I (still) heart Fitty Cent

And I'll be the same when Jay-Z's around, won't scream and holler whenever Usher's in town.*

*It's a line from "I know you don't love me" by Tony Yayo.

Extra edition of "terrorist or crazy?"

Armed man threatening to commit suicide infiltrates UK Embassy compound in Tel Aviv.

Crazy or terrorist? (An Alarming News Continuing Series)

Omeed Aziz Pop, drives SUV into crowd of pedestrians in California.

Previous:

French teenager with gun threatens tourists.

Woman freaks out on airplane, implies she's Al Qaeda, pees on floor.

That's us! That's us!

From an article in the Wall Street Journal on guest-blogging:

At the same time, the guest blogger can't follow a script or act like a substitute teacher who regurgitates the lesson, says Ms. Gelman. Without some creativity or flavor from the new writer, postings sound stale. "Not all voices are created equal," notes Aaron Adams, an information technology consultant from Missouri who reads nearly 20 blogs a day. "Some guest bloggers don't do much more than just keep the light on. They're not as interesting or as stimulating."

Michelle Malkin, host and namesake of a political blog, recruited guest writers carefully when she decided to take her first vacation in several years. All four replacements had a "similar vibe" to her own, says Ms. Malkin. Two of the guest bloggers were well-versed in subjects popular in the news at the time and the other two were friends whose work she admired.

A slice of Ms. Malkin's audience didn't take to the guest bloggers. She chalked that up to a "fickle" bunch who prefer her work as a syndicated columnist. But overall the guest bloggers held readers' attentions, says Ms. Malkin. During the week she was gone, hits averaged around 140,000 a day, down from about 200,000 before she went on vacation. Last week, before she eased back into posting, her average daily visitor tally dipped below 120,000. The numbers didn't faze Ms. Malkin. "For the dog days of August, they did tremendously well," she says of her fill-ins.

What a crazy little dude

"Peaceful nuclear energy is the right of the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation has chosen that based upon international regulations, it wants to use it and no one can stop it," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a news conference.

It's like he saw what happened to Saddam and is dying to get a piece of that action.

UPDATE: Cox and Forkum have some interesting thoughts and an incredible, perfect illustration.

I am not questioning his patriotism. I'm questioning his ethics.

John Murtha says he's disappointed in Hillary Clinton for not joining his call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Earth to Murtha: Your idea for a pullout was rejected 403-3.

But here's the kicker: YOU WERE ONE OF THE 403 WHO VOTED AGAINST THE RESOLUTION TO IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ, YOU TOTAL FRAUD.

SAVE THE DATE

September 9th, blogger party NYC. BE THERE. Location and time to be announced. Watch this space.

We know who our friends are

Three-quarters of U.S. adults identify Israel as either a close ally or "a friend, but not an ally."

Unfunny because it's true

Hat-tip Swoose.

Blogroll Update

NYC:

Cross Molina- As I said in Donny Baseball's comment section "a poker-playing, Yankee loving conservative in NY? I think I'm in love."

California:

Jeremayakovka- One of the cool people who got in touch with me while I was blogging for MM (that's for you, Ken). Jeremayakova also introduced me to the work of....

Cinnamon Stillwell- I love ex-liberals and Cinnamon is one of those. Check out her story here.

Read to me

Sunday night I, along with the good-looking Allah, had the pleasure of meeting the visiting Patterico and his lovely family. We had a great dinner, then grabbed some drinks and chatted politics, blogging and lots of other stuff I can't remember now because I was on 4 hours sleep.

After I left the fellas, I went over to Weenie Enema's for her legendary Emmy-watching party. As I don't watch TV, much less awards show for TV, I was chalking it up to 'it'll be an experience'. And it was. Emma is quirky and sarcastic and generally cracks me up. I could spend like 2 days looking at all the cool stuff she has in her room. She's got a great book collection too, and kept encouraging me to borrow something. I demured, because while totally wanting to borrow like 10 of her books, I have plenty of my own books that I have yet to read. And then I saw it. The book that I had read in the 6th grade and loved more than any other book. The one that had gotten me obsessed with reading. It was "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton. I read that book a million times, rented the movie with C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio and every other famous young man of that era. I had to borrow. I had to. I started reading it that night and continued it on the way to work. It makes me feel just how I felt in 6th grade, completely immersed in the world of greasers and socs.

So, audience participation time: what was your favorite childhood book? My second favorite, when I was in 2nd grade or so, was "Lulu's back in town" but "The Outsiders" was the one for me. What's yours?

I love America

Saddam forced to repeatedly watch South Park Movie.

A post that will be of no interest to anyone

Former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane, becomes manager of Sunderland (my favorite English 'football' team)

In NYC?

I'm going to this tonight and this on Wednesday. Anyone else?

UPDATE: Dawn blogs up the bi-partisan comedy show.

Ooorah!

Lefties lose crackie vote challenge in Mexico. But vow to keep protesting and shut the country down.

Our friends and neighbors

"I don't think you can take pictures in the tunnel."
"Oh. How come?"
"Terrorist concerns."

I was going to take him over the Brooklyn Bridge and show him the spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. But the traffic was so heavy, despite the fact that it was after 11pm on Thursday, so we headed into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. He turned around to snap some pictures, and I warned him against it.

We hadn't talked politics yet and I hoped to avoid it. We hadn't seen each other in 5 years, since the last time I was in Scotland. I didn't want to spend our limited time together arguing over the Iraq war and I felt like this exchange was going to lead us into that political territory.

