Oil Conspiracy "Working" For The Democrat Party

According to an article in Politico.com and quotes from some prominent Dem leaders and their aids, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and others from their party have for more than a year been plotting to use the high price of gas to advance their political agenda at the consumers expense:

"California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle. But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill." LINK

"Instead, the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources believes Democrats are all about 2009. "We’ve laid the groundwork this year," Rahall said. Democratic House aides say the energy agenda has been carefully gamed out in strategy sessions, and Pelosi always intended to take heat on gas prices while tacitly encouraging more vulnerable Democrats to publicly disagree with her and show their independence."

"Reid, like Pelosi, is expecting to have a much stronger governing majority in the Senate next year, so he has little incentive to give in to Republicans on energy policy as long as he thinks it won’t hurt Democrats. Even as they face heat from constituents during the August break, Democrats say they aren’t going to cave in to popular pressure. "We feel pretty comfortable with where we are," said Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-Mass.), who is close to the Democratic leadership. "This is a not a new issue. This just didn’t happen today. We’ve been working on this for months." (emphasis mine)

While the average consumer is getting "hosed" by high gas prices, the Democrat Party continues to play political games that they have been planning for months in advance. Their agenda is not in the interest of the consumer/voter, but rather a political strategy to advance their party. (see Iraq war)

So, while the price of gas has risen over the past 18+ months, the Democrats have allowed no legislation to relieve the rising prices so they can control an agenda laid out for 2009. They are telling the electorate that you will "pay me now and then pay me later". This is the arrogance of a party that is out of touch with the consumers of this nation who are paying the price and being told to eat their crude-cake and shut up.

Unfit for Command---Part Deux

The saga of the Democrat Party continues in this 2008 version of a selection process that has once again failed to produce a candidate worthy of an electorate that hungers for the kind of leadership that is anything other than empty promises based on reinforced entitlements and a re-distribution of wealth philosophy. Obama's banter of "give me your tired, poor, and destitute and I'll provide a government program to relieve your pain" are the same tactics the left has attempted going back to Lyndon Johnson. His recent world celebrity tour was nothing short of an embarrassment by kow-towing to other world leaders with his "we are the world" conception based on his willing appeasement and virtual apology for this nation's success in putting world terrorism in check. It's quite understandable that the man could not face our brave comrades in a foreign hospital with the knowledge that he has turned his back on their heroic efforts time and again.

On the national economic front, Obama has (in the Clinton tradition of governing by polls) once again shifted his position on offshore drilling just enough to appease the "undecided’s" knowing full well that the environmental lobby will tie up the much needed exploration with lawsuits well into the next decade, (think spotted owl). Many of Obama's plans to double the size of government are explained on his own website: A perfect example is his plan to create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank LINK to "to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments". In the guise of "change", taking an already complex government bureaucracy and adding another will simply put more of our tax dollars into the hands of the very politicians the electorate has despised. Bowing to his socialist left constituency, Obama's plans to re-invent government is nothing short of a re-distribution of wealth philosophy that will destroy the business structure and free market capitalism that has provided this nation with a tradition of success that has rivaled the world.

From McGovern, Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry, the Democrat Party has once again provided the electorate with a candidate that is not only dangerous to our economic and national security future, they've simply chosen "ONE" who is unfit for command.

Pelosi, Democrats Adjourn ----- Two Years of a Failed Policy on Energy



Nancy Pelosi and her cohorts have painted themselves into a corner on this critical issue facing the nation. She has refused to allow the vote for offshore drilling to even come to the floor of the House. The vast reserves that this nation possesses will go untapped as long as the Democrats are in control of the majority. In the meantime, we send billions of dollars to foreign countries daily while our own energy independence is shackled by a party that prefers $5.00 a gallon gas, and a broken economy.

From Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

"This is the message that the Republicans have to hammer home, especially in August when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid send Congress home without doing anything to increase domestic production. Rarely has a major issue produced such bipartisan consensus among the electorate, and even more rarely has it produced such obstinacy in the majority party in Congress. Gas price increases hit everyone across the board and make energy policy extremely personal — and the Democrats want to do nothing to increase domestic supply to correct for it."

Friday Observations


NBC is bragging that this Sundays Meet the Press will be a full hour of Barack Obama exclusively........Who's surprised?

Nancy Pelosi and the House of Representatives still refuse to let any legislation come to the floor for a vote that allows American oil reserves be explored. Considering a gas tax hike.

MSNBC caption on this mornings "morning joe": Berlin crowd---largest of his campaign.

Andrea Mitchell reported this morning from Germany that the Obama campaign is upset because the Pentagon told Obama he could not visit the wounded soldiers because it would be a campaign and not a congressional delegation. This sounds like a nice spin to me.



