I’m sure there won’t be any populist grandstanding in Congress today – “Oil executives face Senate scrutiny – Explanations sought for higher profit” I guess "supply and demand" just won't cut it.

Follow-up – Stevie Wonder could see this coming: “Senators vent on oil company executives”

Arrogant? The French? No!

Here’s Jim Hoagland in the WashPost with “French Lessons”:

The French -- and the angry, nihilistic Arab and African youths in their midst -- are also "victims" of that country's immigration and assimilation policies and, indirectly, its paternalistic social welfare system. Mark them as casualties of a particular brand of politically correct arrogance that French politicians have practiced for 30 years, and you begin to get something like a whole story.

Although cultural differences surely play a part in the violence, there’s no denying that economic stagnation is stirring resentment. Here’s an absolutely stunning statistic from an Opinion Journal article yesterday:

Since the '70s, America has created 57 million new jobs, compared with just four million in Europe (with most of those jobs in government). In France and much of Western Europe, the economic system is weighted toward the already employed(the overwhelming majority native-born whites) and the growing mass of retirees.

Europe has more than twice the population of the United States and yet created less than 1/14th the number of jobs even as government spending on retirees has skyrocketed. So, you’re a young worker in France and either you can’t find work or, if you can, a massive tax is imposed on your paycheck to pay for retirees and other social programs.

Amazing Race Family Edition – Sink, swim, fly and bail

Teams started out from Costa Rica early in the morning and had to swim out in the Playa Maracas to retrieve the next clue from a floating buoy. The Paolo family sends Papa Tony to swim out (instead of one of his younger sons, for some reason) and he can’t find the strength to swim back to shore. He calls for the rescue swimmers and some Baywatch lifeguards help him back. During this time, the Linz and Bransen families pass Tony and I’m waiting to see what penalty the Paolo family will incur for failing to complete a task: a half-hour? Four hours? As it turns out, there’s no penalty at all.

What’s up with that? It seems unfair to the other teams to assist one team through a task, but maybe there’s some pre-determined agreement on certain challenges. Anyway, all teams swim out and retrieve the clue which directs them to a relocated Belgian church in Costa Rica. Detour: Brush or Barrel. Teams must either drive to an ox-cart farm and paint two ornate wheels for a cart or head to a sugar cane farm and load a ton of sugar cane. The Paolos and Linzes load cane while the others paint wheels; the next clue directs them back to the U.S.A. and Phoenix, Arizona.

Considering there can’t be many flights out of Costa Rica, this presents a “bunching” scenario and it looks at first like all the teams are going to arrive in Phoenix within a couple of minutes. Before the flights can leave, however, Team Florida confronts DJ from Team Joisey and asks why he Yielded them in the last leg. He lamely says something like “it’s a race” and Mama Weaver responds: “We have a Yield to play now and you don’t.” All teams arrive in Phoenix pretty close together. They must find a marked car at the Phoenix airport and the Paolos who can’t take a single moment to stop bickering walk around the parking lot while the other teams drive away. Teams must find a go-kart track and the Roadblock: race around the track 50 laps.

The Godlewski sisters arrive first and start right away, putting in a dozen laps before the next team arrives. Team Florida arrives and Widow Weaver wastes no time in telling the driving instructor that her husband was killed in a racetrack accident. (So we’ve heard.) Teams finish up pretty much as they started and head to the Pit Stop at Fort McDowell’s Adventures. Although the Bransens were third off the go-kart track, they get lost on the way even though they stopped at a hotel and then a liquor store for directions. The Paolos believe they’re last (they can’t count how many cars are at the Pit Stop?) and start putting on clothes in case it’s a non-elimination leg. The Bransens pull up and the panicked Paolos race for the mat where they arrive as team #4. Team Powerpuff starts for the mat, but the Paolos warn them to put on clothes before stepping up as the last place team. Good advice: the Bransens are last but they are not eliminated. On the next leg, they start with no money and only “the clothes on their back.” (This peculiar penalty has been a source of much humor in the past two seasons of The Amazing Race.)

Leg #1 final standings

#1 – Godlewski family – Team Scream – Prize: Travelocity trip to Belize
#2 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#3 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#4 – Paolo family – Team Joisey
#5 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally) – NON-ELIMINATION LEG


Leg #2

Teams who had arrived around noon in the previous leg leave around midnight in this next stage: head to Mesa, Arizona and Fighter Combat School. Right away, you can see the teams are going to be bunched up waiting for the airport to open in the morning. That doesn’t mean there can’t be a little sex and drama: the Bransen girls head to a nearby casino to beg people in the parking lot for cash. Meanwhile, Team Cincinnati gets pulled over by the police while asking for directions. They tell the officer they’re “in a race” and need to find an airport, only realizing afterward the humor in telling a cop you’re racing in the middle of the night.

At the airport, a Roadblock and teams must go up in a fighter and perform a 360 degree loop. A pilot takes them up, does some tricks, then turns control over to the Racer. The Linz famly dubs Megan as “Air Biscuit” for some reason; they’re easily having the most fun in this Race while the other teams argue and snipe at each other. The Weavers finish first and head to the next route marker at Lipan Point at the Grand Canyon. This is just a “go here” stop before they have to continue on to Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam.

On the top of the dam, teams find the next Detour: Bearing or Bailing. Teams may either find a clue box and follow a series of compass directions until they collect markers, or find a partially-submerged boat, bail it out, and lift it onto a sandbar. The Weavers, who never miss an opportunity to belittle other teams in private, can’t understand why everybody is so impolite to them while getting this clue. Here’s a hint, Weavers: “character” is what you do when nobody’s watching. I’m starting to see why all the other teams dislike them. But I still want the Paolos to face elimination tonight, so I’m happy to see them fall far behind on the drive from the Grand Canyon.

At the bailing Detour, the hale and hearty Linz family finishes first and heads to the Pit Stop at Lake Powell where they need to find a particular houseboat. Meanwhile, the Weavers complete the compass points, followed by the Godlewskis and then the Bransens. Team Powerpuff is heading back on the river to their car just as the Paolos are heading out to the Detour. Once there, the frustration of last place leads the Italian family to say hateful and ugly things that seem almost unimaginable (e.g.: “It’s a big river, Mom, I could kill you and they’d never find your body.”) Nice.

Once at Lake Powell, Team Cincinnati gets temporarily disoriented and heads to the wrong set of boats at first. This is all Team Scream needs to pull ahead: although all the teams are provided with similar boats and outboard motors, the Godlewski’s boat is carrying much less weight and they zip ahead of the Linz family. They arrive at the houseboat as Team #1, followed immediately by the somewhat chagrined Linz siblings. The Weavers and Bransens follow soon afterward and the Paolos, in last place, are eliminated. We’re treated to the mandatory “I love my family” speech. Hey that’s great: all I can say is that after the Baywatch moment in the beginning of tonight’s two-hour show coupled with their bottomless capacity for shrill criticism, karma finally caught up with the Paolos.

Final standings:

#1 – Godlewski family – Team Scream – Prize: an RV camper
#2 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#3 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#4 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
#5 – Paolo family – Team Joisey – PHIL-LIMINATED

Extra – This space reserved for updates from Kris and Pat; check out their TAR reviews.

P.S. – I miss the Gaghans.

Hot cheerleaders in lesbian love tryst – This sort of story isn’t really my cup of tea, but I could use the Google search traffic. Via the Smoking Gun, here’s the arrest record of the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders who were, um, interrupted from some kind of sex act before one of them cold-cocked a woman waiting to use the bathroom. One of them looks like Britney Spears and the other like, oh, Keira Knightly. Why not?

From Opinion Journal: “Why Immigrants Don’t Riot Here”

Short answer: They’re too busy working.

