Hillary's 'Fearmongering' Ad

Check out this desperation 'Hail Mary' ad from Hillary:

The wheels are coming off Hillary's campaign, but you have to admit that for a lot of people her image remains solid. There are a lot of Democrats, independents and maybe even some Republicans that really believe Hillary is the best person to pick up that telephone in the middle of the night. Why would anyone believe that, however? She never had a security clearance in the White House, and so she was never privy to national security issues. Hillary has never been tested in an emergency - so where does this assumption come from that she has proven herself to be calm and collected during a catastrophe?

Once again we see Hillary trying to lay claim to something to which she is not entitled. Or at least no more entitled than Obama is. She has laid claim to other things such as 'competence' and 'experience' also, again with no justification for doing so. This is a testament to Hillary's ability to build her own image, which even now seems to remain intact for the most part.

Or, you could be one of those people who sees through the fluff and laughs at this commercial for the ridiculous premises it rests on.

William F. Buckley, Jr. R.I.P.

William F. Buckley, Jr. 1925-2008

National Review Online is reporting that William F. Buckley, Jr. has passed away.

With the passing of Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman and now Buckley, conservatism has lost its trio of icons.

Condolences to his family, his colleagues and lovers of individual liberty everywhere.

Quote Of The Day

Stephen Green is absolutely the go-to guy for debate drunkblogging. I am pretty sure he invented it. If not, he sure perfected it.

He thinks the takeaway from the debate was Hillary's Clintonesque repudiation of her Iraq War vote, which means it will go down as an actual repudiation or not later on as political exigencies dictate. She is resourceful that way, and she learned at the feet of the Master.

Stephen Green watched the debate so I don't have to, so I am relying on his estimable version of things.

In any event, in regard to the emerging Smoot-Hawley 2.0 policies on trade so fashionable among Democrats these days (as one of Stephen's commenters put it), commenter Mike queried:

"should i buy Euros, gold or ammo?"

Are You A Liberal?

I know I am, and proudly so. From Wikipedia:

* Political liberalism is the belief that individuals are the basis of law and society, and that society and its institutions exist to further the ends of individuals, without showing favor to those of higher social rank. Magna Carta is an example of a political document that asserted the rights of individuals even above the prerogatives of monarchs. Political liberalism stresses the social contract, under which citizens make the laws and agree to abide by those laws. It is based on the belief that individuals know best what is best for them. Political liberalism enfranchises all adult citizens regardless of sex, race, or economic status. Political liberalism emphasizes the rule of law and supports liberal democracy.

* Cultural liberalism focuses on the rights of individuals pertaining to conscience and lifestyle, including such issues as sexual freedom, religious freedom, cognitive freedom, and protection from government intrusion into private life. John Stuart Mill aptly expressed cultural liberalism in his essay "On Liberty," when he wrote,

“ The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. ”

Cultural liberalism generally opposes government regulation of literature, art, academics, gambling, sex, prostitution, abortion, birth control, terminal illness, alcohol, and cannabis and other controlled substances. Most liberals oppose some or all government intervention in these areas. The Netherlands, in this respect, may be the most liberal country in the world today.

Bill Clinton Repeals The 22nd Amendment!

Don't believe me? Well here is the video where he makes campaign promises premised on "if you elect me . . . "

Actually the video is ambiguous, he could have just been speaking as if he were Hillary.

Amusing nonetheless. Reminds me of the famous Onion piece, Bill Clinton: 'Screw It, I'm Running For President.'

Did A Corrupt Ba'athist Billionaire Finance Obama?

From the TimesOnline:

A British-Iraqi billionaire lent millions of dollars to Barack Obama's fundraiser just weeks before an imprudent land deal that has returned to haunt the presidential contender, an investigation by The Times discloses.

The money transfer raises the question of whether funds from Nadhmi Auchi, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, helped Mr Obama buy his mock Georgian mansion in Chicago.

Who is Nahdmi Auchi?

In October, 1959 he stood trial for conspiring with Saddam Hussein to assassinate Abdul Karim Qasim, the Iraqi Prime Minister at the time.

In December, 1990 he was convicted in France as part of the "gigantic investigation into the corruption of the Elf oil company, the biggest fraud inquiry in Europe since the Second World War."

He has ties to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Obama ally Emil Jones, and, allegedly, Barack Obama himself.

As Matt Drudge says, developing . . .

(h/t Rick Moran)

It Can't Happen Here

. . . oh yes it can.

