign is looking into the possibility of opening a joint account with the DNC, which would allow donors to write checks in excess of the maximum $2,000 donation for a single political campaign.Why do we even have campaign finance laws? Survivor update As I predicted, Survivor All-Stars is a bore. Jenna M. quit two weeks ago and last night Trucker Sue dropped out because she was traumatized by Richard Hatch. Unless Amber takes off her buff next week, I think I’m going to tune out. Thursday, March 04, 2004
Silly America v. Serious America Here’s an excerpt from Hugh Hewitt in the Weekly Standard: So we are launched into a showdown between serious America and absurd America. John Kerry, again from Tuesday evening, stated bluntly that George W. Bush heads the "most inept, reckless, and ideological foreign policy in the history of this country." No matter how one evaluates recent events in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya--and they look pretty good to me--they cannot seriously be compared negatively with losing a war in Vietnam, watching Iran slide into virulent Islamism, or allowing Osama bin Laden to nest and metastasize in Kabul and its precincts. Still, millions of Americans will believe Kerry's outlandish excess not because of evidence that he has presented, but because they want to.It’s not just that Kerry makes incoherent, unsupported, critical remarks about Bush. Kerry is singularly unserious because he offers no principled policies of his own: Little in Mr. Kerry's political career suggests that he has ever taken such a stand and stuck with it under pressure. Perhaps he will give us some examples in the coming months.Don’t hold your breath. Jobless claims drop, productivity up – “The number of people filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week, a sign that companies may be feeling better about the economic recovery's durability and less inclined to lay off workers.” Social Security…crushing taxes…slashed benefits…blah blah blah George Will reiterates what we all know: America cannot possibly support the entitlements that have been promised but nobody has the will to change the system. We’ve become a nation of Cassandras. Everybody knows the deluge is coming, but we can’t convince ourselves to do anything. IMO, after America bankrupts itself completely, Social Security will be means-tested. Thus, people (like me) who diligently saved into their 401(k)s will see their benefits cut because they’re “rich.” Meanwhile, non-savers who got a new set of wheels every year instead of saving for retirement will keep their SS benefits because they’re “poor.” Get me re-write!: The Ant and the Grasshopper “Or maybe even the Times gets tired of delusional hacks.” - The Cracker Barrel Philosopher notes that the New York Times has sacked Ted Rall. Ted blames it on bloggers “motivated by partisan politics.” That’s rich. Religion of Peace update Shiite Muslim Mohammed Jomahaa cuts the head of his son with a sword during the annual ritual to mark Ashoura Day in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh, Tuesday March 2, 2004. Ashoura day marks the Shiite Muslim's commemoration of the 7th century killing of their most revered Saint Imam Hussein. Al Hussein was a grandson of Islam's prophet Mohammed and is a symbol of martyrdom for Shiites. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) His first bloodletting – isn’t that cute? Update: I knew I should have checked but (of course) Little Green Footballs had this first. Standing firm...for the moment From Fox News "Bush "welcomes" Kerry into the race" "He spent two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record," Bush said to laughter at a cocktail reception Wednesday night. "In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue."And how. See Michael Grunwald’s devastating analysis of Kerry’s numerous flip-flops in Slate today: “John Kerry’s Waffles - If you don't like the Democratic nominee's views, just wait a week.” Ouch. As I’ve noted before, I think branding Senator Splunge as a chameleon-like political opportunist is much more damaging than defining him as a Massachusetts liberal. (Although either will suffice.) Independents not loving Senator Splunge: “Edwards, however, demonstrated on Tuesday that Kerry's hold on independents is much weaker and his appeal to possibly disgruntled Republicans is virtually nonexistent.” Noooooooo!!!!!! From the NY Post’s Page Six: March 4, 2004 -- ONE of the first things Sen. John Kerry will do now that he has won de facto control of the party is to oust Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, say top insiders in the Kerry campaign.Now I’m getting scared. McAuliffe has been the GOP’s lucky talisman – his mere presence insures Republican victory. This is not good. Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Wednesdays are for W Here’s a truncated version of my usual “Wictory Wednesday” post: go to the George W. Bush re-election website and do whatever you can to help. It’s important. Thanks. Rumblin’ with the devil According to MSNBC’s gossip page The Scoop: John Debney, the composer for “The Passion of the Christ” claims that Satan kept rebooting his computer. Debney told the Prince of Darkness: “Let’s take it outside, pansy.” Satan wimped out. Debney claims that Satan’s image kept appearing on his computer screen while he was trying to compose music. “The first time it happened, it scared me,” he said. “Once I got over the initial shock of that, I learned to work around it and learned to reboot the computers and so I would start talking to him. . . . The computers froze for about the tenth time [one] day and it was about nine o’clock at night and so I got really mad and I told Satan to manifest himself and I said, ‘Let’s go out into the parking lot and let’s go.’ It was a seed change in me. I knew that this was war. I am not a physical person, but I was really angry on this occasion.”C’mon, he didn’t really say that, did he? Debney’s spokesman confirms to The Scoop that the composer did, indeed, say those things.Oh. (Hat tip to Fark) Mark Kilmer on Senator Splunge's speech last night: "In one line from his stump/victory speech, he said that he would be a leader not only for the United States, but also for the "other 96-percent of humankind waiting for American leadership." I am not sure what his view of American leadership is when he wants to follow the United Nations, and any actual leadership from America is called unilateralism." Robert Prather was also unimpressed: "I can't resist. Kerry's speech is ... it's almost intolerable. Health care is a right? How can that be said of any scarce resource? What if it's not available?" As the old saw goes: If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free. Kerry is broke The Boston Globe has an article on the money race today with the best explanation I’ve seen so far as to how Kerry must repay that loan he took on “his” Boston townhouse: The note requires an interest-only payment of $15,000 each month for the first 10 years, a payment the senator had his campaign make in January, as is allowed by FEC law. The committee said future decisions on how to pay the bill would be made on a monthly basis.There is no way that Kerry will take on that debt, but I also doubt he’ll divert critical campaign resources to pay off the loan. Watch for some cash infusions from Teresa or some clever accounting down the road. Extra fun - The Globe also has this article: “DNC fundraising slows dramatically” Dave Lesar, the CEO of Halliburton, convincingly defends his company in a WashPost opinion piece today; he’ll also take questions in a live WashPost forum today. Kerry is toast It’s all Senator Splunge, all the time this morning. Many think that the Democrats have made a terrible mistake: Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe – “For Bush, it’s a step closer to re-election”: And so the primary season ends. November is still eight months away, but no matter: The general election campaign is now underway. John Kerry is going to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. And that means that President Bush is one step closer to reelection.John Ellis: “Next, let's visit the issue of Kerry the brand. No one knows anything about him, other than the fact that he served in Vietnam and represents Massachusetts in the US Senate. His economic plan has already been dismissed by The Washington Post as a fiscal joke. His various stances on the War on Terror are impossible to fathom. He has no coherent views on cultural issues. In other words, he's an empty net. Look for the Bush campaign to start working on its slapshot.” Dick Morris: “The Democratic Party slit its throat last night, abandoning 12 years of pragmatism to indulge in a nominee who's very unlikely to win.” American Spectator: “Then there's John Kerry. As I've watched him frantically straddle every issue of consequence, my disdain for Kerry has reached an uncommon intensity.” William Safire in "Kerry's Unreal Deal": “Apparently Kerry's advisers are worried about a too timely capture of Osama bin Laden, thus: "This war isn't just a manhunt." He anticipates criticism for relying too much on the U.N.: "As president, I will not wait for a green light from abroad when our safety is at stake." And he has a simplistic, Mr. Fixit solution to terror weapons: "I propose to appoint a high-level presidential envoy empowered to bring other nations together to secure and stop the spread of these weapons." That'll solve it.” Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Kerry: the default candidate You know why I’m not worried about Senator Splunge? Look at the last set of poll numbers taken in Massachusetts before Dean dropped out of the race. Even Bay Staters couldn’t bear to support their own home-state candidate. Sure, the Democrats will rally round now, but they have a candidate for which nobody feels any real passion. So “bring it on” Kerry! Showcase that legislative record of three bills passed into law. On maritime rights. Let’s hear about your brave stand against the war, or for it, or against the way it’s being conducted. Tell us the tales about how you refused money from the special interests…while you took money from special interests. “And damned be him that first cries: ‘Hold enough!’” Mark Steyn: “I'm sure there are millions of Kerry supporters who'd like to take a tough Kerry-like stand this November. The best way to do that, in the spirit of his war votes, is to vote for Bush and then spend the next 10 years solemnly explaining that that was your bold courageous way of expressing your opposition to Bush.” My cup runneth over with schadenfreude Remember when I said the Big Dig in Boston was the “pinnacle of Democratic pork, patronage, and poor planning?” Well, it looks like a huge embarrassment is taking shape for the Democratic National Convention in July. From the Boston Globe’s “Conflicts mar Boston convention”: Boston's political and business leaders worked hard to win this convention, wooing the Democratic National Committee with the promise of a smooth team, prepared to deliver an enthusiastic and inviting city as a backdrop for Democrats. Since then, civic pride seems to be taking a back seat to more-traditional Boston concerns such as political turf wars, nailing contracts for friends of the mayor, and using the upcoming convention as leverage in union negotiations.And they want to run the country…. The Trouble with Kerry Mickey Kaus (a self-described Democrat) doesn’t find much to like in John Kerry, who is sure to wrap up the Democratic nomination today. Kaus breaks down Kerry’s fatal political flaws into four categories: 1.) Does he work well with others? 