I know the pattern--"that's a dumb way to combat terrorism, don't Americans understand that you can't fight terrorism in this way, no I don't have a better suggestion beyond some vague 'hearts and minds' blather, but obviously you see Bush is an idiot, don't you?, you don't?, I'm really surprised at you, I thought you were smarter than that, don't you listen to "Bright Eyes" and "Radiohead"?, don't tell me you support what Israel is doing in the Middle East, obviously the Iraq war is a disaster, Bush only did it for oil/money/daddy/power, what about what the Americans did in Central America in the 80's?, well I think it is relevant to prove Americans are power-hungry imperialists who want to keep the brown man down."

I was exhausted just thinking about it. But he didn't go there. In fact, he seemed understanding and sympathetic to the fact that we have to live this way now, that a tourist probably can't take pictures in certain places in NY and that's the way it's going to be for some time. And though we hung out for three days, we never talked politics at all. It was such a happy time.

But my nervousness at the course our conversation could have taken got me thinking: I hate terrorists for killing innocent people and I hate them for forcing us to live a life where you can't take pictures where you please, you can't carry certain things onto airplanes, etc. But I really hate them for the divide they've caused in the western world. I hate hating France and being suspicious of Europe. I don't see them as the enemy, but I do see them as turning a blind eye to this growing, immediate problem. And I know they see us in the same way--as this bumbling superpower who just can't get things right. We yell at them for not doing enough, they yell at us for doing too much. It's every Islamofascists dream. We are completely divided to where I expect a certain amount of hostility from Europeans, not even for being rightwingish, but just for being American. And I assume they'll all be leftists, more concerned with pc-ness and intellectualism than doing what they must to survive. Even the ones I like and respect.

I don't know how to get around this, exactly. But if we don't thaw relations, and soon, then the cliche is true, the terrorists will have won.

"If he comes to kill you, kill him first"

A great article in the Washington Post about the agonizing that Israel does over the use of target killings. I'm fairly certain Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda have no such moral dilemma.

H/T Frank White.

History can make you anything.

Barry Goldwater: Liberal. Al Franken, Ted Kennedy, James Carville and Hillary Clinton say so.

When the populace has resolve but the leadership does not

Most Israelis want prime minister to resign - poll

I wrote about this on Michelle Malkin's blog (shut it, Ken):

The problem, of course, is that Israelis are feeling that their mission was not accomplished. Hezbollah remains operational, and now defiantly so, while Israeli civilians remain a target. What did Israel win, exactly?

A Jerusalem Post article notes that Israelis feel their "sacrifice has been betrayed".

I can't help but feel there is a similiar phenomenon going on with the Iraq war. The president's approval numbers are dismally low, so low that when they hit the upper 30s, it seems like he's "back". But more than ever I feel it isn't because he is too much of a hawk or a cowboy--it's because he's not enough of those things.

I think that like Olmert, Bush is now perceived as weak and ineffective by a majority of his countrymen. Forget the wacky left, who think Bush likes to kill people for sport. Bush has lost the right, the majority of the people who supported the Iraq war and re-elected Bush by a majority in '04, mostly because he hammered John Kerry on being a weakling. Americans are tough, it wasn't accidental that they picked the cowboy over the guy offering a 'global test'.

My feeling is that Americans are souring on Iraq for two reasons:

1. They feel our kid glove treatment, with more focus on winning hearts&minds and less on killing terrorists, just isn't working. They are not seeing toughness. We're frequently told we're at war...but it feels like we're in some weird gray area where yeah, we're sort of at war but we're also sort of trying to be some kind of good samaritans. I love the idea of helping the Iraqi people while making that part of the world safer, but I was for this war to destroy terrorists wherever they may breed--helping Iraqis was a noble side goal. Which brings me to point #2:

2. We've lost faith in the Iraqi people. Let's face it, we thought Iraqis would step up and welcome their freedom. Its happened to some extent but the big image out of Iraq is of a people resigned to live under Saddam's thumb who don't want the big responsibility of governing themselves. I hear this from friends who have served in Iraq. They were for the war, and still are, but they wish the Iraqi people would begin to take over some of the burdens of civilization--building roads, forming governments, and, most of all, killing terrorists--so that our boys can come home.

I still support the Iraq war, I supported it when it began and I support it now. But Bush should take some lessons from the problems of Olmert. Israelis and Americans have a common enemy, it's clearer now than ever. And both of our peoples are resolved to defend ourselves as needed. If only our leadership doesn't falter, I believe we will be successful.

A Jew, but not for Jesus

I saw a Jews for Jesus pamphlet recently with Jackie Mason's face on it. I thought that was odd...Jackie a Jew for Jesus? That just can't be! It turns out, it isn't. And Jackie is suing.

Wait. What?

National Weather Service Issues New York City Tornado Warning

Hat-tip Frank White.

How?

How did I know Jeff Goldstein was going to be adorable (though as I don't have sound where I am I can't add "how did I know he was going to be hilarious)?

UPDATE: Jeff Goldstein is hilarious.

Tentative

How is September 9th for a NY blogger party?

Stop talking crazy, everyone knows there was no mideast tension before the Iraq war

Wall Street Journal:

One harsh lesson is that France -- the lead proponent of projecting Europe as an alternative to U.S. global leadership -- is little more popular with Hezbollah, Iran and others in the Muslim world than the U.S., despite Paris's opposition to the Iraq war.