McCain advances in recent polls

The Republican leads in Colorado, is close in Minnesota and narrowing the gap in Michigan and Wisconsin, the surveys say. The Democrat's 'post-primary bubble . . . is leaking a bit.'

By Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer July 25, 2008

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is tightening the presidential race against Democratic rival Barack Obama in four key states, according to polls released this morning.The four polls conducted by Quinnipiac University in partnership with the Wall Street Journal and washingtonpost.com show that McCain is running slightly ahead of Obama in Colorado, is close in Minnesota and has narrowed the gap in Michigan and Wisconsin. Link

Sports notes:

The Milwaukee Brewers swept the Giants and the Cards in the last seven days forcing the Cardinals into third place in their division and the Giants into 4th. It should be pointed out the while the Cards are still ten games over .500, the Giants, (seven games out of first), are fifteen games under .500.

The McCain Editorial Not Fit To Print In The New York Times------

In January 2007, when General David Petraeus took command in Iraq, he called the situation "hard" but not "hopeless." Today, 18 months later, violence has fallen by up to 80% to the lowest levels in four years, and Sunni and Shiite terrorists are reeling from a string of defeats. The situation now is full of hope, but considerable hard work remains to consolidate our fragile gains.

Progress has been due primarily to an increase in the number of troops and a change in their strategy. I was an early advocate of the surge at a time when it had few supporters in Washington. Senator Barack Obama was an equally vocal opponent. "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there," he said on January 10, 2007. "In fact, I think it will do the reverse."

Now Senator Obama has been forced to acknowledge that "our troops have performed brilliantly in lowering the level of violence." But he still denies that any political progress has resulted.

Perhaps he is unaware that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has recently certified that, as one news article put it, "Iraq has met all but three of 18 original benchmarks set by Congress last year to measure security, political and economic progress." Even more heartening has been progress that’s not measured by the benchmarks. More than 90,000 Iraqis, many of them Sunnis who once fought against the government, have signed up as Sons of Iraq to fight against the terrorists. Nor do they measure Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s new-found willingness to crack down on Shiite extremists in Basra and Sadr City—actions that have done much to dispel suspicions of sectarianism.

The success of the surge has not changed Senator Obama’s determination to pull out all of our combat troops. All that has changed is his rationale. In a New York Times op-ed and a speech this week, he offered his "plan for Iraq" in advance of his first "fact finding" trip to that country in more than three years. It consisted of the same old proposal to pull all of our troops out within 16 months. In 2007 he wanted to withdraw because he thought the war was lost. If we had taken his advice, it would have been. Now he wants to withdraw because he thinks Iraqis no longer need our assistance.

To make this point, he mangles the evidence. He makes it sound as if Prime Minister Maliki has endorsed the Obama timetable, when all he has said is that he would like a plan for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops at some unspecified point in the future.

Senator Obama is also misleading on the Iraqi military's readiness. The Iraqi Army will be equipped and trained by the middle of next year, but this does not, as Senator Obama suggests, mean that they will then be ready to secure their country without a good deal of help. The Iraqi Air Force, for one, still lags behind, and no modern army can operate without air cover. The Iraqis are also still learning how to conduct planning, logistics, command and control, communications, and other complicated functions needed to support frontline troops.

No one favors a permanent U.S. presence, as Senator Obama charges. A partial withdrawal has already occurred with the departure of five "surge" brigades, and more withdrawals can take place as the security situation improves. As we draw down in Iraq, we can beef up our presence on other battlefields, such as Afghanistan, without fear of leaving a failed state behind. I have said that I expect to welcome home most of our troops from Iraq by the end of my first term in office, in 2013.

But I have also said that any draw-downs must be based on a realistic assessment of conditions on the ground, not on an artificial timetable crafted for domestic political reasons. This is the crux of my disagreement with Senator Obama.

Senator Obama has said that he would consult our commanders on the ground and Iraqi leaders, but he did no such thing before releasing his "plan for Iraq." Perhaps that’s because he doesn’t want to hear what they have to say. During the course of eight visits to Iraq, I have heard many times from our troops what Major General Jeffrey Hammond, commander of coalition forces in Baghdad, recently said: that leaving based on a timetable would be "very dangerous."

The danger is that extremists supported by Al Qaeda and Iran could stage a comeback, as they have in the past when we’ve had too few troops in Iraq. Senator Obama seems to have learned nothing from recent history. I find it ironic that he is emulating the worst mistake of the Bush administration by waving the "Mission Accomplished" banner prematurely.

I am also dismayed that he never talks about winning the war—only of ending it. But if we don’t win the war, our enemies will. A triumph for the terrorists would be a disaster for us. That is something I will not allow to happen as president. Instead I will continue implementing a proven counterinsurgency strategy not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan with the goal of creating stable, secure, self-sustaining democratic allies.