New Mexico, January 30, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The case of a Christian photographer who refused to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony”, was heard before the New Mexico Human Rights Division on Monday.

A same-sex couple asked Elaine Huguenin, co-owner with her husband of Elane Photography, to photograph a “commitment ceremony” that the two women wanted to hold. Huguenin declined because her Christian beliefs are in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony.

The same-sex couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Division, which is now trying Elane Photography under state anti discrimination laws for sexual orientation discrimination.

Canada isn't the only nanny state hosting an Orwellian 'human rights' Star Chamber. It seems we now have at least one here in the U.S. as well.

Your Daily Triviality

What are the Tit-Tyrants?

Anti-Islamic Blogger Jumps To His Death

Blogger Ronald Barbour said this in what was apparently his last post on February 17, 2008:

I plan to make such a leap. I do this in memory of the several hundred victims on 9/11 who jumped off the World Trade Center as a means of avoiding burning to death, and the over 3,000 American soldiers killed fighting Islamofascism in Iraq and Afghanistan. A parallel reason is a protest against the American Left and the Democrat Party who have stabbed the Armed Forces in the back in the early stages of what is shaping up to be The Third World War.

It seems he made good on his threat:

RONALD BARBOUR, age 47, passed away Feb. 19, 2008. Beloved son of Marleen (nee Puckett) and the late Ronald; father of Brandy Szachkas; dear brother of Deborah Phillips (Douglas), Robin Lynn Barbour, Michael W., Richard Alan (Teri) and Tonya Phillips (Rodney); loving uncle of 11. Funeral Service Sunday, Feb. 24 in the CORENO FUNERAL HOME, 13115 LORAIN AVE. AT 8:00 PM. Family will receive friends SUNDAY, 2-4 and 6-8 PM 216-941-3434

Moderation in all things. It is shame for Barbour's family that he did not receive this wisdom.

(h/t Ace)

Update: was it all a hoax?

Bush Makes India An Offer It Can't Refuse

The soon-to-be-decommissioned U.S.S. Kitty Hawk (CV-63) may have found new life in the Indian Navy. George W. Bush has offered the Kitty Hawk free to India, if they purchase 65 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to go with it.

This follows on the tail of a failed deal by Russia:

India was to be given an older-generation aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, for free, but would have to pay $700 million for a refit of the vessel, plus they would have to purchase the MiG-29Ks and eight naval helicopters for another $800 million. India was also offered options to purchase an additional 30 MiG-29Ks and upgrades to Indian port facilities in order to dock and service the Gorshkov for a total of another $1.5 billion. But, the program has proven to be overly ambitious and has run into a number of snags that threaten to derail a decades-long symbiotic relationship.

This an important chapter in the ongoing realignment of India away from Russia toward the U.S. Come on now . . . a proven carrier design, with the very best in naval aircraft to go with it?

Just don't rename it the Gandhi.

P.S. Launched in 1960, the USSKitty Hawk is the only conventionally-fueled carrier in the Navy, and the Navy's second-longest serving ship (the U.S.S. Constitution, at 209 years old, is still on active status. Who knew?).

What Obama Means By Running For President

Continuing with Say Anything's "all Obama, all the time" coverage, here is another supposedly embarassing photo of Obama that you might not have seen:

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. strikes the "Heisman" pose while holding Earl Campbell's Heisman trophy, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, during a tour of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Rick Bowmer / AP Photo

Hey, I am a big Earl Campbell fan. Who wouldn't mug with his Heisman if given the chance? Why, someone who doesn't know who Earl Campbell is, that's who. This shows me that Barack Obama is a guy, maybe even a guy's guy.

The true test will come when we find out if he throws a ball like a girl or not.

Your Daily Triviality

What is the Gemini Method?

Superdelegates Starstruck By Obama

At least one is starstruck, anyway:

"Holy buckets!" exclaimed Audra Ostergard of Nebraska. "Michelle Obama and I are playing phone tag."

Well, the superdelegates can choose who to support for any reason, or no reason at all.

Some pat phrase about rats and sinking ships comes to mind.

All About Obama And His Terrorist Buddies

Simply unbelievable. Barack Obama is friends with two terrorists who attempted to kill U.S. soldiers.

Here is a little background on Obama's comrades, William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn:

They disappeared in 1970, after a bomb – designed to kill army officers in New Jersey — accidentally destroyed a Greenwich Village townhouse, and turned themselves into authorities in 1980. They were never prosecuted for their involvement with the 25 bombings the Weather Underground claimed; charges were dropped because of improper FBI surveillance.