2.) No visible political courage 3.) Yep. No vision. 4.) No fallback salesmanship On the personal, I could have (and wish I had) written this line: “I admit, I'm allergic to Kerry. Something in the vibration of that deep, pompous tone he adopts--the lugubrious, narcissistic fake gravity--grates on me.” Although his enemies love to paint him as a dullard, President Bush is a likable fellow who connects with the values of soccer moms and NASCAR dads alike. Kerry, on the other hand, drips with a sanctimonious noblesse oblige that makes his faux populism so excruciating. Tom Oliphant on Senator Splunge Here’s the transcript of Boston Globe political columnist Tom Oliphant on CNN last night: BROWN: Tom, when asked earlier today what you thought Senator Kerry's weaknesses -- or weakness -- principal weaknesses was, it's actually, for a guy running for the presidency, a harsh response. What is it? Monday, March 01, 2004
Representing the people is a minor part of being a Representative New England Republican has the lowdown on why it’s OK for Kerry to miss all of his Senate votes this session: “Voting is just one small part of being a U.S. senator” Meanwhile, Political Wire links to a commentary on Kerry's recent debate performance and his explanation of why he shouldn't be branded a "liberal": "Senate votes are a poor way to judge him, because he didn’t even vote on 25 of the 62 bills in question. Isn’t that Kerry in a nutshell? You can’t be criticized for your position if you never take one." The Hedgehog Report has many polls leading up to Super Tuesday. It looks like it's going to be Kerry in a walk (or, in his case, a crablike sidestep). "Serpentine, Shelley!" Not his "Band of Brothers"? The Village Voice has a video of Vietnam Vets protesting against Senator Splunge. Senator Splunge is gearing up for his next “clarification” From a WNBC-TV interview: PRESSMAN: Do you think that because the president did not serve in combat in Vietnam that he lacks understanding of military needs?There’s this: “I don't know what it is about what these Republicans who didn't serve in any war have against those of us who are Democrats who did.”And this: “I know something about aircraft carriers for real.”Hmmm….he must be “suggesting” something else there. Mark Steyn explicates: He mentioned his service in Vietnam a lot, but only as biography. Now he implicitly contrasts his military record with George W Bush's, and thereby to the war on terror. Mostly he does this through meaningless slogans. Everywhere he goes he intones portentously: "I know something about aircraft carriers for real." What does this mean? Does he own one? He's certainly rich enough to afford one and, unlike the French, one that works.Get ready for the legalistic explanation of what “suggest” and “issue” mean. Success must be punished Business Pundit commits liberal heresy: “Most people who do well in this society either 1) took a significant risk that others weren't willing to take or 2) did something to improve the lives of many people. In other words, your net worth has at least a loose correlation to the value you have provided society.” Oh Rob, don’t you know it’s established fact that the “rich” only gain wealth through skullduggery and they simply don’t pay their fair share in taxes? We have a duty to redistribute that wealth! Disclaimer: the preceding does not apply to trial lawyers or ketchup heiresses. Unflattering metaphor of the day From the American Prowler: According to a Kerry source, the primary season has been in such a state of flux, that it is one reason [Bill] Clinton has refused to publicly show approval for any candidate, even his hand-picked stalking horse, Wesley Clark. Kerry entreaties to have the president step forward after Super Tuesday to show some level of support for Kerry have thus far gone unanswered.Snicker. I missed the Dems New York Debate, but as usual William Saletan has the best analysis. Apparently, this was the meeting that finally put the kibosh on a Kerry-Edwards ticket. Somebody send for the WAAAH-mbulance! Follow up to my post below, here's Terry McAuliffe whining on Fox News Sunday: MCAULIFFE: You got any questions on George Bush today, Chris, or are they all, you know — I know this is Fox News, but you got any tough questions on George Bush today?I'm going to be sorry to see Terry go. Under his "leadership" the Democrats have lost a Presidential election, Congressional elections, races for Governor, and races that weren't even planned (i.e. Governor Schwarzenegger). Kerry Vote Watch Let’s state the obvious: John Kerry has no intention of serving Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for the remainder of the campaign season. It’s time to demand that he resign. If you’re a citizen of the Commonwealth, contact Senator Splunge’s office and tell him that Massachusetts deserves representation in the Senate. Floor votes in the Senate last week: 8 Votes cast this session: 0 Voting percentage: 0/22 = 0% Days worked in the Senate: 0 |