John McCain

(John McCain submitted this opinion to the New York Times in a rebuttal to Barack Obama's op-ed written on the 14th of July. The Times has rejected McCains rebuttal because "it did not mirror Obama's text. "It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama’s piece."

Unabashed Bias

More at Hot Air

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has posted a story that includes a Vets for Freedom Ad that provides further evidence that many in Washington got the liberation of Iraq wrong:

"Vets for Freedom continues their efforts to push for a successful conclusion to the war in Iraq with their latest ad, “Some in Washington”. The ad produces quotes from notables such as Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and Obama’s latest BFF and Iraq tripmate Chuck Hagel all declaring the surge a failure before it even started and the war lost. The veterans then introduce headlines from this year proclaiming how wrong these “leaders” turned out to be:" Link

Although Mr. Morrissey pointed out the obvious losers that fought against this war for political gain, I thought he left out a crucial body that contributed to the cause of defeatism:

Mr. Morrissey,

"Some how I think you do this story a sizable disservice by not including the constant “loser” mentality that emulated from the House of Representatives and their pathetic “leader”—-Nancy Pelosi. How many times did that woman attempt to appease her anti-war constituents by allowing defeatist legislation come to the floor? If any one should be run out of Washington for aiding and abetting the enemy, Pelosi certainly fits the bill."

Rovin on July 16, 2008 at 8:48 AM

A friend from Captain's Quarters, (and now commenter at HA) slightly disagress with my analysis:


“If any one should be run out of Washington for aiding and abetting the enemy, Pelosi certainly fits the bill.”

Run out of Washington? The incompetent and corrupt traitor Pelosi deserves to be dragged off to Leavenworth in chains and put on trial for her utterly worthless life.

The French monarchs were effective state stewards compared to the Democrats we have in Congress and look what happened to them.

NoDonkey on July 16, 2008 at 9:12 AM

Happy Fourth of July to All

Please go to this site to remember the true sacrifices our founding fathers made on this fateful day

U.S. Supreme Court ---- Individuals Have The Right To Bear Arms

The United States Supreme Court made the historical decision today that the right to bear arms belongs to the individual American. When the founders of this nation wrote ---"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"--- the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision said, (what I have said along with many others), that the comma in the 2nd amendment between "a free state" and "the right of the people" literally meant that this right was granted to the individual in addition to a "well regulated militia" to provide the security of a free state. This is one of the most monumental decisions ever made by today's Supreme Court that recognizes the individual right to possess a gun. Gun owners can thank George W. Bush (in part) for appointing two conservative justices that certainly made the difference in this decision.

Democrats Spending Practices------No Change

The New York Times today has posted a story regarding "party unity", while missing to point out the typical practices that Democrats are accustomed to-----over-spending:

Democrats in Delicate Talks to Unify Party

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY

Published: June 26, 2008

WASHINGTON — With the help of one of Washington’s best-connected lawyers, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are negotiating a thicket of complicated issues, like how to repay Mrs. Clinton’s campaign debt and her role at the Democratic convention. The talks come as they try to leave behind their intense rivalry and work out a plan to cooperate this fall.

Mr. Obama’s aides said that while he was prepared to help her pay off the debt, there was only so far he would go, given his campaign’s own desire to raise record sums for the general election. In addition to the $12 million that Mrs. Clinton owes to outside suppliers, she pumped more than $10 million of her own money into her campaign. LINK

So, to sum up the Democratic Party's dilemma: Hillary Clinton purchased services and goods on credit at the end of her campaign run. In addition, Clinton loaned and spent 12 million of her own money leaving her 22 million in debt while attempting to defeat Obama. Does this practice of over-spending sound familiar among Democrats? Does the 800 billion in unfunded entitlements that Obama has promised to American voters ring any bells? In a period where the average wage earner is struggling to make ends meet, do they intend to embrace a party that goes beyond their budgets with reckless spending practices? How does Mr. Obama justify asking his supporters to pay off Mrs. Clinton's debts while others live within their means? This is the typical mentality of the Democratic Party--------spend now, and tax your way out of the debt on the backs of the American worker. Like the weatherman says, "there will be no change".

Fresno State Bulldogs----College World Series Champions



Fresno State shocks Georgia for first CWS championship

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Fresno State was smashing in its final performance as college baseball's team of destiny, winning a championship that would have been impossible to predict.
With Steve Detwiler providing all the offense Justin Wilson needed, the Bulldogs captured their first national championship in a men's sport with a 6-1 victory over Georgia in Game 3 of the College World Series finals Wednesday night. LINK

Funny Man George Carlin Passes Away



LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 71. LINK

I saw George Carlin in the early seventies at the HSU field house when his acts were still in infancy. He did his "seven words you can't say on TV" routine and the crowd roared with laughter. His classic style of humor has been often imitated but never to the perfection Carlin possessed. Rest in Peace you "hippy-dippy weatherman."