Both have written and spoken at length about their pasts, and today he is an advocate for progressive education and a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago; she’s an associate professor of law at Northwestern University.

But – unlike some other fringe figures of the era — they’re also flatly unrepentant about the bombings they committed in the name of ending the war, defending them on the grounds that they killed no one, except, accidentally, their own members.

Dohrn, however, was jailed for less than a year for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating other Weather Underground members’ robbery of a Brinks truck, in which a guard and two New York State Troopers were killed.

“I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough,” Ayers told the New York Times in 2001.

We are now finding out just how radical and anti-American Obama's leftism actually is.

(h/t Purple Avenger)

Update: Far from being a mere acquaintance of Obama's, Ayers and Obama served together on the board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group.

Incredibly, the New York Times published a profile of Ayers on September 11, 2001.

It's A Hit!

WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available. It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST. Two officials said the missile was launched successfully. One official, who is close to the process, said it hit the target. He said details on the results were not immediately known. The goal in this first-of-its-kind mission for the Navy was not just to hit the satellite but to obliterate a tank aboard the spacecraft carrying 1,000 pounds of a toxic fuel called hydrazine.

Yes, telling the Chinese in not so many words to 'back off' had nothing to do with this, I am sure.

I'm gonna miss W.

Quote Of The Day

Via Michael Totten, guestblogging at Instapundit we have this gem from John Derbyshire:

“Wherever there is a jackboot stomping on a human face there will be a well-heeled Western liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy free health care and 100 percent literacy.”

No Wonder They Call It The 'Castro News Network'

Here is a copy of an email sent to CNN employees yesterday morning:

From: Flexner, Allison
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 7:46 AM
To: *CNN Superdesk (TBS)
Cc: Neill, Morgan; Darlington, Shasta
Subject: Castro guidance

Some points on Castro – for adding to our anchor reads/reporting:

* Please say in our reporting that Castro stepped down in a letter he wrote to Granma (the communist party daily), as opposed to in a letter attributed to Fidel Castro. We have no reason to doubt he wrote his resignation letter, he has penned numerous articles over the past year and a half.

* Please note Fidel did bring social reforms to Cuba – namely free education and universal health care, and racial integration. in addition to being criticized for oppressing human rights and freedom of speech.

* Also the Cuban government blames a lot of Cuba’s economic problems on the US embargo, and while that has caused some difficulties, (far less so than the collapse of the Soviet Union) the bulk of Cuba’s economic problems are due to Cuba’s failed economic polices. Some analysts would say the US embargo was a benefit to Castro politically – something to blame problems on, by what the Cubans call “the imperialist,” meddling in their affairs.

* While despised by some, he is seen as a revolutionary hero, especially with leftist in Latin America, for standing up to the United States.

Any questions, please call the international desk.

Allison

No mention of the show trials, the summary executions, the expropriation of private property, the jailing and torture of dissidents . . . but they have free education! (as if that is some marvelous achievement unique to communist countries). And they have 'universal health care' that you wouldn't wish on your dog.

The apparatchiks at CNN would no doubt have been perfectly content to completely whitewash the Castro record if they could have gotten away with it. His crimes are too obvious to ignore, however, and so CNN is forced to at least obliquely acknowledge that Castro oppresses human right and freedom of speech.

Bending Castro's woeful history to be 'balanced' and 'fair' is neither: it is nothing but another farce perpetuated by the leftwing media in the grand tradition of Walter Duranty.

Your Daily Schadenfreude

Hillary's leading sycophant in the blogosphere, Taylor Marsh, has yet another post on how terribly unfair the press is to Her Majesty. She is having trouble coping with Hillary's devastating loss in Wisconsin last night (Obama trounced Clinton rather spectacularly, 58-41, even winning among all women) but that is nothing compared to how Taylor Marsh's minions feel in the comments. My favorite blurb:

so are men sexists? is anybody going to call the elephant in the room and say taht the men are voting their gender in a very sexist manner? exactly like the AA vote? but at least the AA have the excuse that this is the first AA valid candidate

No wonder men aren't voting for Hillary. Trying to scold them into voting for Hillary is precisely the kind of thing that drives her negatives sky-high.