Hang fire

The latest news out of France is that they’re setting curfews to quell the violence in the streets: “France will impose curfews under a state-of-emergency law and call up police reservists to stop rioting that has spread out of Paris' suburbs and into nearly 300 cities and towns across the country, the prime minister said Monday, calling a return to order "our No. 1 responsibility."

The use of the word “curfew” is appropriate since it comes from the French for “cover fire” – “originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.”

Ah, the minor amusements of a word nerd.

As if the bird flu wasn’t enough - From the NY Times: “Five cases of polio in Amish group raise new fears” Polio? It’s like something from the Depression. Yikes.

Air America update – Progressive radio founder Tom Athans has shut down Democracy Radio so that he can watch over the demise of Air America.

Lede of the Day - From CNN: “Actress Sutton Foster was rehearsing a number called "I'm An Accident Waiting to Happen" earlier this week when she fell and broke her arm.”

What? There’s an election tomorrow?

I’ve been half-paying attention to the New Jersey governor’s race, if only because the Garden State is where I grew up. I knew Republican candidate Doug Forrester was doomed when he couldn’t beat crinkly old Frank Lautenberg, who stepped in to replace the thoroughly corrupt Robert Torricelli in the 2002 Senate race. George Will heaps scorn on Democrat Jon Corzine in today’s WashPost:

Sen. Jon Corzine, the New Jersey Democrat, brings his characteristic grandiosity even to his buyer's remorse. In 2000 the former chairman of Goldman Sachs pulled $60.2 million from his wallet to buy a U.S. Senate seat. But just four years after the most expensive Senate campaign in American history, he decided to escape from that seat -- for which he paid $27,489.03 a day, prorated over six years -- and try to become governor.

I don’t know what happened to New Jersey since I left for Massachusetts. When I was in high school, our beloved governor was Republican Tom Kean, who later was tapped to head the 9/11 Commission. Since then, there’s been a string of awful Democratic governors (Jim Florio, James McGreevey) yet New Jersey has turned deep blue, with a property tax rate (highest in the nation) to match.

It’s possible that any Republican candidate would have been rolled by Corzine’s massive war chest, but the NJGOP should have found somebody better than Forrester, that’s all.

Update – The Hedgehog Report has all the latest NJ polls showing Corzine with a small but solid lead.

Global war on terror update – “Australian Police Arrest 15 People in Terrorism Raids”: “Australian police arrested 15 people in Sydney and Melbourne for allegedly stockpiling explosive chemicals and planning a ``catastrophic'' terrorist attack that may have killed hundreds of people.” With its proximity to Indonesia, Australia is truly on the front line in the war against radical Islamics.

A blog lives again - Scott Elliott’s Election Projection is back up and running, a year before the 2006 midterms. Welcome back, Scott!

Revise and extend your remarks - Armed Liberal compares Josh Marshall’s version of events in the Wilson/Plame affair and the official report of the Senate Intelligence committee. (Be sure to check the comment thread for the real debate. Yow.)

Always always stay cool - AJ Strata: “I think the Coalition of the Chillin’ is about to be completely and permanently vindicated.” Der Kommiser has much more on Joe Biden’s backtrack from the Alito filibuster threat he knows won’t materialize. The Democrats made the judicial fight unnecessarily larger than it needed to be and, now that they don’t have the votes, the climb down is worse. The Republicans (mostly Bill Frist) made the same mistake last week with Harry Reid’s Senate shutdown stunt, but at least the memory of that incident will be mercifully short. Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court seat will be a reminder for decades to come.

Sharia in Strasbourg? - Here’s Mark Steyn with “Wake up, Europe, you’ve a war on your hands”: “For half a decade, French Arabs have been carrying on a low-level intifada against synagogues, kosher butchers, Jewish schools, etc. The concern of the political class has been to prevent the spread of these attacks to targets of more, ah, general interest. They seem to have lost that battle. Unlike America's Europhiles, France's Arab street correctly identified Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war for what it was: a sign of weakness.” (Hat tip: Memeorandum)

Counterpoint – This morning on Fox News Sunday, Bill Kristol made the point over and over that the White House should respond forcefully to all the criticisms about “lying” about pre-war intelligence. It was largely a replay of his Weekly Standard article: “Fight back, Mr. President.”

Extra – Welcome, Polipundit readers. For more on this topic, be sure to check out Lorie Byrd’s article “It’s time to set the record straight” over on Townhall.

On Opinion Journal – Victoria Toensing says: “Investigate the CIA - An "outing" was the result of either incompetence or an effort to undermine the White House.”

Dustin Hoffman is cool

“Meet the Fockers” was on HBO tonight and tonight I found this fantastic piece of trivia on IMDB:

“Dustin Hoffman played a few practical jokes on Barbra Streisand during the shoot, the biggest of which was played during a meeting she had with several crew members. He arranged for them all to be wearing "Bush 2004" buttons.”

By the way, when I was still at Rutgers, I managed to see Dustin Hoffman on Broadway playing Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice." Hoffman had insisted that a certain number of seats in the theater would be reserved for students at a reduced price. I saw the play with my then girlfriend/now wife from the next-to-last row, but I saw it nonetheless. Thanks, Dustin!

Sunday morning lineup – As Ryne accurately notes: “Joe Biden will be making his 6,495,424,531st appearance on a Sunday morning show.” Please please please Joe - run for President.

Best post title today: “Nevermind the Bollocks, here’s Harry and the Potters”

Funny EBay listing: DKNY Men's Leather Pants I Unfortunately Own (HT: Dean’s World)

Speaking of whiny crybabies

Oh for heaven’s sake – “John Kerry suspects election 2004 was stolen”: “Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, has told acquaintances over the past year that he suspects that the election was stolen, but that he didn’t challenge the official results because he lacked hard proof and anticipated a firestorm of criticism if he pressed the point.”

Let’s put this rumor to rest once and for all: we stole it. We stole it good! That is, our buddies over at Diebold made sure that those touch screen voting machines had the magic touch, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.

Love to see them lose

Before I even opened this link for “Why it’s great to watch these guys lose” on Fox Sports, the very first name that popped into my head was “Phil Helmuth.” But then I thought that poker isn’t a real sport and…he’s #7.

I would like to have Phil Helmuth losing poker hands playing on a loop in my house, office and car so any time I need a little pick-me-up I can just glance up at the screen and see the brat throwing a tantrum.

How is it that no one punches him in the face?

In the 2005 World Series of Poker, Helmuth lost a huge hand when another player caught the very card he needed (a Jack) on the river. The crybaby ranted and then openly insulted this guy (who was built like a NYC firefighter) before retreating to his psychiatrist wife sitting on the sidelines. I was wondering why the guy didn’t ask Helmuth to step outside but, seeing as he just took almost his entire stack, what was the point? Loser. (Hat tip: Fark)

It was an “accident” – see the quote marks

From the NY Post, by way of Free Republic: “NYC Firefighter crashes into Oliver Stone’s movie”

A drunken firefighter plowed a stolen truck yesterday into the Chelsea set of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone's controversial film about 9/11, police said. No one was hurt in the wild early morning incident.

Investigators said Scharf's boneheaded actions did not seem to stem from any anger over Stone's contentious film, but was just a coincidence.

The movie has stirred some resentment among 9/11 victims' families and firefighters because of Stone's love of blame-America conspiracy theories.

Nothing to see here, move along from that grassy knoll.

The difference between Americans and Canadians

Early this morning, before I left for work, I flipped on the TV and caught ten minutes of an apocalypse-themed movie called “Last Night.” Here’s a blurb from Roger Ebert’s review:

Note: On a talk show in Toronto, I was asked to define the difference between American and Canadian films, and said I could not. Another guest was Wayne Clarkson, the former director of the Toronto Film Festival. He said he could, and cited this film.