ABM '08

Drudge: McCain heads overseas to observe 'global warming' effects...

UPDATE: On another note, it looks like McCain's Straight Talk PAC has hired Howard Dean's webmaster and they've been less than straight in answering Jim Geraghty's questions.

Anybody but McCain '08

McCain faults Bush administration on Iraq: Americans led to believe war would be a ‘day at the beach,’ senator says.

After 5 seconds of googling, here's Bush talking about our upcoming beach day, on the eve of the Iraq war, March 19, 2003:

I want Americans and all the world to know that coalition forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm. A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California could be longer and more difficult than some predict. And helping Iraqis achieve a united, stable and free country will require our sustained commitment.

If anything, Bush has said so much to dispel the idea that this war would be easy. Many of his early speeches centered around the idea of a long and difficult war, not only in Iraq but in general when we fight global terrorism.

So many people that I respect (hi W.O!) like McCain and if he is the Republican candidate in '08, I pledge right now to support him. But I will fight against him in the primary. I don't want someone that watches polls and "mavericks" his way into constantly offending his fellow Republicans. Anybody but McCain for the Republican nomination in '08, anybody.

UPDATE: Allah has video and thinks that distancing oneself from the war will become a fact of life for anyone running for president in '08. I'm not convinced and will try to write more on that in the next day.

Fox News crew still missing (bumped with new info)

WHERE IS THE MEDIA?

Michelle Malkin:

My opinion: No news is news. So is unchecked terrorist thuggery against Western journalists. The disappearance of Centanni and Wiig is at least as newsworthy as--and far more threatening to our national security than--people falling off cruise ships or getting eaten by alligators or attacked by bees.

UPDATE, 8/23/06 10:17am: Reader Sara writes in:

"A new terror group - the holy jihad brigade has them and says they want all muslims held in US jails to be released in 72 hours and the world should convert to Islam. Plus, they say that the muslim leaders are too weak and speak too much to Non Muslims. They have a 90 sec video with the two men. They say they are bring treated well and have fresh water, food, clean clothes and bathroom accessibility."

Update, 10:46am: Allah has got the video.

I realize this isn't my poker blog, but I need to share

I had quad aces last night. And, the most miraculous part is I got paid on them

Crazy or terrorist?: A new fun game for all ages.

A French teenager who threatened tourists with a toy gun on top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was Friday undergoing a psychological evaluation after being arrested by police, officers said.

The 17-year-old, a resident of a northern Paris suburb, was taken to a police psychiatric ward in the capital following the incident late Thursday.

He was not immediately identified. Police said he had no prior criminal record.

According to officers, the teenager waved his compressed air pistol at tourists on top of the landmark building at the top of the Champs-Elysées, and even fired once into the air.

He had written the words "revendication Al-qaeda" ('in the name of Al-Qaeda') on his T-shirt and on his torso.

So, is anyone giving odds that the kid is Muslim? I assume he was, not because he was waving a (toy) gun at tourists and not because he wrote "Al Qaeda" on himself, but because he was "not immediately identified" which seems to mean, lately, that he's going to have a distinctively Arabic/Islamic name. Just. A. Hunch.

Hat-tip Ark.

UPDATE: Though I love the NRA, I don't know my guns. According to Ken and Jake in the comment section, a "compressed air pistol" IS NOT a toy and can do damage.

MK is prett-ay.

My co-guest-blogger from Michelle Malkin's site, Mary Katharine Ham, is guest-hosting Vent over at Hot Air. Check her out.

Say what now?

There's a Superhero Supply Store in Brooklyn, owned by writer Dave Eggers (whose first book "Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" I couldn't put down and whose second book "You shall know our velocity", I couldn't finish).

Via Johnny Triangles.

UPDATE: Store website here.

News you may have missed

A majority of Americans think things are going well.

How about that.

The sun'll come out tomorrow

The United Nations has given Iran until the end of August to end its uranium enrichment program. If Iran doesn't, I'm positive the UN will write a strongly worded letter. They might even send 200 French soldiers--but, of course, only if they are promised that they will not be in any danger.

Anyway, this isn't actually a bash-the-UN post, fun as that is. The Iranian leadership has self-imposed tomorrow as the deadline for response. "Iran on Sunday said it will offer a "multifaceted response" to the incentives proposal." There are rumors that that means some kind of military action by Iran. My boyfriend, Peter, is worried they will launch something at Israel or at us. Personally, I doubt it. Multifaceted can just mean incorporating music and dance in their response. Perhaps some doves.

I'm not worried about Iran because I feel they must know (they must!) that Iran will be completely wiped off the map if they do anything to the U.S or Israel. Peter thinks I'm imagining them as much more rational than they are.

What say all of you? Are you worried about tomorrow? And is the Iranian leadership more crazy or less crazy than they seem?

That blogger party....

...is definitely not happening in August. I just don't have the time to put it together. Stay tuned for info in early September.

Stop judging their culture....

....this is totally normal:

Islamic clerics in eastern India have ruled that a woman divorced by her husband in a fit of drunkenness can remarry him only after she takes another husband for three months, police said on Monday.

Ershad, a rickshaw puller, uttered the word “talaq,” or divorce, three times earlier this month while he was drunk, and when news leaked out in their village in eastern Orissa state, the clerics said they must separate.

....