New Blogsite -----Created for the sole purpose of exposing people or entities that obstruct and prohibit this nations ability to become energy independent

Please return here to comment until I get the site prepared----thanks

America's Energy Crisis Thirsting for Leadership

News Flash ! Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for president, opposes lifting the ban on offshore drilling and says that allowing exploration now wouldn't affect gasoline prices for at least five years.

So much for the future of "hope and change". Can we ask Senator Obama if in any way his political motives are getting in the way of his mental capacity to understand the will of the people? Does the economic hardship all Americans are experiencing permit Mr. Obama to wait until January to have an enlightenment and change this failed policy? Are Obama's advisors committed to staying this course to maintain any portion of his left-wing electorate?

This is a moment in our history that not only the President, but both house's of the legislature should not only release the moratorium, but also make it a directive to demand that oil construction contractors begin setting up to drill in three months. They should also demand that at least five locations would begin breaking ground within six months.

Adding to the legislation that contractors break ground on another five locations for nuclear power plants would also relieve the electric power grid that is currently running at maximum levels.

All of these directives should be implemented immediately along with another 20 billion in alternative energy development----and scrap the corn based ethanol program that is draining our precious resources in the food chain.

With our current Democratic controlled House and Senate we have seen the price at the pumps double in two short years and yet they are maintaining their status quo that is restricting this nation from moving forward. It should be demanded that every legislator that votes to prohibit this process will be doing so at their own peril, and every moron that says "we can't drill our way out of this predicament", (which includes Mr. Bill O'Reilly who is clueless on a free-market capitalism ideology) has underestimated the power of a determined nation. If our government would implement the same incentive-based construction plans that preformed the re-construction of the Northridge Quake hiways, all of these projects could go on line in three to five years. This would prove to the "detractors" that YES, WE CAN DRILL OUR WAY OUT OF THIS.

It's time for our leadership to step up to the task at hand. Demand that they move forward with these plans or be prepared to be removed from their "responsibilities" of representing the electorate that put them there. LEAD, FOLLOW, OR JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!

Update: Check out the price of gas since our dear friends on the left have taken office:

New York Times Soft-pedals Johnson's Resignation

The New York Times today attempted to tap Barack Obama's top VP vetter as a "challenge": LINK TO STORY

"The resignation of James A. Johnson highlights the challenge Barack Obama faces in living up to his goal of not surrounding himself with people with ties to special interests."

Also in the article, the Times pointed out Obama's never-ending "search" for experience:

"Mr. Johnson’s departure deprives Mr. Obama of decades of experience and access to Washington’s power elite. Mr. Johnson has been a fixture in Washington political and legal circles for three decades, and he led the vice-presidential search team for Senator John Kerry, the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2004"

Then, the authors "forget" / "misplace" a John McCain quote:

"His resignation highlights the difficulties for Mr. Obama’s campaign in trying to live up to his promises to remain independent of the Washington establishment and the special interests that populate it.

Mr. McCain and national Republican officials, who had seized on the questions being raised about Mr. Johnson, gloated over his departure on Wednesday.

"The American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media," Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, said in a statement."

I have yet to find in this article where Mr. McCain's statement is recorded or quoted. Did the authors of the story imply that Mr. McCain "GLOATED" in abstencia ???

Finally, the Times conveniently leaves out the definition of "high-profile advisers":

"Although Mr. Obama’s campaign is known for its stability and cohesiveness, Mr. Johnson is at least the second high-profile adviser to step down in the wake of controversy. In March, Samantha Power, a close friend and foreign policy adviser, resigned after referring to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as "a monster."

I guess Jeremiah Wright was never considered a "high-profile advisor"??? Silly me, Mr. Wright never "stepped down"------- or did he?

Sixty-Four Years Later




Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has a post up marking the 64th anniversary of D-Day

The moment America became the leader of the Free World

Sixty-four years ago today, Allied forces swept onto the beaches of Normandy to liberate France and put an end to Nazi domination of Europe. The D-Day assault comprised American, Canadian, and British forces, but the Americans led, and for the most part the Americans bled, especially on Omaha. This position of leadership and sacrifice heralded the emergence of America as the primary Western power, but on that day, no one could say for sure that we would succeed:......... Link

Update: Scott at Flopping Aces has a "flashback" post on those who died to provide liberty.

AP Claims Obama Has Clinched Nomination

Jun 3 01:33 PM US/EasternBy DAVID ESPO and STEPHEN OHLEMACHERAssociated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.

