Party Crashers

Ok, so the Salahis weren't supposed to be at the White House state dinner, but what about all those media-types who were? Doesn't exactly help fight the argument that the media is biased, now, does it?

The Last Word on Sarah Palin

...belongs to John Stewart:

"When you peel back the pretty, shooty layers of the Palin onion, there's no onion. It's just a conservative boiler plate mad lib: 'Freedom is good and taxes are--ooh I need an adjective--how about, I don't know, silly?' And the worst part it's a mad lib delivered as though it were the hard-earned wisdom of a life well lived."

One Million Dollar Men (& Women)

As reported in the NYT, the US government is paying approximately $1 million a year for each soldier deployed in Afghanistan.

Jessica Lynch Part Duh

"...the media fell hook, line and sinker once again for a military account of what happened during the tragedy."

read it here:

Another Media Black Eye: Second Cop -- Not Kimberly Munley -- Brought Down Fort Hood Killer

(Editor's note-- it did sound a little too good, didn't it?)

Not a Moment Too Soon

Aerosmith may be breaking up.

Blackwater in Hotwater

Further evidence of a company run amuck:

Blackwater Said to Pursue Bribes to Iraq After 17 Died

The one silver lining to all this: the hard-nose Karl Rove-lookalike (and former Company man) Cofer Black comes off looking pretty good.

“We are out of here,” he is reported to have said as he cut short a meeting in Baghdad to fly back stateside to confront CEO Erik Prince.

You know you're in trouble, though, when a brutal knee-deep in covert interrogations and third-country extraditions is the voice of conscience.

(Editor's Note-- of course, Blackwater doesn't "exist" anymore-- heretofore, they are supposedly called "Xe Services")

more on Blackwater here and here.

A Barbaric Move by a Barbaric Country

... reinforcing the cycle of violence.

D.C. Sniper John Muhammed Executed

Jumping the Gun

Before the pundits start crying "Islamophobia!", let's give the media a chance. From what we know, it's just unfortunate that this man, who had been the brunt of stereotypes and bigotry, has, in the end, just given the bigots one more round of ammunition.

Ode to Virginia Tech

O hallowed university in the Virginian hills, we will attempt to draw no further conclusions from the fact that Major Nidal Malik Hasan graduated from your university...

Pearl of Wisdom from Levi Johnston

courtesy of Sir William Shatner

"Is it true that fat kids never get kidnapped?"

Lessons from So-So Tuesday

1. Candidates matter. A charismatic candidate is going to draw out the base and the leaners, which is the key to winning elections-- not those mythical "swing voters" whose coin tosses are usually given credit.

Meaning, support for Obama does not inherently mean active support for the Dems... or the public option, for that matter, no matter how much the liberal media may try to portray it as disloyalty.

2. The truth is in the center-- which is the key to a Republican resurgence. Fiscal conservatism, yes... social conservatism, not so much.

Meaning, Herr Beck & Senora Palin-- and el Club for Growth-- your approach is doomed, even w/o the coming demographic tsunami that is going to swamp your lunatic fringe off the electoral map.

3. The more things change... In the end, young people didn't turn out in significantly greater #s in 2008 & any speculation about them being more politically involved than previous generations is moot.

Oh, yeah, and that "change" thing. Incumbents, esp. those w/o billions at their disposal, beware.

Turnout, Turnout, Turnout

FiveThirtyEight reports that "the electorate which turned out in Virginia supported McCain in last year's election 51-43."

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/11/what-happened-and-why.html

Dollar Signs not Moral Sighs

Are you listening, Republicans? Time to turn down Fox News.