Under the rules, the woman, who is a mother of three, must marry another man and obtain a divorce from him before she can be reunited with Ershad, the clerics in the local mosque said.

The clerics have said the man the woman marries temporarily must be 70 years of age, Parida said.

UPDATE: Superfischel was on the talaq insanity way back.

Your tax dollars at work

Las Vegas outlaws snoozing within 500 feet of bodily waste

Hat-tip: Frank White.

Just think: this idiot was almost president

John Kerry was on George Stephanapolous's show bashing Joe Lieberman and made this comment about the war in Iraq:

Kerry told chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos, "Iraq is not the center of the war on terror," while also asserting, "Iraq is in a civil war; of course it's in a civil war."

Kerry said he supports the efforts of Senator John Warner, R-Va., to introduce a second resolution on Iraq if and when the country descends into outright civil war. Kerry believes that moment has come and reiterated, "We have to set a date for the withdrawal," before concluding, "The absence of diplomacy is putting our troops at greater risk and is reducing our ability for success."

Now, forget about the fact that Kerry is literally calling for the U.S to cut&run from our responsibility if Iraq descends into civil war, despite, you know, Kerry authorizing the war to happen in the first place.

What I want to know is with whom, exactly, is Kerry suggesting we introduce diplomatic relations? "The absence of diplomacy" suggests that Kerry believes diplomacy is possible. But with whom? With Zarqawi's replacement? With the mullahs in Iran? With bin Laden himself? Where are the follow-up questions from so-called journalists? I want to know whom, exactly, a president Kerry would've been diplomatic toward at this juncture of the war. I think his constituents deserve to know.

Blogroll Update

NYC:

Broken Chair- Ed and I went to the same high school, briefly. I spent my freshman year at the school where he was a senior, and then transferred to another school for the rest of my high school career. I cursed the first school because it stuck me with Dawn Summers, but now that it led me to the fine blogger at Broken Chair, I suppose I can hate it a little less. Check out Ed's poem that inspired his blog name.

Snarking Dawg- A snarky Queens blogger who earned his blogroll position with this post.

California:

House of Eratosthenes- Didja see MK Freeberg call me smart? Didja?

Rest of America:

Day by Day- Chris Muir's Day By Day Cartoon is excellent and deserves national syndication.

UPDATE: In the NY section, Blog News Network is doing an aggregate of NY blogs. Looks pretty cool so far.

Sniff

I'm done with my guest-blogging gig at Michelle Malkin's site. And while I'll miss having 200 times the amount of readers I have here, it's nice to be back home. I hope some of you who have come over from Michelle's come back again. It's been nice having you.

Adds "we have our hands full just now but maybe next year"

US says it has no plans to invade Cuba

Quote of the day

Or, ok, I just found this line funny:

Mr. Callaghan was wearing a bow tie, as is his wont, though I am loathe to mention it because I long for the return of the day when bow ties can be worn freely again without exciting comment.

-Michael Cooper, writing on the NY Times local politics blog, Empire Zone on a visit with Republican candidate for State Comptroller, J. Christopher Callaghan.

Apropos of nothing.....

Cathy Seipp is my badass woman role model.

Where I've been

I know I've been very neglectful of this site, I've had a busy work week in addition to blogging over at Michelle Malkin's site. Back in form soon.

For now, I've got a post up on MM about the woman who disrupted a flight earlier in the week. Lots of people seem to be concluding that she was simply crazy and not actually dangerous. I'm unconvinced.

"I'm deranged down down down"

My online scuffle with Andrew Sullivan continues. He takes me on, by name this time, here, I respond here.

Update: He responds, I respond.

Does it get any better than this?

Andrew Sullivan has called me deranged.

UPDATE: Wooooooooooooooo! James Taranto linked this post.

Headline of the day

The top one by James Taranto. Can y'all identify it?

Update: James has been fielding complaints from people who don't get the reference and think it should be "your money". Fogeys.

Read over there, comment over here

What I've been blogging over at Michelle Malkin's site:

**President Bush says freedom beat Hezbollah. I want to know what freedom wins, exactly.

**The whole George Allen scandal seems awfully similar to the 'niggardly' case that happened in DC a few years back. Everyone knows they're mad but no one knows exactly why.

**I'm in favor of torture, particularly if it is immediately saving lives.

**I listened to, and loved, Glenn+Helen's podcast on debunking 9/11 conspiracy theories.

**Harry Reid returned a contribution from one of the liars in the Rathergate scandal. 'What a loser. Good.' Sorry, I've had that Wedding Crashers line in my head for days now.

Hot SJM seeks chick

I hope my shaming him had something to do with his return to blogging: Superfischel is back. And he wants a girlfriend.

9/11 did happen

I saw the issue of NY Magazine as it arrived in the mail. The blue sky behind the towers and the words "What If 9/11 Never Happened?"

If I was Andrew Sullivan, one of the writers of the alternative history featured in the magazine, I might have felt heartache or whatever, but I just felt anger. I can't be alone in my feeling that I'm not ready for this yet. I can't watch Nicholas Cage play a character in the 9/11 drama, and I certainly can't read Andrew Sullivan imagine a president Gore and an Iraq with Saddam still in power. It's just too soon for this, it's not even five years yet. A child born to a man that died that day still doesn't understand what happened to daddy. I'm not counting on NY Magazine to have any grace; after all, filth and drama sells, I'm just noting my stern opposition to encouraging it.

Allah has more.