Advice To Candidates: Put A Gag On The Spouse

Michelle Obama said this yesterday in Milwaukee:

“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

It is a deeply troubling statement if she meant it. Given her status of privilege, wealth, and elite education, this is a galling hypocrisy. It also hints at the ugly pall of identity politics: if the only reason to be proud of America is that a black man has gotten this far in a presidential election, this shows that Obama's candidacy is about nothing but race after all. What else could Michelle Obama have meant? That the only reason to be proud of America is that a radical leftist has gotten this far? We already crossed that bridge in the last election with John Kerry, so that can't be it. Did she mean that finally we have a candidate of hope, change and all things shiny and bright? In that case, she doesn't have an unhealthy obsession with race, she is merely fatuous.

Should she merely be a demure and soft-spoken doll like Laura Bush? In a word: yes. There is no upside in having the spouse speaking for the candidate, and plenty of downside. They invariably make mistakes and only compound the candidate's problems. Remember Theresa Heinz-Kerry? Enough said.

Bill Clinton is of course a far more problematic spouse. He could have been the exception to the rule that the spouse offers no upside, but he had no idea how to achieve that. Bill Clinton sure looks and acts a lot differently when he doesn't have a phalanx of consultants and spin doctors throwing rose petals in his path. Bill Clinton unplugged has been a delightful embarassment, and an education for Democrats who mistook the image for the man himself.

It didn't have to be this way. Bill Clinton could have been a devastating campaign weapon for Hillary. He could have played up his rock star status to counter Obama's. He should have been regal, sitting on his throne and mastering all he surveys. But no, he succumbed to whiny bickering with reporters over trifles. He showed us what a little man he was all along.

So the bottom line on candidate spouses is, less is more.

Hillary Recycles Bill's Old Campaign Slogan

Hillary Clinton's NEW and IMPROVED (and DESPERATE) campaign strategy is now going to focus on the economy. As the Buffalo News points out however, Hillary does not exactly have a very good record at following through on promises to revive the economy:

BRIDGETON, Mo. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded Sunday that she “might have been a little exuberant” when she predicted she could bring 200,000 jobs to Western New York as a senator but stressed that she would do a far better job on economic issues than her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

In an interview with The Buffalo News after a town hall meeting on economic issues in this St. Louis suburb, the New York senator blamed Republicans for getting in the way of her economic plans and criticized both Obama and the GOP presidential front-runner, Sen. John McCain, for their approach on economic issues.

Asked if she regretted her 2000 campaign pledge, Clinton said: “Well, I might have been a little exuberant, but I thought we could do it.”

Typical Hillary Clinton. She claims that she is the experienced candidate even though her opponent has served more years in public office than she has. She claims to be a real agent of change who has actually gotten things done, when the only thing she has ever accomplished on her own is getting elected to the Senate. She claims to be ready for office on day one, yet the one time she was put in charge of something, national healthcare, it crashed and burned on the runway. She tried, laughably, to claim the ethical high ground over Obama by pointing to his shady real estate pal Tony Rezko. Norman Hsu was not available for comment.

Finally, at long last, her campaign theme is it's the economy, stupid? Where have I heard that before?

Useful And Fun Movie Quotes

Patterico has a great post on Hollywood quotes that have insinuated themselves into everyday life. Here are some that my RISK* playing buddies and I often use.

The animated feature Heavy Metal is a good source of quotes:

"She dies, you die . . . EVERYBODY DIES."

"I've got an angle."

 

So is Aliens, particularly Private Hudson:

That's it, game over man!

 

Speaking of a lack of courage, even the Wizard of Oz has some great quotes:

Whadda they got that I ain't got?

Courage.

You can say that again.

 

Monty Python's Meaning of Life has tons of good quotes, but I especially like the one that did in Mr. Creosote:

Would you like an after dinner mint? It's wafer-thin.

 

Goodfellas, of course:

I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?

 

Not to mention the Godfather, which is filled with tons of very famous quotes. This one is less well-know, but tons of fun to say in a Marlon Brando accent (the one guy everyone seems to be able to imitate):

When have I ever refused an accomodation?

 

*We used to take our RISK playing very seriously. It used to cause crying in some of our younger players and at least one spouse, so we pretty much stopped playing.

Bill Clinton, NeoCon

Via Gateway Pundit we find that ten years ago, Bill Clinton made a powerful case for war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq:

 

These kinds of counterexamples to irrational Bush hatred are just so much fun, because it leaves liberals sputtering when trying to explain why war against Iraq is somehow okay when a Democrat proposes it, yet wrong when a Republican proposes it. Bush relied on the same intelligence and same assessments that Clinton did, yet Bush is charged with 'lying' because he did not have the magical clairvoyance to see that the intelligence was wrong. What is good for the goose is good for the gander - if Bush was a liar, then so was Clinton. Well I guess we can't blame the Democrats after all. They have always been perfectly comfortable with Bill Clinton's lies.