The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day......LINK VIA FOX NEWS

Let the real vetting process begin...............

A teacher in Elmira , New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them were Obama fans.

Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny.

The teacher asked Little Johnny why he has decided to be different.

Little Johnny says, 'Because I'm not an Obama fan.

The teacher says, 'Why aren't you an Obama fan?' Johnny says, 'Because I'm a Republican.'

The teacher asks him why he's a Republican. Little Johnny answered, 'Well, my mom's a Republican and my dad's a Republican, so I'm a Republican'.

The teacher asks, 'If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?'

With a big smile, Little Johnny replies, 'That would make me an Obama fan.'

YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP!

When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying ' Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?' A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?' You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French? 'Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. Then you should know enough to have your passport ready. 'The American said, ''The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it. 'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !' The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hardlook. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to. ' You could have heard a pin drop.

Move America Forward and Hot Air Teaming Up to Support Our Troops



Announcement by Michelle Malkin:

"I’m excited to announce a very special event Hot Air will be participating in on June 26. Save the date. We’re teaming up with Melanie Morgan’s Move America Forward and UStream to present an 8-hour web-a-thon with the goal of sending the largest single shipment of care packages to U.S. troops in American history." LINK

Please go to the link and get all the information on this wonderful endeavor.

New York Times Resorting to Extortion?

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has released a story about how low the New York Times has evolved. The Times has told the McCain camp that if they are not included in the pool of reporters that will get a glimpse of McCains medical records, they will go negative on the story:

Gray Lady fighting dirty against McCain campaign? Update: NYT Ethics Policy

posted at 6:30 pm on May 21, 2008 by Ed Morrissey

Does the New York Times leverage access to campaign events through threats of negative news articles? According to one source at the McCain campaign, the answer is yes...........

All of that brings us to today. It’s no secret that the McCain campaign believes the Times to be dishonest in its reporting on the candidate, and they decided not to extend an invitation to the Times for the media pool at the release of the medical records on Friday. According to my source close to the part of the campaign that deals with these issues, they have invited a variety of media outlets, including national-reach newspapers, wire services, and cable-news networks into the pool, but told the Times that they would not receive any credentials for the event.

This prompted a conversation between one Times editor and the campaign staff. Again according to the source, the editor told the campaign that the Times would take a negative view about the release of the records if an invitation was not forthcoming. It was clear that an invitation to the pool would change the nature of the coverage. READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE.

The New York Times posted this story today at their political online site:

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain is set to release 400 pages of medical records, including documents related to his melanoma surgery in August 2000, to a tightly controlled group of reporters on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

On Friday, the campaign will allow a small pool of reporters access to the records from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pacific time in a conference room at the Copper Wind Resort in Phoenix, near the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. The reporters will be allowed to take notes but not remove or photocopy the records. Campaign officials said they were imposing the restrictions to prevent the actual records from wide dissemination.

The news organizations in the pool, selected by the campaign, include ABC News, The Arizona Republic, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Reuters, The Washington Post and, possibly, a newsmagazine. LINK

Rovinsworld posted in comments at the Hot Air post:

Perhaps if the New York Times had agreed to talk (view) the information “WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS” they may have been included in this release.

It will be interesting to see how they follow up on their threat to go negative. I’m guessing an AP or a Reuters writer will go ugly enough that the Times can just copy the text while hiding under the covers.

From MrLynn:

" The NY Times (”the paper of record”) still wields enormous influence on other newspapers around the country, and also on the newsrooms of hundreds of TV stations. Most people still get the bulk of their news (if they get any) from TV first, and local papers secondarily. So what the Times says becomes de facto gospel.

If we in the blogosphere, a relatively small coterie of news and political junkies, can keep shining a bright light on this roach-infested kitchen where the NY Times serves up its daily menu, maybe some customers will gradually start looking elsewhere for more fulfilling news and commentary." MrLynn on May 22, 2008 at 8:22 AM

Longtime commenter and colleague Keemo also states the obvious:

"Wonder what it must be like to be a stock holder of the NYT; watching as this dinosaur sinks in the quick sand of corruption and unethical behavior. Liberalism, a mental disorder…"
Keemo on May 22, 2008 at 9:05 AM

definably developing............

The Mockery of the Democratic Party.......by John McCain




Sounds a bit like the "old man's" ready to eliminate the competition?

"Rare Success" in Iraq

New resident Ed Morrissey (from formally Captain's Quarters) at Hot Air has posted another success story that involves the progress in Iraq:

Mahdis sign over Sadr City to Maliki, victory celebrations in media pending

Get ready for more celebrations of Moqtada al-Sadr in the American media. Earlier today, he signed over control of Sadr City to the Nouri al-Maliki government in Baghdad, effectively ending his grip on any territory in Iraq. In the document, the Sadrists recognize the elected government as the sole legitimate authority in Sadr City and everywhere else in Iraq:

“We have signed the agreement today,” said Khalid al-Attiyah, the deputy parliamentary speaker from the main Shiite political bloc, United Iraqi Alliance.