"Sandra Oh goes into a grocery story to find a bottle of wine for dinner," he said. "The store has been looted, but she finds two bottles still on the shelf. She takes them down, evaluates them, chooses one, and puts the other one politely back on the shelf. That's how you know it's a Canadian film."

An interesting coincidence considering that Sandra Oh’s big breakout role was as Stephanie in the wine movie “Sideways.” (Hey, I like merlot)

Abu Masab the Syrian captured – Winds of Change has background and links.

Rove in jeopardy? - The Minuteman suggests that Karl Rove may be in trouble…unless he adequately “clarified” his testimony in his final appearance before the Fitzgerald grand jury. My feeling is that if the charge was clear, Fitzgerald would have indicted Rove along with Libby.

Second amendment diary – Fingerprinted and processed

Last night, I (finally) found the time to stop by the police station and pick up my certificate for the gun safety course I took last month. Then I handed in my application for a “license to carry” and went through fingerprinting and pictures. I expect I’ll get my permit in a couple of weeks. Still moving forward.

Is Steven Taylor my evil twin brother, separated at birth? – This is just weird. Today the Poliblogger (Dr. T) listed some criteria from an NPR story about the “average American.” Every single attribute he listed matched up with mine, some of them exactly including age (37) weight (210), height (6’2”), and, um, showering time. Creepy.

Air America update – When a radio network has to send out letters begging for money, you know it’s going down in a heap. From Radio Equalizer: “If a liberal radio network falls in the forest (hitting a few spotted owls on the way down) and there isn't anyone around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Be sure to scroll down the comments of Ned Rice who notes, correctly, that AAR personalities are getting more shrill (if that can be achieved) now that desperation is setting in.

Wall of helium

Driving home tonight, I heard the following songs in sequence on XM radio:
"Peanuts" by Little Joe & the Thrillers
"My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small
"Ronnie" by the Four Seasons

Sadly, there was no Tiny Tim for the super-fecta.

Too conservative? Too bad

Michael Kinsley on Slate asks: “How conservative is too conservative?”

The Democrats have declared war on President Bush's latest Supreme Court candidate, Samuel Alito, without much in the way of weapons. Only two, really: the filibuster and the power of persuasion. And the filibuster—because it seems (and is) unfair and anti-democratic—will backfire unless people are persuaded that it is saving them from something really bad.

And to make the challenge even more daunting, most of the usual tools of persuasion aren't available this time. Alito seems like a fine fellow, personally. His credentials and qualifications are beyond dispute. Unlike Robert Bork, he is not scary-looking. And another Anita Hill is too much to hope for. Those are the cheap shortcuts.
All that's left is a serious argument: Alito is simply too conservative.

The Republican counterargument will be fourfold: A) He is not very conservative; B) no one knows how conservative he is, and no one is going to find out, because discussing his views in any detail would involve "prejudging" future issues before the court; C) it doesn't matter whether he is conservative—even raising the question "politicizes" what ought to be a nonpartisan search for judicial excellence; and D) sure he's conservative. Very conservative. Who won the election?

I like “D” which reminds me: here are two great pictures from a year ago.

The social model at work in unemployment – I’ve only been lightly following the riots in France, but this statistic is eye-popping: “Overall unemployment in France is 9.8%, but for under-25 Frenchmen the figure is a stunning 23%. Oh well, at least they have "free health care."” Last year, France tried to artificially pump up employment by moving to a four-day workweek but employers simply shifted five days of work onto their employees. Businesses in much of Europe refuse to add workers because the cost of government-mandated benefits drive up labor costs beyond what the market will support.

Extra – From Publius Pundit: “The persistent joblessness, the inability to assimilate immigrants, the government control of every aspect of life and above all the lack of freedom are exactly what’s behind this spreading explosion.”

Reform now - It’s Social Security Reform Thursday over on Willisms and today Will looks at how the Byzantine SS benefits formula short-changes dual-income families.

Doctor, heal thyself – From the Union Leader: “Sen. Joe Biden made some interesting comments during his Manchester stop Tuesday night. He said too many Democrats were elitist and even unpatriotic, and he blamed them for helping Republicans paint the entire party as out of touch with America.” Well, you make it so easy Joe.

The sliding standard

Echoing a similar point I made, here’s “Why the Senate should confirm Judge Alito: the Democrats liked him before, and they don’t need to love him now”:

Judge Alito easily satisfies every merit-based consideration ... Indeed, the Senate concluded as much with respect to Judge Alito when it unanimously confirmed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1990 and as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey in 1987. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D-MA, went so far during Alito's court of appeals confirmation process as to commend the nominee for his "very distinguished record" and "long service in the public interest," while Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, D-NJ, praised Alito's "impressive credentials" during Alito's confirmation process for U.S. Attorney.

ACLU lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsberg was confirmed with only three dissenting votes. It’s a discredit to the confirmation process that somebody as accomplished as Judge Alito will easily face more than three “no” votes in just the judiciary committee. (No need to guess how Kennedy and Lautenberg will vote now.)

New City Journal – The quarterly has an article on America’s response to radical Islam by Victor Davis Hanson and Stephen Malanga with “The Conspiracy against the Taxpayers.”

Early Alito predictions - Even though red-state Democrats may be emboldened, any attempt to filibuster Judge Alito will fail if for no other reason than he was unanimously confirmed to the Third Circuit fifteen years ago. However, there will be a party line 10-8 split in the Judiciary and a 57-43 vote for confirmation in the Senate. The Coalition of the Chillin' wins again (although just barely).

Extra – George Will makes some good points on the battle for the judiciary in “Let the great debate begin.”

The prescription drug benefit must go

Robert Samuelson castigates both sides of the aisle today in “Fiscal phonies.” While the Republicans have proposed spending cuts of $39 billion over a period when Washington will be spending $13.8 trillion, the 0.3% spending cut is less-than-token. But he also excoriates the Democrats for their “soak the rich” mantra which will bring in an estimated $30 billion per year which is not enough to cover the new Medicare benefit or the underlying deficits.

I know (and Samuelson does too) that killing the prescription drug benefit is politically impossible, but it’s the only meaningful first step to controlling the deficit. Read the whole thing.

Democracy in the Middle East? The MSM says: “whatever”

Here’s Jeff Jacoby in today’s Boston Globe with “The good news from Iraq is not fit to print”:

What was the most important news out of Iraq last week?

That depends on what you consider ''important." Do you see the war against radical Islam and Ba'athist fascism as the most urgent conflict of our time? Do you believe that replacing tyranny with democratic self-government is ultimately the only antidote to the poison that has made the Middle East so dangerous and violent? If so, you'll have no trouble identifying the most significant development in Iraq last week: the landslide victory of the new Iraqi Constitution.

The announcement on Oct. 25 that the first genuinely democratic national charter in Arab history had been approved by 79 percent of Iraqis was a major piece of good news. It confirmed the courage of Iraq's people and their hunger for freedom and decent governance. It advanced the US campaign to democratize a country that for 25 years had been misruled by a mass-murdering sociopath. It underscored the decision by Iraq's Sunnis, who had boycotted the parliamentary elections in January, to pursue their goals through ballots, not bullets. And it dealt a humiliating blow to the bombers and beheaders -- to the likes of Islamist butcher Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who earlier this year declared ''a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy" and threatened to kill anyone who took part in the elections.

No question: If you think that defeating Islamofascism, extending liberty, and transforming the Middle East are important, it's safe to say you saw the ratification of the new constitution as the Iraqi news story of the week.

But that isn't how the mainstream media saw it.

There are people who don’t believe that we’re in a global war on terror, but do they all have to be journalists?

Amazing Race Family Edition update – “Donde es lefto or righto?”