Obama Should Be Heard, And Not Read

Check out Barack's beat poetry from the first few lines of his new ad:

We are in a defining moment for our history

Our nation is at war

The planet is in peril

The dream that so many generations fought for

feels as though it is slowly slipping away

Now, coming from Winston Churchill, this would sound, well, Churchillian. Coming from Barack Obama, it just sounds silly. Or should I say it reads silly. He really is a master of execution when it comes to a rhetorical flourish, I'll give him that, and so when you hear him say these lines they sound like they mean something. Examining it closer in print however shows just how empty the words are.

First of all, the nation is constantly at a 'defining moment' in its history. This is a tautology and a cliche, tantamount to saying "henceforth, all future judgments about our country will be based upon what happens between now and then." Q.E.D.

Next, what is this 'peril' Obama is speaking of? It reminds me of MIB:

There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they Do... Not... Know about it!

There is always a bird flu, a global warming, or wandering asteroid just on the cusp of destroying us. Yet Obama speaks as if there is some unique, unprecedented peril we are now facing, and I need to know what it is. Come on Barack, don't hold out on us. I can handle the Truth.

Finally, what is this dream that is slowly slipping away? Why, you know the answer: fill in the blank. With anything you want. Like so much of what Barack Obama is about.

The Audacity Of 'Hope Fund'

It's sleazy but it's legal . . .

Obama, who narrowly leads in the count of pledged, "non-super" delegates, has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates from his political action committee, Hope Fund, or campaign committee since 2005. Of the 81 elected officials who had announced as of Feb. 12 that their superdelegate votes would go to the Illinois senator, 34, or 40 percent of this group, have received campaign contributions from him in the 2006 or 2008 election cycles, totaling $228,000. In addition, Obama has been endorsed by 52 superdelegates who haven't held elected office recently and, therefore, didn't receive campaign contributions from him.

Clinton does not appear to have been as openhanded. Her PAC, HILLPAC, and campaign committee appear to have distributed $195,500 to superdelegates. Only 12 percent of her elected superdelegates, or 13 of 109 who have said they will back her, have received campaign contributions, totaling about $95,000 since 2005. An additional 128 unelected superdelegates support Clinton, according to a blog tracking superdelegates and their endorsements, 2008 Democratic Convention Watch.

Oddly, Obama gave $4,200 to Hillary Clinton for her Senate re-election through Hope Fund as well.

Daniel Ortega Endorses Obama

No doubt it is because the leader of the Sandinista revolution wants 'change' in America also.

Marine Barracks Bombing Mastermind Is Killed

Before there was an Osama bin Laden, there was Mugniyah.

Imad Mughniyah is dead, killed in Damascus by a car bomb at the age of 45. Mughniyah was believed to have been Hezbollah’s chief of military operations, and his assassination marks the first time a major figure in the movement has been killed since secretary-general Abbas Musawi in 1992—an assassination which brought the current secretary-general, Hasan Nasrallah, to power.

For many, Mughniyah was a reviled figure, wanted by both Israel and the United States for his alleged role in numerous attacks on American and Israeli targets—including the truck-bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina in 1992. (Formally, the FBI most-wanted him for his role in the 1985 hijacking of an American airliner to Beirut and the murder of a U.S. Navy diver on board.) For researchers such as myself, Mughniyah was of great interest because he represented a constant figure in Hezbollah throughout its evolution from an Iranian-backed Lebanese militia in the 1980s to a nationalist insurgent group in the 1990s and finally to its current incarnation as the most powerful political party in Lebanon—both in terms of weapons and popular support.

Will Hillary Overplay Her Hand?

The Clinton campaign now reeks of desperation. They are implausibly ticking off the growing list of Obama victories as little nothings (apparently trying to make Obama the 'black' candidate by giving him every victory in Black History Month) and in fact, the Clinton campaign is doing so well, they fired Patti Solis Doyle.

As John Dickerson at Slate put it - "We're winning; time to fire the quarterback!"

Joshua Green - the guy whose Clinton insider story for GQ got vetoed - has a great article on “Hillaryland”, and how Doyle is hardly the only weak link in the Clinton campaign.

Now, as her delegates slip away, Clinton has to focus on a) getting the missing Michigan and Floriduh delegates, and b) strongarming the Superdelegates.