Al-Attiyah said the cease-fire went into effect on Sunday and Iraqi forces will be allowed to enter the area as early as Wednesday and “take over the security there.”

The statement said “the government will decide on the number of Iraqi forces to be deployed in Sadr City to achieve security, in order to refrain from asking help from foreign forces,” a reference to the U.S. military.

“Any attack against residential areas, government offices and the Green Zone are prohibited from Sadr City or from another area,” the agreement said.

The cease-fire stipulates that Iraqi forces have the right to “impose the law and to pursue illegal situations.”

The government will allow the Mahdis to retain personal small arms, but anyone with anything heavier will be subject to arrest or attack. Those efforts continued today to clear Sadr City of splinter elements who have not accepted the cease-fire, with several more radicals killed by Iraqi and American forces. The agreement will not keep Maliki from imposing his will on the Baghdad suburb any more than a similar capitulation did in Basra, where Maliki uprooted the Mahdis from control after several years.........Link

Meanwhile the New York Times gets around to recognizing this piece of history calling it a "rare success":

Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old.

In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city, to the initial surprise and growing delight of many inhabitants who only a month ago shuddered under deadly clashes between Iraqi troops and Shiite militias....... Link

Earth to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the anti-war left nutcases: We are winning this war in Iraq and the Iraqi people are stepping up while our troops are close to claiming VICTORY! This will bring our troops home much quicker than passing meaningless legislation or the media's obsession with reporting only the setbacks while ignoring real success that gets RARELY REPORTED.

The Players Championship
(Classless sportwriter misses the fairway by a mile)

Any golf enthusiast (those who loves the game and the competition that even percolates on a Sunday afternoon between friends with 15 handicaps) who saw the drama unfold this past weekend in the Players Championship, couldn’t help but appreciate the “game” of Paul Goydos and the story behind his unexpected accent to the top of the leaderboard for most of the weekend. In fact, Goydos’ three bogys in the last five holes and a clutch par saving putt by Sergio Garcia on the 18th, (that was playing to a 4.9 stroke average) made the sudden death return to the famous seventeenth island hole almost anti-climatic.

But surely one thing the sport doesn’t need is a low-life senior sportswriter who decided to inject “class” into the story. According to Cameron Morfit---- Senior Writer, Golf Magazine----a Paul Goydos victory would have some how made the tournament a “classless” or “second-class” event:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A gust of wind won the 2008 Players Championship on Sunday. Pete Dye won the Players. And ultimately, to the great relief of everyone who hoped for a first-class winner at the "fifth major," Sergio Garcia won the Players. (Link)

Morfit goes on in his story about the lack of “class” players in the tourney that included top players in the world rankings with talent like Mickelson, Els, Furyk, Olgilvy, and now #10 Garcia. To insinuate that a Goydos victory against this field of world class talent would make the victor some one other that “first class” speaks volumes about the writers solipsism and classless journalism.

On a day where the conditions on the course brought most of the field to its knees, the performance of Paul Goydos was nothing but first class. The only classless performance was committed by Morfit and his pathetic article that failed to see the drama all golfers appreciate----the best in the world and the highest handicappers. Morfit definitely hit this one out of bounds.

Last Stand in Sadr City

Ed Morrissey has posted a story on the upcoming (and hopefully) final clash between Sadr's militias and Maliki's Iraqi government:


Big push coming in Sadr City

Iraqi soldiers have begun evacuating families from portions of Sadr City, a sign that a large offensive will start shortly against the Mahdi Army militia that have long controlled the sector of Baghdad. Two stadiums have been secured for sheltering the evacuees as the government of Nouri al-Maliki attempts to break Moqtada al-Sadr’s last stronghold and end mortar attacks on the Green Zone. Maliki also wants to end Iran’s influence in Iraq, which caused Iran to cut off security talks with Maliki and the US:

Iraqi soldiers for the first time warned residents in the embattled Sadr City district to leave their houses Thursday, signaling a new push by the U.S.-backed forces against Shiite extremist who have been waging street battles for seven weeks.

Iraqi soldiers, using loudspeakers, told residents in some virtually abandoned areas of southeastern Sadr City to go to nearby soccer stadiums, residents said. UNICEF says about 6,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Sadr City, most of them from the southeastern section.