Teams started out from the Panama Canal around 9pm and headed to the bus terminal to take a bus to Costa Rica. The buses were staggered in the morning, so teams that had just spent twelve hours resting at the last Pit Stop then waited an additional twelve hours until the morning. Three different buses arrived in Costa Rica, then teams needed to drive to an active volcano for the next clue. But then we find that the national park doesn’t open until the morning so teams have to sack out yet again. Between all these breaks, Team Godlewski had plenty of time to beg for cash proving once again that the money penalty in a non-elimination leg is not much of a penalty at all.

Once the volcano park opened in the morning, all the bunched-up teams raced for the next clue which was merely “go somewhere else.” At least we got a see a volcano. Teams then needed to race to the Doka coffee plantation – caution: Yield ahead. For reasons that I don’t fully understand, everybody wants to yield Team Florida. The Paolo family arrives at the coffee plantation first and yields the Weavers, meaning they need to wait an hour before they can perform the next task. This is a Roadblock and one team member must sift through a huge pile of coffee beans to find a single red bean. This is an all-woman event and teams appear to find the red bean in roughly the order they started, except for Tammy of Team Rugrats who simply cannot spot the red bean. The Weavers wait out their penalty then find the red bean, leaving the Gaghan family behind.

After the coffee plantation, teams head to the Costa Rican town of Jaco and a surf shop for the next clue. This is a Detour: Relic or Ripe. Teams may either traverse a series of rope bridges in a rain forest to find Mayan relics or head to a banana plantation where they must harvest 15 bunches of bananas. Everybody takes the Relic detour except for the Paolo family who seemed to finish the banana bunches fairly quickly. They head off to the Pit Stop in the town of Quepos as Team #1.

Meanwhile, all the other teams are working on an Amazing Race challenge that is neither amazing or challenging. Maybe it’s an unintended consequence of the Family Edition, but too many of the Detours and Roadblocks are designed such that teams finish the task in the same order they arrive at them. Thus, my despair for Team Gaghan sets in pretty early as they are the final team to arrive at the rain forest. Sure enough, that red coffee bean tripped them up; they arrive last to the mat and are eliminated. Little Carissa was pretty upset even though Mom and Dad were trying to cheer her up and Phil noted she was the youngest person to ever compete in the Race.

Final standings:

#1 – Paolo family – Team Joisey – Prize: Segway/jet ski/Vespa/ATV
#2 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#3 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
#4 – Godlewski family – Team Scream
#5 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#6 – Gaghan family – Team Rugrats – PHIL-LIMINATED

Next week: Team members yell at each other.
Here’s last week’s update by Mrs. Viking Pundit

Extra – This space reserved for Kris and Pat’s updates. Kris digs into the TAR archives to note that Team Gaghan got “Lena-ed” – very apt. And she also explains why the other teams loathe the Weavers since they mix Christian piety with condescending nastiness. Yeah, but the girls wear hot pants, so. That said, I wish they were gone and cutiepie Carissa could stick around for another week.

Bonus – The Closet Optimist criticizes last night’s Yield.

The great left-wing freak out

Here’s Michelle Malkin plugging her new book in a post that appeared early this morning:

The views of unhinged liberals are no longer relegated to the private remarks of a few Democrat politicians or the bloviations of a few fringe figures on the farLeft. The syndrome is far more pervasive, intense, and sanctimoniously self-delusional than anything on the Right.

As if staged for effect, this was followed later in the day with the Democrats’ temper tantrum and a “Lockdown in the Senate” causing NRO’s K-Lo to marvel: “How did she get Harry Reid to agree to do p.r. for her book the day it launched, with this tactic?”

Oh, Katherine. Lord Rove finds your lack of faith disturbing.

Ask and ye shall receive – Last week, I asked “What exactly is the difference between “perjury” and “false statements?” Today, Slate’s Explainer expands on the question: “The difference between perjury, false statements, and obstruction of justice.”

Slow-motion famine in Zimbabwe

People in Zimbabwe are starving because agricultural output has plunged since the government seized white-owned farms and redistributed them to the black population. At least they're starting to face an unavoidable fact:

Deputy Agriculture Minister Sylvester Nguni was quoted in the state-owned Herald newspaper as saying that while a few of those given land were committed to agricultural production, many others were doing "nothing" on the farms.

Although he mentioned the poor rains, he also told a meeting of the Zimbabwe Farmers' Union: "The biggest letdown has been that people without the slightest idea of farming got land and the result has been declining agricultural output."

In hindsight, this seems like a critical problem, no? Nice work, Robert Mugabe.

A real Poindexter, and not the good kind

Princeton classmates remember Sam Alito:

Andrew Napolitano '72, a senior judicial analyst for Fox News and a former New Jersey Superior Court judge, said Alito hasn't changed much since their college years.
"He's a teetotalling, early-to-bed and early-to-rise legal scholar," Napolitano said. "He's modest, charming and brilliant ... There is no arrogance in Sam whatsoever."

NERD! Man, it would have been so much cooler if somebody said: “Yeah, I saw him shotgun a Molson in two seconds flat then he burped ‘Go Tigers’”. Now I’m not so sure I can support this nomination.

Agree/disagree with Captain Ed – Agree that there’s no chance the Gang of 14 will decide that the nomination of Judge Alito rises to an “exceptional circumstance” and there will be no filibuster. Disagree on the vote count: no way will Alito get a 65-35 confirmation vote. After all, he’ll be replacing the vaunted O’Connor seat and the Democrats will show their displeasure with a near-straight line vote. Alito will be confirmed by 55 Republicans and maybe two conservative Democrats.

The WashPost comes to bury Social Security reform

Today’s Washington Post has a lead editorial on Social Security that seems to be a compendium of all the points I’ve been making for two years (along with others):

The Bush administration's declining fortunes have buried the prospect of Social Security reform. Congress was never keen: Democrats united against personal accounts; Republicans were divided as to what sort they wanted. But although President Bush's critics may celebrate this defeat, delaying Social Security's reform makes the eventual change only harder. Both sides should acknowledge their contributions to this debacle -- and reengage.

Well, that’s just great. The time to show support for reform was at least a year ago when President Bush declared that he would “spend” his political capital to ensure the solvency of the program. Now with millions of baby boomers within grasp of their “free” money, we’re strapped in:

Starting 12 years from now, pensions will cost the government more than it collects from the payroll tax that's supposed to finance them. This shortfall, coupled with the much larger drain from Medicare, threatens to consume resources needed for other government functions. It is unsustainable.

Fat lot of good your call for reform does us now, WashPost. A useless waste of ink and electrons, too little too late.

Why communism will never work

Tonight I sat on my front porch with a large bowl full of candy. When kids came, I extended the bowl and they usually took one, maybe two pieces. Then, before we sat down for dinner, I filled the bowl to the top and placed a sign: "take one." Midway through dinner, the bowl was empty; this was repeated ten minutes later. Basically more candy was taken in 20 minutes than in the previous (supervised) two hours.

Looks like Luttig – Erick with a K over at Red State is reporting rumors that Samuel Alito will be tapped to be the next Supreme Court justice. Therefore he’s doomed: “As the editors are privately joking, let me apologize in advance to Judge Alito for sabotaging his chances by putting up his picture. When the picture goes up, the judge strikes out.”

Call the ACLU, or not - Generation Why says so much for that “innocent until proven guilty” stuff: “Funny how quick liberals are to toss out Constitutional rights when they belong to Conservatives.”

Hate-fest on Boston Common

It was a beautiful, crisp fall day in Massachusetts yesterday. Perhaps some Bostonians or tourists decided to walk down to Boston Common where 230 years ago men such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams discussed the blessings of liberty. Unfortunately, they probably needed to cover their children’s ears. From the Boston Globe: “Anti-war protesters march on Common”

One demonstrator carried a sign that read, ''Bush Wants Your Children For Cannon Fodder," and another that accused the president of causing the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Some of the musical performers sang antiwar anthems that could have played on any coffeehouse stage. But others led the demonstrators in chanting choruses laced with expletives against the president and the war.