UPDATE: I get further into it on Michelle's site.

Israeli politics

The word from Israel is that the Israelis didn't want this ceasefire and that Olmert is toast.

Over there

My first post is up at Michelle Malkin's site (first post following my bio post, that is). It's about Howard Dean calling Saddam Hussein a "pain in the neck". (Will Ferrell)What an idiot! What a loser! (/Will Ferrell)

I'm joined at MM by Mary Katharine Ham, Val Prieto of Babalu blog and Columnist Diana West of the Washington Times.

"Summer in the City" blogger party

With summer almost over, I thought it was about time to have one of those world-famous blogger parties. This is that initial post to gauge interest and enthusiasm, as well as learn which dates work best for the great majority of bloggers. Please use the comment section to express a preference so I can have all the information in one convenient location.

There are only 2 weekends left in August--either this upcoming weekend, August 18th or 19th or the following one, August 25th and 26th. I actually prefer the 19th but I'm fairly flexible. It wouldn't be unheard of to have the party sometime in September, either.

So, do let me know your preferences and I'll do my best to accomodate them.

Who knew England even had any other players?

Beckham Dropped From England

UPDATE: I mean, seriously:

Muslim charity in Britain aided planned terrorist attack

Where are the moderate Muslims? WHERE?

Money sent to Pakistan for quake rehabilitation was used to fund the Heathrow bomb attack plot that was foiled by British authorities, says an investigation by a leading Pakistani daily.

According to the Daily Times, the Muslim Charity of UK remitted a huge amount of money to three individuals in three different bank accounts in Mirpur, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in December 2005 as earthquake relief.

But the money in the three accounts in Saudi Pak Bank, Standard Chartered and Habib Bank Ltd was solely for the purpose of financing the foiled bomb plot, the paper said.

Just to recap: Brits, as well as other westerners I presume, donated money to earthquake relief in Pakistan. That money was then used to try and murder them.

Hat-tip Ark.

Unbelievable

I can't believe Michelle Malkin knows who I am. I can't believe she's heard of my blog. I can't believe she has sent me email.

But what I really can't believe is that she asked me to guest-blog on her site starting Monday.

I really can't.

Killing an Arab?

Bush reads Camus's 'The Stranger' on ranch vacation

Interesting choice considering its most memorable scene.

.....then the terrorists win

Israel accepts UN ceasefire deal

"If having standards means I'm a Republican, then I'll be a Republican"-Herman Badillo

Johnny Triangles is insulted that the NY Fire Department is lowering its standards so that they'll have more black firemen. I'm insulted too, and I'm white.

Azi, Azi, Azi, Oy, Oy, Oy

For those interested in NY politics, or the happenings in the NY political blogging scene, Azi Paybarah is back at the NY Observer and its Politicker blog. I'm not clear on what will happen to the NY Sun's 51st State blog with his departure.

Just because he wants to kill all the Jews, that does not make him anti-Semitic!

Sean Hannity interview with Mike Wallace regarding Wallace's interview with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

Wallace: (Re. statements on wiping Israel off the map). He has interesting answers for all of that and he’s happy to entertain a discussion.

Hannity: You don’t think he’s an anti-Semite?

Wallace: Anti-Jew? No, no I don’t…

Allah has got audio.

Things I'm thinking about today

1. The news from Britain is just crazy, a timely reminder that terrorism isn't a figment of President Bush's imagination.

2. I don't think Lieberman should run as an Independent. A few years back, I really wanted Pat Toomey to defeat Arlen Specter in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. It wasn't just that Specter was to my left on so many issues, and that Toomey was such a real fiscal conservative (Toomey now heads my favorite group--Club for Growth), it was that Specter seemed to enjoy sticking his thumb in the eye of Republicans to enhance his 'moderate', 'bi-partisan' image. I imagine that this is what Democrats felt about Lieberman. I think back to that time, when Toomey lost by the tiniest sliver of a margin, and try to imagine him winning and then Specter running as an Independent. I would've lost the plot. I don't hate Specter, he's one of ours, even when it doesn't seem that way, but I would've despised him had he done something like that. Lieberman lost, fair and square, he should step aside and let democracy take its course. (Not to mention, from a political perspective, what a complete embarrassment it will be if he runs as an Independent and loses anyway).

3. Last night, I attended the most interesting debate of all time. To quote my not-very-political friend Lisa who attended as favor to me (I do work for one of the candidates) "wow, I thought that was going to be boring." It was definitely not boring.

4. Yesterday morning I was standing on the subway platform when a train pulled into the station. The conducter was completely asleep, head back, tongue out, Homer Simpson style. I still got on the train. I was late for work and I know there are two conducters and neither is even necessary. But still, I got on a train knowing that someone was literally asleep at the wheel. I need to examine that.

No more hopey!

Dawn Summers has finally moved off blogger and onto a snazzy new site. Update your blogroll: http://www.clareified.com/

Blogroll Update

New York Politics Section:

The funkiest pundit, Tom Elliott, has started an anti-Eliot Spitzer blog- Spitzer Blog

Colorado:

I only noticed today that Clay Calhoun isn't on my blogroll. That's a travesty, and I've corrected this grievous error.

Weak and wrong

That's our Democrats!

Dem gone crazy

People keep asking how exactly the Lamont win will be good for the Republicans. Here's one way.