U.S. forces have increased air power and armored patrols in an attempt to cripple Shiite militia influence in Sadr City, a slum of 2.5 million people that serves as the Baghdad base for the Mahdi Army led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The U.S. military is trying to weaken the militia’s grip in the slum and disrupt rocket and mortar strikes from Sadr City on the U.S.-protected Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and key Iraqi government offices. Link

The reporting by our esteemed left-wing media will be interesting to watch in the days ahead.

Gary Mayor Predicts Possible Indiana Shocker

Updated 11:12 p.m.By Alec MacGillis

As the fate of a nailbiter Indiana primary -- and possibly the course of the Democratic race -- hung on his city, Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said just now that it might take a while yet to finish counting the vote in Lake County, which includes Gary, and said tonight his city had turned out so overwhelmingly for Barack Obama that it might just be enough to close the gap with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Let me tell you, when all the votes are counted, when Gary comes in, I think you're looking at something for the world to see," Clay, an Obama supporter, said in a telephone interview from Obama's Gary headquarters. "I don't know what the numbers are yet, but Gary has absolutely produced in large numbers for Obama here."

Clay said the results were late coming in from Lake County because of the large numbers of absentee ballots that had to be counted -- about 11,000. Under local practice, all of the cartridges from voting machines in Gary and nearby East Chicago are first collected at the local airport before being driven to the county headquarters to be tallied with the results from the rest of the county, he said. He said there were no major technical problems holding up the count.
"It takes a little time. We want to be sure that every vote is counted fair and right," he said. "I just talked to the director out there and they are working like junkyard dogs to get that done as soon as possible. They are taking some time but I told them to do it right. That's what taking the time."

Is anyone still up at CBS?

Democrats Final "Big State" Races Coming to a Close

What may look like the last chance for either Democratic candidate to move substantially ahead of the other Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton head into today's two primaries in North Carolina and Indiana hoping to make a "statement" that this race should be over.

RCP Polls this morning put Barack Obama at +8 in North Carolina and Hillary Clinton up by +5 in Indiana, which looks like if the polls are close, these two primaries will be pretty much another wash. With the exception of the obviously skewed (weighted) CBS/New York Times poll that shows both Clinton and Obama leading John McCain by double digits, the RCP shows Obama up by +1 and Clinton by +3. Throw out the CBS/NYT poll and McCain leads Obama and is dead even with Clinton. With 115 delegates up for grabs in No. Carolina and only 72 available in Indiana, Obama may very well come out of the day with a net gain in pledged delegates.

By tomorrow morning we, (the American electorate) may very well see the waters of the Democratic Party still just as muddied as the previous day. Look for the MSM to do their best to spin the results that will best fit their agenda, and ramp up their negative stories on John McCain.

I will leave this post open to additional script as the day progresses and the media rhetoric develops.........

Update: Drudge is reporting that Obama may have as much as a 15% lead over Clinton in NC. This will most likely over-shadow Clinton's percieved win in Indiana.

Update II: Zogby's latest telephone poll has Obama ahead in both states:

"The pair of surveys of the Democratic presidential contests shows Obama with a significant 14-point lead in North Carolina, winning 51% support to Hillary Clinton’s 37%. Another 12% said they were either favoring someone else or were as yet undecided. In Indiana, the race is clear as mud, as Obama holds a statistically insignificant lead of two points, winning 45% support to Clinton’s 43% support, with 12% either undecided or favoring someone else."

(it will be interesting to see where Zogby comes out here with his tele-polls)

It's the Economy Stupid --- Part 23

The New York Times may have put a little damper on CNN's producer’s agenda-driven economic tactics. CNN's "Issue # 1"----- ("it's the economy stupid") ----- that projects the doom and gloom of the nation’s economy might not have as much juice in the upcoming general election. Of course, when the "housing crisis" hit, (after four straight years of booming construction and inflated home prices finally hit it's ebb), the liberal mainstream media rode the mantra of economic doom praying for a market crash that would send us into their already proclaimed recession. Along the vain proclamation of Harry Reid’s "THE WAR IS LOST", the media's crescendo of economic disaster seems to have fizzled to the natural market forces:

Economic Clouds? Wall Street Sees Signs of Sunshine

By VIKAS BAJAJ

Published: May 2, 2008

Main Street may be struggling, but Wall Street is on a bit of a roll.
Despite a drumbeat of bad economic news, the stock market is up — almost 11 percent in the last few weeks. Junk bonds, those risky corporate I.O.U.’s, are rallying. The value of financial shares, bank loans, tricky credit derivatives — up, up, up.

Many on Wall Street, the epicenter of the credit mess, seem to think that the worst is over. For the first time in months, analysts and executives sound upbeat again. Many of them see a broad, sustained recovery in both the economy and the financial markets coming in the second half of this year, a prediction some market strategists call hopeful at best.