Cindy Sheehan, the Left’s favorite mother, made it clear she wasn’t cut from the June Cleaver mold:

''She said, 'Cindy, don't you want to use a little nicer language, because you know there might be people sitting on the fence that you offend,' " Sheehan told the crowd. ''And do you know what I said? I said, 'Damn it, why is anybody on that fence still?' "

Then they all went home, having convinced exactly zero people to their viewpoint, yet warmed by their glow of their profanity-laden rhetoric.

A must-read from Mark Steyn, he said redundantly - “Don’t expect a joyride from Scooter”: “Just for the record, Scooter Libby is the highest-ranking Scooter in the Bush administration, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. All last week, lefty gloaters were eagerly anticipating "Fitzmas," their designation for that happy day when federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald hands down indictments against Libby, and Rove, and maybe Cheney, and -- boy oh boy, who knows? -- maybe Chimpy Bushitlerburton himself. Pat Fitzgerald has been making his list, checking it twice, found out who's naughty or nice, and he's ready to go on a Slay Ride leaving Bush the Little Drummed-Out Boy and the Dems having a blue blue blue blue blue-state Christmas in November 2006, if not before.”

Good question – Powerline asks: “Having now read fifteen or twenty news stories about what a devastating blow the Lewis Libby indictment was to the administration…I couldn't help wondering: does anyone remember who Al Gore's chief of staff was when he was vice-president?” It was that guy, the one who was always standing and walking. Rory Calhoun!

Sunday morning lineup – Mark Kilmer has the guest list for the Sunday shows but seems unsure about who will be on “Late Edition”: “Host Wolf Blitzer will talk with someone or other about Scooter and about Harriet.” Maybe somebody whose name rhymes with “Moe Slidin” hmmm….?

Another Scalia would be sca-lightful

From the WashPost:

President George W. Bush on Saturday was narrowing his choices of Supreme Court nominees to replace Harriet Miers as Republicans said the short list consisted of highly credentialed, solidly conservative judges.

Among the candidates most talked about were appeals court judges Michael Luttig and Samuel Alito. Bush, who is spending the weekend at his Camp David retreat, was expected to unveil his choice within days.

Judge Luttig (4th Circuit) once clerked for Scalia and Judge Alito (3rd Circuit) has been given the nickname “Scalito” for “his Italian heritage as well as his reputation for conservatism and a strong intellect.” Either one would thrill the conservative base.

(P.S. - Worst post title ever? Maybe!)

Extra – SCOTUSblog says let’s get ready to rumble: “Conservative organizations, without a doubt enthusiastic about either Alito or Luttig on the basis of thoroughly conservative records on the bench, will be ready to get their promotional machinery going again.”

Even more – By way of Ryne, the online contracts for Alito (check the table on the right) are thumping Luttig by a 2:1 margin.

Follow-up - Mark Levin utterly plagiarizes my post: “Luttig or Alito? A conservative dream! Let's get ready to rumble!” Time stamp: 11:24pm.

Fred Barnes: “Karl Rove’s survival is a boon for the Bush White House”

“California cosmology” - Michael Crichton names five books that you won’t find on Greenpeace’s coffee table.

Somebody call Detective Columbo – I wonder who could be responsible for this and this. My first guess: radical Presbyterians.

Not-so-merry Fitzmas

The New Republic on the morning after:

Well, that was much ado about nothing. I don't really think the indictment of the man who served as the Vice President's Chief of Staff--and whose role in the administration was in fact much larger than that--is no big deal. It is. But the way Democrats were talking about this case leading up to the indictment, this has to come as a letdown. After all, liberals believed that Patrick Fitzgerald was going to cripple the Bush administration and reveal the lies and deceptions behind the Iraq war. There was speculation that Fitzgerald would shine a bright, unflattering light onto the inner workings of the White House Iraq Group. There was talk that he was going to name a "Constitutional officer"--namely Cheney--as an unindicted co-conspirator. And there were rumors that he was seeking to empanel a second grand jury to investigate who ginned up the fake "Niger documents."

Maybe Fitzgerald just has a very impressive poker face, but it sure seemed from his press conference that none of those things is now going to happen.

Although the Libby indictments are a stain on the White House, the Left was positively giddy about the thought of Karl Rove in handcuffs. If Libby pleads out, it will be long-forgotten among most Americans (who don’t follow the story as compulsively as we do) by Christmas. (Hat tip: Polipundit)

More – The Washington Post gets it mostly right:

The special counsel was principally investigating whether any official violated a law that makes it a crime to knowingly disclose the identity of an undercover agent. The public record offers no indication that Mr. Libby or any other official deliberately exposed Ms. Plame to punish her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. Rather, Mr. Libby and other officials, including Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, apparently were seeking to combat the sensational allegations of a critic. They may have believed that Ms. Plame's involvement was an important part of their story of why Mr. Wilson was sent to investigate claims that Iraq sought uranium ore from Niger, and why his subsequent -- and mostly erroneous -- allegations that the administration twisted that small part of the case against Saddam Hussein should not be credited. To criminalize such discussions between officials and reporters would run counter to the public interest.

While the NY Times, well, let’s just say that they never fail to play to form.

Bonus – From Gay Patriot: “Libby indicted for doing what Wilson did, but under oath” – “Libby has now been accused of doing exactly what Joe Wilson has been doing since that “Administration critic” wrote the New York Times op-ed at issue in this whole mess. He deceived people. With one big difference. Libby lied under oath and Wilson did so in the pages of newspapers, in the pages of his book, on the lecture circuit and on a variety of talk shows.”

Finally - Welcome readers of Keith Milby’s blog!

A small piece of good news in a rotten week – “Economic growth accelerated in 3rd quarter”: “The economy grew at a faster pace in the third quarter, the government reported yesterday, as stronger consumer and government spending helped offset the effects of two devastating hurricanes and soaring energy prices. The nation's gross domestic product rose at an annual pace of 3.8 percent from July to September, up from 3.3 percent in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said.”

Stop the humanoids! – Target to sell stand-up arcade cabinet, loaded with 12 Midway games, starting in November. Defender! Robotron! Oh, if it only had Berzerk, I’d be so there. (HT: American Mind)

The obligatory post on the recent unpleasantness

A couple months ago, I wrote a post titled “Rove must go” that declared if a White House official revealed the name of a covert source while the country is at war, there can be no excuse. Over time, however, I came to believe that Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame made a conscious and deliberate effort to undermine U.S. policy by misrepresenting the origin and conclusions of Wilson’s trip to Niger. As an extension of this, I believed the White House had an obligation to set the record straight by exposing Joe Wilson’s duplicity.

But, for heaven’s sake, what was Scooter Libby thinking? Although he wasn’t charged on the underlying crime of exposing an agent, he apparently invented from whole cloth conversations that simply did not take place. Sure, Rove wasn’t indicted (and probably won’t be) but there’s no mistaking that Libby’s testimony has brought shame to an administration that promised a higher standard.

What now? Libby has promised a fight and exoneration. But it’s extremely unlikely that Libby will go to trial if there’s a sliver of a chance it will expose Dick Cheney and President Bush to further discomfort. The only way I see a trial going forward is if there’s the belief there’s more to gain by exposing Wilson’s varied lies than lost in the media circus of a Washington trial. Although some might believe this a palpable scenario, I just don’t see it. Scooter Libby will likely fall on his sword and plead out a deal with Fitzgerald.

Extra - Here's an excellent review by Byron York over on the Corner.

The Libby indictment – I’ll get to my thoughts on the fallout of today’s events later tonight but for now I have a simple legal question: what exactly is the difference between “perjury” and “false statements?” It seems to me that perjury means that you knew something was untrue, but said it anyway. “False statements” may or may not imply such intent; as such, I can’t see how it can be illegal. Am I missing something here? I’ll have to check some legal blogs later.