This is extremely treacherous territory for Hillary. Even if she does play by the rules we know how poorly many Democrats handle even the illusion of a stolen election, and with Obama we now have entire new swaths of voters to whom if 'change' means anything, it is a turn away from just that type of sharp practice in status quo politics.

The only fair way to handle the Missing Delegates is to keep them MIA. Hillary Clinton is all for letting the voice of the people be heard, making every vote count because that is the principled thing to do, and the fact that all her presidential ambitions hinge on those delegates is of course secondary. There are calls for a do-over, but that too is grossly unfair. The state Democratic parties of Michigan and Florida are supposed to have been punished for moving up their primaries before Super Tuesday - yet now these states are to be given a chance to decide the candidacy? The Republican decision to split the baby by only stripping away half of those states' delegates as punishment is indeed looking Solomonic by comparison.

And what will Hillary's appeal be to the superdelegates from states and districts that went for Obama? That she is the better candidate against John McCain? (Even you McCain-bashers out there have to admit he matches up extremely well against Hillary, and is likely to beat her). Will Bill Clinton visit them and make them each some kind of offer they can't refuse?

Playing heads-I-win, tails-you-lose with Obama could well destroy her pyhrric presidency before it even begins. The Clintons probably do not have the grace to concede. They have the foresight to see how damaging to the party this all could be but, hey, it is the Big Game on the line here, and what is a little collateral damage when power is at stake?

Update: Patti Solis Doyle is Mexican. Who knew?

P.S. Too true:

Though I’d rather face her than Obama in the fall, the thought of a Clinton losing ugly and spinning like this and the press smacking her for it, and that she’s losing to the Chauncey Gardner candidate after spending decades preparing for this race…well, that’s funny, I don’t care who ya are.

Your Daily Triviality

What is the Bárány chair?

Afraid Of Sharia In The U.S.? We Already Have It

. . . and it just is not that big a deal.

Eugene Volokh:

And of course the application of Sharia law was indeed a perfectly normal matter. American courts are governed by American law, but American law has long provided that parties to contracts can provide for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (such as arbitration). American law has likewise long provided that some contractual disputes would be resolved with reference to foreign law, especially when the law is expressly provided for by the contract. It doesn't matter whether the arbitration or the foreign law is secular or religious -- secular and religious rules are treated basically equally, on the principle that the parties' contractual choices should be honored unless some extraordinary circumstance makes it unfair to do so.

Update: Tangentially related in the most tenuous way possible, Turkey is now allowing women to wear headscarves at universities; this is a big deal for a nation historically dedicated to separation of mosque and state. Gateway Pundit has some pics of the *huge* pro-secular rallies taking place there.

More to the point, Ali Eteraz opposes sharia arbitration in the U.K.

Michael Moore Pulls A Coulter On Hillary

He says almost morally impossible to vote for Hillary. What, the guy is going to vote for McCain instead?

P.S. I guess my headline is misleading. Moore isn't willing to pull the 'Full Coulter' by going out and campaigning for her opponent.

Fred Endorses McCain

From the Washington Post:

"This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican[s] should close ranks behind John McCain."

If McCain was so horrible, Fred could have endorsed Romney while Romney was still viable. Note, however, that Fred didn't endorse McCain until it was a fait accompli. Is Fred just trying to stay in the good graces of his ol' senate pal John McCain? Or is Fred just another tepid supporter of McCain now that we basically have no choice? His late endorsement coupled with the damning-with-faint-praise closing ranks statement above indicates that Fred is exactly where I am.

That is, wishing Fred were the nominee.

Obama Advisor Speaks Truth About Hillary, Later Regrets It

Obama "doesn't go on television and have crying fits; he isn't discovering his voice at the age of 60" according to retired Air Force General Merrill A. "Tony" McPeak, an advisor to Obama's campaign.

He also said Obama has "real gravitas, not artificially created, focus-grouped, poll-directed, rehearsed gravitas."

True, every word. Yet the Obama campaign disavowed his comments, and McPeak later retracted them.

I am sure Obama can expect reciprocity from Hillary and Bill the next time they are tempted to play the race or gender card.

Interestingly, McPeak was a campaign chairman for Bob Dole's presidential run, and endorsed George W. Bush in 2000. Disaffected by the war, he later threw in with Howard Dean, and now look where he is.

Your Daily Triviality

We all know that the cheetah is the world's fastest land animal.

But what is the world's second fastest land animal?