UPDATE: Michael Moore writes:

I realize that there are those like Kerry and Edwards who have now changed their position and are strongly anti-war. Perhaps that switch will be enough for some to support them. For others, like me -- while I'm glad they've seen the light -- their massive error in judgment is, sadly, proof that they are not fit for the job. They sided with Bush, and for that, they may never enter the promised land.

Except, of course, that he supported Kerry in '04, back when there was little question that John Kerry was for the war, over the strictly anti-war Ralph Nader. Moore likes to talk big on principles, but he doesn't have any.

If they loved their children....

Taking a break from all the fake pictures coming out of the Middle East, let's not forget that some real pictures of the conflict do exist.

Via Joe Grossberg.

Thought the Reuters photo-staging was an isolated case?

U.S News and the NY Times both have some 'splaining to do.

On Ned Lamont

"But it's good for Republicans."

"But it's bad for America."

Mel Gibson says sorry

Heh.

Hat-tip the sadly blog-less Fisch.

Gone, daddy, gone

Eleven Egyptian students land at JFK airport in NY and promptly disappear.

I have no comment

NONE:

NEW YORK (AP) _ Apparently a bit tired of her party-girl image, Lindsay Lohan says she wants to go to Iraq with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and entertain American troops there.

"I've been trying to go to Iraq with Hillary Clinton for so long. Hillary was trying to work it out, but it seemed too dangerous," Lohan said in an interview in the September issue of Elle magazine, to be released Wednesday.

The 20-year old actress and pop singer said she hoped to emulate Marilyn Monroe, who performed shows for about 100,000 troops stationed in Korea in 1954.

"It's so amazing seeing that one woman just going somewhere, this beautiful sex kitten, who's basically a pinup, which is what I've always aspired to be," Lohan said, adding that she would prepare for her trip to Iraq by taking shooting lessons with her security guard.

This could be your next senator, Connecticut

Scenes from Lamont's morning:

A brief delay ensued when Mr. Lamont realized he had left his wallet in the car — and, as in those credit card commercials where even celebrities need their identification, Mr. Lamont beat a brief but hasty retreat to retrieve his driver’s license, then voted.

UPDATE: Tom Elliot thinks that no matter who wins the race, it's a win for the war effort.

Someone tell grandma she's not G-d

Picture blatantly stolen from the only gossip site that can ever hold my attention: Perez Hilton.

Step away from the crazy person

I know some of you think I'm overly sensitive to anti-Jewish/anti-Israel sentiment. Maybe that's true. I do believe it's important to shine a light on anti-Semitism and shame the person involved, in order to teach lessons to other people. By no means, however, do I think the majority, or even a significant minority, of Americans are anti-Semitic. I admit Jews have it pretty good in the U.S.A. A poster at the lefty blog Daily Gotham doesn't think so:

Forget Mel Gibson's drunken, anti-Semitic rants. Throughout America anti-Semitism is rampant. In fact, hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, homosexuals, Hispanics, etc. are rampant. Mix this new Culture of Intolerance, routinely fed and encouraged by the Republican Party and its media lapdogs, with the acceptance of torture and detention without due process and you get an America that is walking the path that Germany walked in the 1930's.

Wow. Yeah. America is just about to round up the Jews (and Muslims, homosexuals, Hispanics and of course "etc.") onto trains in order to have free labor and then kill us at will. We're totally on the path. I can hear the train coming. Choo choo.

Or, more like koo-koo:

In Indiana, a prominent politician told a group of Jews that their opinion on the recitation of Christian prayers at legislative sessions didn't matter because they only made up 2% of the population.

In Delaware, Jewish and Muslim families were insulted, humiliated, and threatened until they were forced to flee the town due to threatened violence by right wing Christian fanatics who were pushing Christian prayer in school.

Ann Coulter advocates bombing the NY Times building, attacking liberals with baseball bats, and the assassination of a Supreme Court Justice and a Congressman.

Wait, what? What does Ann Coulter's comments on the Times or liberals or Supreme Court justices have to do with anti-Semitism?

I hate that hysterical people like this exist, it makes it much harder to get people to care when actual instances of anti-Semitism take place. How is anyone supposed to pay attention to his examples of Indiana and Delaware when he randomly throws in an irrelevant anti-Coulter rant? With friends like these....

He comes out

The very anonymous Ace of Spades is set to be on Fox News at some point today. He's already pre-recorded his segment and he discusses his feelings of calm and tranquility before appearing on tv, here.

UPDATE: Allah has the video and says that he will remain anonymous despite Ace coming out.

I may be wrong....

....but at least I'm not too chicken to put my name on my prediction.

Predictions for today's US Senate primary in CT are welcome in the comment section.

UPDATE: Ben Smith is saying that the mood in CT seems to have swung in Lieberman's direction, though he's careful to note that may not translate into votes.

ANOTHER UPDATE: The Lieberman team is accusing Lamont and his supporters with bringing down their website.

Madonna will bring peace....

...or just act like a jackass until we all forget all about the Mideast war going on.

The Mideast situation in one easy to understand line

Steve Silver's quote of the day is my quote of the day.

My truth....

....is that I'm not ready to see movies about 9/11.

All eyes on Connecticut

Robert George thinks a Lieberman loss will be bad for Republicans this election cycle:

If Lieberman does indeed lose on Tuesday, this race may turn out to be the campaign that opens up the floodgates for criticism -- not of the Iraq War, per se -- but those who have given Bush something of a free pass on the handling of the war.

That includes a whole lot of Republicans. Congress is supposed to be an independent and co-equal branch of government with the presidency/executive.