Follow-up – Poster Eric J writes: “Perjury- lying under oath. False statement- lying to the FBI or other fed official. Separate statutes, but both illegal.” Now we know. I thought that all crimes related directly to the grand jury.

Ed school, schmed school – Arthur Levine, the president of Columbia’s Teacher College, issued a report saying that education schools were a waste of time. Check out “Teaching the Teachers – Would you like to be a teacher? Skip grad school.”

Seems simple enough – From the Boston Globe: “Put a conservative on the court.” After all, what are elections for?

The Social Security problem isn’t going away

David Broder calls for fiscal sanity from both sides in the political spectrum in “Will anyone pay the bills?”

This message was spelled out by Maya MacGuineas, a panelist from the NewAmerica Foundation and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. As one who has worked with Republican moderates as often as with Democrats, she was particularly insistent that Democrats must ante up for any bipartisan solutions to become possible.

Specifically, the Democrats who have profited politically this year (as in the past) by opposing any change in Social Security must, she said, recognize the necessity of reforming the country's retirement system before it becomes an impossible economic burden on working-age Americans.

As I’ve noted many times before, the task of entitlement reform will become nigh-impossible once millions of (voting) baby boomers go on the dole.

Now let’s never speak of it again - Well, I was spectacularly wrong with nearly all of my predictions about Harriet Miers. The further along the vetting process progressed, it became increasingly obvious she was not ready for prime time. Decision08 has a huge roundup of reactions.

Follow-up – I was wrong here, too. Third time’s the charm: I’m going to pick Emilio Garza to replace Sandra Day O’Connor’s seat just one more time.

Patent #6,958,096

A personal note: yesterday, I was officially granted my first patent. It’s for an applicator I invented over three years ago to place a protective coating over glass fiber; this optical fiber is then used in a variety of specialty applications. I haven’t said anything about it for fear of “jinxing” it, but now that it’s not only merely official but sincerely official, I’m really very happy. I only wish my old man could have lived to see it (Mom’s really proud, though).

PlameGate roundup – Tom Maguire has owned this story and tonight he makes his bold predictions: Rove walks, but Libby will probably face perjury and obstruction of justice charges along with some kind of conspiracy charge. Rick Moran encapsulates my take on Joe Wilson who was shopping his false Niger trip story to anybody that would put out a cheese plate in the green room: “Now, put yourself in the White House’s shoes. Here you have this loose cannon [Wilson] running around town 1) blabbing about a classified matter, and 2) spreading falsehoods about what actually happened.” Yet the media coverage has been all about Rove and Libby with nary a word about Wilson’s intentional mendacity to undermine White House policy.

We'll probably see indictments tomorrow but my prediction is that both Rove and Libby will face perjury and obstruction charges, while Libby will face an additional conspiracy charge. All will be revealed by Friday (unless Fitzgerald is petitioning the federal judge for an extension).

Andrew Sullivan said what?

The indefatigable Bush-basher reflects on 2,000 deaths in Iraq yet stands amazed at the progress made:

If someone had told me three years ago that by October 2005, Saddam Hussein's murderous tyranny would be over for ever, that Iraq would have a new constitution that emerged from a democratic process and that it will soon have a democratically elected parliament and government, I would have been thrilled. If I were further told that the inevitably embittered Sunni Arab minority had decided to throw itself into democratic politics to amend the constitution and protect its interests in a future Iraq, I would be amazed by how swiftly democratic habits can take root in a post-totalitarian country. If I had been told that, despite extraordinary provocation from Jihadist and Sunni Arab terrorists, the country had not dissolved into civil war, and that unemployment was dropping, I'd be heartened. If I had also been told that the United States had not suffered another major terror attack since the fall of 2001, I would have refused to believe it.

Considering how little effort and materiel required to launch an a terrorist attack, I'm also astonished that nothing else has occurred. (Hat tip: Balloon Juice)

Back in the blogger's chair

OK, well I'm back from Boston and, first of all, I want to thank Mrs. Viking Pundit for yesterday's "Amazing Race" update. Isn't she great?

One of the first things I checked on the Internet was the claim of my Boston Duck Tour operator that the "Ivy League" was so named because there were originally four schools and the Roman numeral for 4 is "IV." Completely false. Now what's my responsibility here? It seems wrong to allow 3,000 tourists a day to be exposed to such historical misinformation. Then again, the New York Times needs some competition.

The Amazing Race Update:

The Race started out in New Orleans with Phil's disclaimer about the Race having been filmed in the weeks prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Teams immediately struck out for Panama City, Panama. The task was to take a boat across the Panama Canal and find the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Once there, teams would search for a man in a hammock named Ricardo Diaz. On Flight 1 were the Linz, Bransen and Paolo families. Flight 2, about 2 hours later, were the Weaver, Gaghan and Godlewski families. After a late evening arrival, teams discovered the boats wouldn't run until 7:00 am the next morning. All teams caught up.

Ricardo provided this Race’s one and only Fast Forward: go to the Pacific side of the Panama Canal and complete a tandem bungee jump. The Paolo's decided to go for the Fast Forward. The eldest son is afraid of heights [and chose to jump with his mother?!] After the commercial, the second Paolo pair finally jumped; to the dismay of the Gaghans who were waiting in the wings hoping they would chicken out.

The Paolo’s proceeded to the Pit Stop at the Miraflores locks.
Prize: a trip to Panama (Aw Phil! You’re too generous!)

Ricardo provided the other teams with this week’s Detour: Rhythm or Coos: In both cases teams take a bus, known as a Diablo Rojo or Red Devil, to either a) collect 4 musical instruments [saxophone, trumpet, conga drum, trombone] and deliver them to a band director, or b) use binoculars and spot wooden replicas of birds hidden in the trees. They must correctly identify and circle 5 birds on an aviary chart. If the wrong birds are circled, teams must start over. Weavers and Bransens chose the birds; Godlewskis, Linz and eventually Gaghans chose the instruments.

The next clue had them traveling 2 miles to a baseball stadium where they received a Roadblock: play baseball. One member of each team must get a base hit or home run off Little League pitcher. Each player gets 3 balls then goes to back of the line. (It seemed that as long as they connected with the ball, players were allowed to make it to the base and receive the next clue.)

Finally, they travel to the Miraflores locks and the Pit Stop. In an “exciting” end to the Race, the Godlewski family got stuck on the baseball challenge and the Gaghans got stuck in traffic. In anticipation of a non-elimination leg, the Godlewskis donned as many clothes as they possibly could.

Final Standings
#1 – Paolo family – Team Joisey – Travelocity trip to Panama
#2 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#3 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally)
#4 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#5 – Gaghan family – Team Rugrats
#6 – Godlewski family – Team Scream – Non-elimination

Next week: A Rainforest and the Weavers are “tired of doing things [they] can’t do!”

This update brought to you by Mrs. Viking Pundit with the approval of Senor Mas Importante who returns to his normal duties tomorrow.

Come back to Boston

Nothing much new to report, other than I watched the World Series in the hotel sports bar last night to its exciting conclusion. A cold drizzle all day prevented much exploring beyond the frou-frou shops in the Prudential Center. At the convention today, I checked out the poster session which is where people who don't want to do an oral presentation just put up pictures and Powerpoint slides of their research. The vast majority of these are from foreigners for whom English is their second language. All others are simply cowardly Americans! Get up there and defend your work!

Reporting from Boston

Very quickly because I'm using a computer designated to check E-mail: took the kids on the Boston Duck Tour yesterday. Our driver was the "Karaoke Cowgirl" who wore Western garb and fake six-shooters. When she casually asked if there were any Yankee fans on board today, she lifted up the gun for all to see. Funny. (There were no admitted Yankee fans.)

She also said the "Ivy League" was so named because there were four original colleges and the Roman numeral for 4 is IV. I gotta check on that one.

Later, we went to Boston Common where they were trying to break the record for the most lighted pumpkins at once. I don't know if they broke the record (haven't seen a paper today) but there was a steady drizzle all day, so it might have been hard to light the candles. I've been hiding out in the hotel/conference ever since.

Pahk my cah in Harvahd yahd

I’m going to be away for the weekend and part of next week at a fiber optics conference in Boston. I’m not bringing a computer but it’s a good bet I’ll find Internet access somewhere. If I can’t post my much-anticipated “Amazing Race” update, I may have to turn control over to Mrs. Viking Pundit. See you soon.


The Buckminster Hotel is seen Friday, Oct. 21, 2005, in Boston. It was here, at the Hotel Buckminster, that Chicago White Sox first baseman Chick Gandil met with a gambler bidding to fix the 1919 World Series and promised him: 'I think we can put it in the bag.'

I *heart* the Internet - "The Godfather" was on Bravo tonight and there's that scene in the Italian restaurant where the Turk and Michael Corleone speak to each other in Italian. Now I know what they said. Cool.

Everybody wants a little attention

From Mickey Kaus: “If the harm to the country was so great, why did Plame's annoyingly egomaniacal husband, Joseph Wilson, thrust himself into the public spotlight in a way almost guaranteed to eventually cause his wife's employment to be discovered and publicized?”

Good question. Wilson was a washed-up former ambassador before his wife sent him on the trip to Niger. It’s probable that Wilson saw a win-win scenario by provoking the White House to respond to his bald-faced prevarications. If they ignore him, he can go on the lecture circuit making thousands repeating his repudiated lies. But if the White House tries to defend itself by pointing out correctly that Wilson’s wife (and not Dick Cheney) sent him on the trip, he can claim his wife (who may not have been covert) was “outed.”

Joe Wilson is a proven liar. But he may also be a vainglorious liar who was trying to drag down the West Wing while securing himself a couple more weekends on “Meet the Press.”

The wheels are coming off – From the Economist: “GM and Ford in need of a big overhaul” – “General Motors and Ford have both reported heavy losses. GM has also announced a breakthrough in negotiations with its unions that will reduce the firm’s crippling health-care liabilities, while Ford says “significant” plant closures are on the way. Both firms need a radical overhaul to avoid bankruptcy.”

Dark matter – You can’t see it or detect it but scientists have postulated that it makes up a quarter of all matter in the universe. Or not.

Two out of three ain’t bad

The other day, I predicted 1.) Bush wouldn’t withdraw Miers 2.) Miers wouldn’t withdraw herself 3.) Miers would pass out of the Judiciary committee and 4.) gain approval from the Senate.

Predictions #1 and #2 look solid:

In an interview with National Review this morning, a senior Senate Republican said he firmly expects President Bush to continue to stand behind Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. The Republican said the president is absolutely convinced, without question, that Miers is the right choice, and that even if Miers herself wanted to withdraw, the president would not accept it.

But #3 looks shaky, making #4 moot:

Under a bipartisan agreement, Supreme Court nominations can't be killed in committee. But if all the Committee Democrats and even one Republican vote against her, the vote will be 9-9 and Miers will go to the Senate floor without a recommendation that she be approved. This will make it much harder to get Miers confirmed on the Senate floor. It will be harder still -- probably impossible -- if ten or more Senators vote against her in committee.

Maybe Charles Krauthammer has it right: time to look for an exit strategy.

Plame roundup - From Investor’s Business Daily: “As special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's mandate expires, Karl Rove's only crime may be not that he "outed" Valerie Plame as a CIA operative but that he exposed her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, as a liar.” Also, be sure to check out this extended review by AJ Strata and this post from Macsmind.

Bad TV – “The Apprentice” was a complete farce tonight. The “Capital Edge” team was supposed to build a parade float to market the film “Zathura.” The float was awful and the project manager mispronounced the film’s name during the presentation. It was a complete disaster. In the boardroom, both of Trump’s assistants said the project manager should be fired for a terribly executed project. Typical: Trump always needs to show who’s in charge and fires the other chick. Puh-leeze. What a tool.

Good TV – The South Park episode tonight about “Two days before the day after tomorrow.” Brilliant and absolutely hilarious.

Western Massachusetts update - Almost forgot to mention: on this past Sunday's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" George was wearing a sweatshirt that clearly said "Chicopee Falls." FWIW.

Approaching “toast” – I was willing to give Harriet Miers a chance to explain herself in the vetting process, but so far she seems to be making her situation worse. Patterico is despondent, Michelle Malkin is in revolt, and now it looks like George Will has an article this weekend that may sink the nomination for good. Via the Corner: “if I were a pro-Miers Republican, I would dread getting out of the bed and opening the paper on Sunday. It's that powerful.” Yikes. What an unholy mess.

Extra – From Best of the Web: “The Miers debacle is beginning to remind us of New Coke--a product introduced in an effort to expand market share, which instead infuriated loyal customers. If Bush wants to "save his presidency," the way to do so is clear: withdraw the Miers nomination and reintroduce Court Classic.”

Yet we still use QWERTY keyboards – Video companies will stop producing VHS format videos sometime in 2006.

The first salvo of the intergenerational war

The General Motors/Delphi saga is only a prelude to the battle this country will face when the government is essentially transformed into a money transfer station, moving massive sums of cash from younger workers to older retirees. From George Will’s “A right turn back to making cars”:

The bankruptcy of Delphi is another pebble -- a big pebble; Delphi has 185,000 employees worldwide, 33,000 of them unionized Americans -- in an accelerating avalanche of corporate decisions dismantling "defined-benefits America." As a result, intergenerational strife, which has long been anticipated, may at last be at hand: Delphi proposes cutting the compensation -- pay and benefits -- of younger workers from $65 per hour to $20 or less, so it can fulfill the promise to retirees of a fixed percentage of their salaries.

The current structure of entitlement spending will lay a double-whammy on younger workers: it’s likely that payroll taxes will increase to support older Americans but when the Social Security and Medicare trust funds go bankrupt, automatic benefit cuts will go into effect. In other words, Americans under 40 right now will pay more and get less.

Free the Tatooine Seven!

James Lileks has a new Screed. This one is about a futile effort by the United Nations to stop the pernicious spread of wicked American culture.

In another sense, the UNESCO effort is pointless. No: toothless. More posturing from an international body that convenes to strike pleasing poses, nothing more. But some will see the US position as more American mulishness. The New York Times put it thus: “As with the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty and the treaty creating the International Criminal Court, (The US) will likely remain a critical - and perhaps obstructionist - outsider.”

Imagine that! The killjoy nation. Monarchy, Communism, Fascism, Socialism, now Tribalism – the US never quite joins in the fun. Everyone else jumps off the bridge, and we hang back, taking notes. Like we’re special or something.

The effort to stop “Sopranos” reruns is being spearheaded by the French who are so convinced of the superiority of their culture that all others must be banned.

Err America update. Also, “Jack” gets whacked

If Air America broadcasts in Washington, D.C., but nobody is listening, does it really exist? From the Washington Post:

Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around.

Tee-hee. Also in radio news, New Yorkers have shunned radio format “Jack” which abruptly replaced oldies mainstay WCBS-FM last summer:

New Yorkers have officially — and loudly — rejected "Jack," the controversial format that replaced Cousin Brucie and beloved oldies on WCBS-FM (101.1).
The multi-format, big-playlist, no-DJ format formally debuted in lowly 22nd place in Arbitron's summer ratings — replacing a rebounding WNEW-FM (102.7) as the lowest-rated FM station.
Just last winter, CBS-FM was in ninth place and that wasn't good enough for station-owner Infinity Broadcasting

You shouldn’t mess with Cousin Brucie. (HT: Radio Equalizer)

Two perspectives on General Motors

In today’s Boston Globe, Derrick Jackson suggests that GM could save itself by cutting back on the sales of its most profitable line of vehicles (SUVs). His next great proposition is that because General Motors cannot control health care costs for its workers, national healthcare is the answer. To borrow an expression, if you think health care is expensive now, wait until it’s free.