The GOP-led Congress, so interested in "oversight" when Bill Clinton was in office has completely, as the saying goes, "lost the plot" with the Bush administration.

Don't be surprised if a Lieberman loss emboldens Democrats -- but also scares Republicans across the country too.

I disagree. If there's anything that should scare Republicans up for election this year it's winner's syndrome. Republicans have everything. We have the White House, both Houses of Congress and a majority of governorships. Our constant winning has made us soft--on spending, on immigration, even on foreign policy--we seem to have a real neither-here-nor-there approach, and we count on the Democrats remaining lost and crazy to keep us winning.

A Lieberman loss, however, would send a real clear message to the conservatives who plan on staying home: it isn't just Democrats that will win--it's Democrats like this, left-wing, supported by the nuts for Daily Kos and endorsed heartily by Howard Dean's brother. Can you live with that? I think most conservatives will conclude they can not. I still want Lieberman to win, but I do believe his loss will get Republicans worked up enough to come out and vote in November.

Getting bigger

Reuters pulls all 900+ photos by Adnan Haj. Allahpundit writes:

I think we’re at the part in “Shattered Glass” now where Peter Sarsgaard’s rifling through back issues of the New Republic while Hayden Christensen sobs gently behind him.

“Chuck? Are you mad at me, Chuck?”

FAKE

Reuters doctoring photos from Lebanon? I can barely contain my shock.

You too will be stunned to find out that it's the same photographer who took the famous Qana dead children pics.

UPDATE: This is not the first photo Adnan Hajj has photoshopped.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Heh.

AND ANOTHER UPDATE: There's more and there's more.

I guess I'm just being sensitive

Israeli filmmaker urged not to attend his film's opening at the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland.

Awwwwww, Bubba

I'll miss you: Yankees designate Crosby, recall Veras. H/T Peter.

"I'll pay"

Email exchange from yesterday with my friend SMVP:

Me: Free starbucks frozen drinks for next hour.
SMVP: Where'd u get that from?
Me: A bunch of people and I was just outside. There are lines, though.
SMVP: Its great if u're the first on line. Otherwise, i'd pay double to get everyone else off the line.

Audience Participation.

Can I ask y'all a really random question? If you could ask a question of any specific U.S Senate candidate running in 2006, or all of them collectively, what would you ask?

I think I would ask Katherine Harris if she would do it all over again. And I would ask all of them how they picture America in 50 years. Oh, and also if they would've voted for the Iraq war.

Sad

From Britain's Telegraph:

There's a problem here. Jews, and by extension Israelis, are un-insultable in ethnic terms, though everybody else is. I know it's hard to tell a people who saw six million of their number murdered to turn the other cheek, but turn the other cheek they must, unless they want to present themselves as the great unimpeachable race apart.

Gibson's absurd remark should be like water off a duck's back, but no: in the eyes of American Jews, it is a sin against nature, and he must be punished to within an inch of his life.

In the present Middle East crisis - and since the horror of 9/11 overall - it has become pretty impossible to make any remarks about Jews or against Israel which are not immediately seen to be either monstrously anti-Semitic, or indicative of supporting terrorism. The thought-police are out in force in almost every publication in America, and to suggest that the Israeli lobby has an undue weight on American foreign policy - as two writers did recently in the London Review of Books - can cause a storm of protest, much of it insinuating that the authors or the publications concerned hate Jews.

This is a mainstream newspaper over there. Like, a normal, broadsheet newspaper. In fact, it's considered the conservative paper! Say what you will about our NY Times, our LA Times, our Washington Post--I'd choose them over the rantings of the mildly insane that is featured in British papers. Read the whole thing, just to know that people like this not only exist but are given prominence across the pond.

Consequences

Ed Koch and Rafael Medoff have a piece in the Jewish Forward summing up the offensive things said by famous people and the reprecussions, if any, of their comments. Based on their examples it seems that insulting blacks or gays gets you in big trouble, Jews just a little.

Song of the week

"Gone" by Kanye West.

What are y'all listening to?

Where is the outrage?

Blasts at Baghdad Soccer Fields Leave 14 Dead

Or does the world only care if they can blame Israel or America?

Rumor

My brother's friends in Miami are telling him that word is that Castro is dead and it will be announced tonight around 2am. As he's not a particularly political person, nor are his friends, I'm sort of inclined to believe it. But, who knows? We can only hope.

Update, 8:00am: No news is bad news. I guess Castro still lives.

Michael Moore grosses me out

He claims that Republicans hug him all the time and then adds:

"Look up the definition of liberal. We hug trees. We hug each other. We hug people of the same sex and want to marry each other," Moore said. "It's the other side that we need to get to hold their arms out a little bit and coochey-coo."

Uhhhh, ewww. I wouldn't coochey-coo Moore if he was the last of any living, breathing species. Ick. Spit.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

My guest blogger Dorian Davis linked to Media Matters a few days ago, and sadly I now have to do it again. This is from an exchange between MSNBC host Chris Matthews and perpetual candidate Mark Green:

MATTHEWS: Mark, what do you think of my idea of taking the U.N., if it wants to expand -- in fact, encourage it to expand -- and put it down at World Trade Center, in the footprint, so that if they hit us again, they're hitting everybody?

GREEN: I like that idea. But let me disagree --

MATTHEWS: Hold the whole world hostage to our security -- don't you think that's a good idea?