Sometimes it’s altogether possible that there are problems in America that do not require a massive new government program. It’s true! For a more proximate review of General Motors woes, check out Robert Samuelson’s “The fate of ‘Made in the USA’”:

In 2004, GM's average selling price of $26,479 was $435 lower than in 2002, reports the consulting firm J.D. Power and Associates. Unfortunately, the resulting revenue pinches profits or pushes high-cost producers, such as GM and Ford, into the red. True, GM's distress (and hence Delphi's) stems partly from unappealing vehicles that don't sell well even at lower prices. Since 1999, GM's U.S. market share has dropped from 29.6 percent to 26.4 percent. But high labor costs are also a huge problem. GM and Delphi's hourly wages average about $27 under similar contracts with the United Auto Workers (UAW). Counting fringe benefits and retiree costs (health care and pensions), these soar to $65 for Delphi and $74 for GM.

Since 1948, the UAW and GM, Ford and Chrysler have crafted contracts that turned the companies into mini-welfare states, providing above-average hourly wages (today's average for all manufacturing: $16.60), rich fringe benefits and strong job security. For example, laid-off UAW workers essentially get full salary and benefits indefinitely. With limited competition, companies could pass along common labor costs to consumers and compete on styling and performance. No more. The protected market has given way to imports and foreign firms with nonunionized U.S. plants. Price competition is fierce.

Now comes the reckoning. The market and the welfare state collide.

The realities forced upon General Motors are not unlike the chasm between federal entitlement promises and the ability to pay for them. Washington would do itself credit (for once) to grasp the comparison now rather than later.

Hands down the best review of the Plame kerfuffle: Victoria Toensing in Human Events with “The White House’s legal Katrina”

The journalistic and fiscal decline of the NY Times

Here’s Jay Rosen last week:

Just one man's opinion, but now is a good time to say it: The New York Times is not any longer--in my mind--the greatest newspaper in the land. Nor is it the base line for the public narrative that it once was. Some time in the last year or so I moved the Washington Post into that position...

Debunking the liberal bias of the NY Times and its columnists is a full-time job for some, which is why this story fills me with schadenfreude: “N.Y. Times Earnings Fall in Third Quarter.”

State admits damn lax oversight – “State admits lax dam oversight”

Amazing Race Family Edition update – Southern Fried Racing

Before tonight’s show, Phil came on to announce that the episode was filmed in Louisiana and Mississippi “weeks” before the region was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I seem to remember that in the last Race, teams had traveled through Indonesia only weeks before the tsunami hit. Could it be that where the Amazing Race goes, disaster follows?

Teams started out from Huntsville, Alabama and needed to find the world’s largest office chair in Anniston, Alabama. Nothing to note (another “go here” diversion) as teams find the chair and receive the next clue: go to the Talladega Speedway. This causes some anxiety among the Weaver family because their father was killed in an accident at the Daytona Motor Speedway in Florida. (The Weavers are characterized as “Widow and kids.”) Once at the speedway, teams need to mount a “party bike” and make a lap around the track; the bikes are sufficiently slow such that the teams leave in the order they arrive, allowing for no suspense. After completing this task, teams needed to head to Hattiesburg, Mississippi and “find the Southern Colonel.” This is a trailer home park and teams search thorough all the homes to find one of three departure times the next morning: 7:20am, 7:40am, or 8am.

Side note: a little nudity on the Race? One of the Powerpuff girls mooned the Linz siblings as they passed by on the way to Talladega. Oh those crazy flirty kids.

After a night in a double-wide, teams left at their designated times to head to…a BP gas station down the road. Subtle product placement, this was not. Teams received a clue at the station which directed them 150 miles south to Madisonville, Louisiana and the Fairview State Park. The Schroeder family is from Louisiana and they recognize this as an advantage for them…immediately before taking a wrong turn.

At the park, teams hit the Detour: Work or Play. Teams may choose to use lumberjack saws and cut four slices from a 12” log or they may take a canoe to a riverboat and play blackjack until each family member wins a hand three times. I thought the better choice was the Work, especially for the younger teams, but who can figure out the teams’ rationale at any given time? The Paolo family, a weak team thus far in the Race, finishes cutting first and heads to the Pit Stop: New Orleans.

For the final sprint in this leg, teams had to drive across Lake Pontchartrain, down the unflooded Esplanade, to a dry French Quarter and Preservation Hall. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion finding the Hall on the mostly empty streets of New Orleans (was it a weekday morning? Probably). Although the Paolo family seemed to have had a sizable lead after the Detour, the Bransen family arrives literally seconds ahead as team #1. Team Nawlens, which seemed allergic to obtaining information in either phone books or maps, fell back to last place and were eliminated in their own backyard.

Final standings

#1 – Bransen family – Team Powerpuff (and Wally) – Travelocity trip to Orlando
#2 – Paolo family – Team Joisey
#3 – Linz family – Team Cincinnati
#4 – Godlewski family – Team Scream
#5 – Weaver family – Team Florida
#6 – Gaghan family – Team Rugrats
#7 – Schroeder family – Team Nawlens – PHIL-LIMINATED

Next week: A flight “to another country.” Must be America Junior Canada.

Last week’s update.

Extra – This space reserved for updates from Dummocrats and Brainster.

I would have added “The Shipping News” – Time magazine’s list of the top 100 English-language novels from 1923 to present. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Good question - Wanted, dead or alive: Where's bin Laden now?

Even more complicated - A Stitch in Haste looks at federal tax reform and finds it lacking: “With reform like this, who needs stagnation?”

The secrets of Karl Rove’s garage, revealed!

Something’s gotta give - From NY Times: “General Motors and union reach agreement on health care costs” – “Seeking a way out of its deepening financial crisis, General Motors said today that it had reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers union to cut $1 billion worth of annual health care benefits for hundreds of thousands of American retirees. At the same time, G.M. reported a $1.6 billion third-quarter loss, its largest quarterly loss in more than a decade.”

This can’t go on either: “Jobs bank programs -- 12,000 paid not to work: Big 3 and suppliers pay billions to keep downsized UAW members on payroll in decades-long deal.”

Myth? Myth? – “Yeth?” – This is about the hundredth post I’ve seen about a 70-page report by Bill Galston and Elaine Kamarck called “The Politics of Polarization.” The Democratic analysts write that their party has fallen under the spell of four myths which perpetuate the Dems’ defeat. I would rather that the Democrats continue to believe that Americans support their amorphous positions if they only articulated them a little better. That’s the ticket.

Blasé Iraqis turn out to vote, mutter “yeah, whatever”

Sometimes heading over into the fever swamps of Daily Kos has its moments. They’re in full Karl Rove-Valerie Plame frenzy right now, and I had to scroll way down to find anything about Iraq. Here’s the spin: while people are voting and the constitution will likely pass, the Iraqis are – gosh darn it – just not enthusiastic about it.

So unenthusiastic, in fact, they crowded into the polls. From the UK Guardian – “Large turnout for Iraq constitution vote”:

Sunni Arabs voted in surprisingly high numbers on Iraq's new constitution Saturday, many of them hoping to defeat it in an intense competition with Shiites and Kurds over the shape of the nation's young democracy after decades of dictatorship. With little violence, turnout was more than 66 percent in the three most crucial provinces.

“Intense competition” but, you know, cool and understated. You dig?