GREEN: One second -- let me just --

MATTHEWS: If we're going to rebuild, why don't we put the U.N. -- you guys have a problem, really, coming out against terrorism. We'll put you in a situation where you face the terrorists head-on.

GREEN: Chris --

MATTHEWS: We're going to put you --

GREEN: It's a good TV idea, but --

MATTHEWS: Why isn't it a good idea in reality?

GREEN: Symbolically it's a good idea, because they hit us there, and let the world come together there. But I disagree on Bush and protecting New York. It was eight years between the first and the second World Trade Center attacks. As a New Yorker who saw the plane go into the World Trade Center on the day I had an election -- of course I'm relieved there's no attack, but for one day -- for four days of the Iraq war, we can inspect not 5 percent of all containers coming into this city, but 20 percent. We could protect every airliner with antimissile devices.

THE UN!?!?!? On the ground where 3000 Americans died? Is he high?

The UN, the same UN that allows Syria and Iran to chair Human Rights Committees, the UN that does nothing as terrorists purposely kill Israeli children but springs to life when Israel accidentally kills any civilians? Not to mention the UN's past funding of Hamas. The UN that opposed the removal of Saddam, that fought us every step of the way, all the while making secret Oil for payola deals? The UN which allows gangsters to launder money through it. Sexual harrassment, extortion, theft, rape and more rape.

I don't even want the UN in the same city, let alone on that site. Jayzussssss, way to work me up on a Wednesday afternoon, Chris Matthews, way to work me up.

UPDATE: Oh, and one other thing. Terrorists are not robots. They are not programmed to hit the same physical location over and over. If the UN is on the WTC site, they will choose another site. Because, as my Scottish friend Bobby said at the time, they wouldn't piss on their own chips, now would they?

ANOTHER UPDATE: Ace writes: "If Chris Matthews has any kind of point here, why not move the UN to Tel Aviv or Haifa?" Heh.

Please G-d make it so

One of the worst Congressmen in the country, NY's own Charles Rangel, said he will resign his seat if the Democrats don't retake the House in November.

What happened in Qana?

I hate conspiracy theories, but I trust Hezbollah and their fans in the media as far as I can throw them so I'm not sure what to make of all this.

No.

Gibson Asks Jews’ Forgiveness for Remarks

Mostly because he has made Abe Foxman right.

UPDATE: Allah writes:

As if Jews don’t have enough to do between worrying about Israel and dodging bullets outside the local JCC, now they have to help this moron understand that they’re not out sowing the seeds of world discord. Were I a cynic, I’d call this a calculated ploy to put the ball back in their court morally, a way to preempt grudge-holding by framing it in terms of denying assistance to a man in distress.

Exactly.

For future information

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Get paid to blog

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One more day!

What does one get for the girl that has everything?

Dawn Summers turned 27 for the 4th, or so, time in early July. As she hits her "late 20's", she is the proud owner of a car and a phat apartment which, like the apartments of rich people all over the world, has a stand-up bar.

What could I, on my meager 5 figure salary, get for her?

I decided that it was the thought that counted (particularly because the biatch didn't get me anything for my birthday). So, I thought and I thought. And then I bought her the best playing cards around, a two pack set of Copag plastic cards. If you've never used them, I suggest you don't ever start. You will never be able to go back to paper cards again. Sure the gift cost under $20 but, again, it's all about the thought, right? I presented them to her, convinced she would love my, admittedly cheap, gift. And she did. Or, she pretended to for a good 6 minutes. And then she said, as she giggled, "Actually, I bought 4 packs of these recently". She paid double what I paid, though. Serves her right.

Then, I decided I would get her something for her new home. But what does one get for a girl with an automatic garbage can and not only the aforementioned bar but also a separate wine chiller that holds a dozen bottles (oh, and by the way, Dawn isn't really a drinker). During her NY-birthday party (there was also a Vegas party and an LA party), I discovered she lacked a sugar bowl after I was forced to spoon sugar out of a 7lb bag in order to make Lemon Drops. I picked out a sugar bowl from Crate&Barrel online and went to shipping. Turns out, it would cost more to ship it than the price of the bowl. Dammmmmmmit. I decide that someday I will find myself in a Home Goods store and buy her the sugar bowl then.

So, back to square one. What could I get her, what could I get her? Oh, I know! She's had the clarified.blogspot.com for years now, I'll get her a .com! Clarified.com was taken and since the site is actually (to the keen eyed reader) called "Clareified", I buy her www.clareified.com. And, since I'm already buying, I decide that our ihadouts.blogspot.com has to go and I purchase wehadouts.com.

When I tell Dawn about our domain name purchases, she is happy. Then, she says "so what now, how do I get my site on there?" Uhhhhh, dunno, actually. Ummmm, I guess someone will have to make some calls or something. And still no present.

Suddenly July was almost over and all I had gotten her were several attempts at gifts. What could I get her, what could I get her? I had given her the gift of traffic in previous years. Like here and here.

And then it hits me. What does the girl who celebrates her birthday for the entire month of July really, really want? What would make her happiest? What could I do for her? I know! It's August 1st and the birthday season continues! One more day for Dawn! I hope it's a very, very happy one, Ms. Summers. You can be a nightmare sometimes (most of the time) but when you're not, when you're funny and interesting and funny some more, you're one of my favorite people on earth. Happy birthday to you. May your bad beats be few and your suckouts be plentiful (just not against me).