Of course these "strategist" could just as well be all those retired generals the MSM located that also said the war is lost.

"Financial stocks and the broader market surged on Thursday as the dollar strengthened and oil prices fell for the third day in a row. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index closed up 1.7 percent, to 1,409.34 points; the Dow Jones industrial average notched a 189.87-point gain, to 13,010; and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.8 percent. Another day or two like that, and those market benchmarks will be in the black for the year."

"It is a remarkable reversal in attitudes from just a few months ago, when the broader economy seemed relatively healthy but Wall Street was traumatized by billions of dollars in mortgage-related losses. Now, bankers and investors appear ready to look past the crisis to more profitable times, while consumers find themselves in a more precarious position as the job market weakens and banks make it harder to borrow money."

With the prime rate down to 2.0% it may be a bit difficult for the banks to restrict lending nor would they want to, but the Times writer here has to remain "bogged down". And as a general rule, employers cut their labor forces during the first quarter because, (also as a general rule), the volume of sales is usually at its lowest point. It’s a financial fact.

While the media's frenzy and over-reaction when an over heated economy (that left the MSM totally silent for the better part of three years) finally leveled off and corrections and profits were taken, the strength and wealth of this nation under the Bush administration policies of lower taxes and a "hands off" approach to natural market forces proves that an economy works best when the government stays out of the game. Yes, government spending policies have run amuck and need to be frozen. But if we put either Clinton or Obama into office, 800 billion in entitlement expansion and Hillary's "yes, I will raise your taxes" mentality will surely send this nations economy into a tail-spin.

While the remaining two democratic candidates march around the country proclaiming that "they will create jobs and put more people to work", neither of them realize that it is BUSINESS'S THAT CREATE JOBS THAT PUT PEOPLE TO WORK. And both them have policies they plan to enact that will be hardly business-friendly. Hillary plans to raise capital gains taxes to 39% and will not even commit to not raising payroll taxes. Both candidates plan to enact government sponsored health care plans that offer no explanation on how they are to be paid for. GUESS WHAT! ----- BUSINESSES AND AVERAGE SHAREHOLDERS OF "BIG BAD CORPORATIONS" WILL PAY FOR IT! Barack Obama claims he’s not slept since October on the Letterman Show. Putting either of these two into the White House will guarantee the people of this nation will go to bed with less money in their pockets while their socialist and redistribution of wealth policies become real nightmares.

Dear Mr. O'Reilly,

I'm having difficulty figuring out your position on Obama and Wright. You have been willing, if I am not mistaken, to give Sen. Obama a "pass" on whether he knew Wright's beliefs and the content of Wright's sermons. Last night, however, you apparently thought he made a "calculation" to sit in Rev. Wright's congregation.

I cannot understand why you are so credulous at a claim that is clearly incredible. (Don't take my word for it; ask Juan Williams.) Sen. Obama and Rev. Wright go together to the Million Man March, and we are supposed to believe that it was just this past weekend that the Senator discovered the Reverend's admiration for Farrakhan? It's really worse than this.

We are supposed to believe that Sen. Obama attends the church for 20 years and never once hears of the Black Liberation Theology that so animates the Rev. Wright. Sean Hannity has the Rev. Wright on for 5 minutes, and the Reverend is demanding of Mr. Hannity if he has ever read James Cone, and that unless Mr. Hannity knows the content of Black Liberation Theology, Mr. Hannity really isn't an informed interviewer. Yet, we're supposed to believe that the Reverend never makes the same demand of Sen. Obama? So, you really think, Mr. O'Reilly, that Sen. Obama is brought to Jesus by the Reverend, attends for 20 years, gives 25,000 to the church, receives a monthly newsletter, is married in the Reverend's church, has his daughters baptized there, prays privately with Rev. Wright before his presidential bid announcement, and the good Reverend never once says, "Barack, here's what we believe at Trinity...." And just so all we know exactly what it is that Sen. Obama didn't know until recently, and you apparently are more than willing to believe he didn't know, here is James Cone:

"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy."

I've known my Pastor only through his sermons and for far less than 20 years, and I know how he feels about abortion, the war, adultery, loving one's neighbor -- and I most certainly know that he does not believe that God is against anyone because of their skin color.

Now, you said on your show last night that the Reverend is a smart man, that he could figure out that he was damaging the Senator's campaign. And the Senator is not a smart man? He couldn't figure out in 20 years what the beliefs were of his chosen church? Your view is that he made a calculation? A calculation about what -- that he could sit in a church, whose Pastor held such beliefs, and not be expected to answer for it?

And here's why it still matters, despite your apparent claim that the Senator has now done what he needed to do. Sen. Obama may have now "disowned" Rev. Wright, something we were told he couldn't do. But he has yet to be honest about what he knew and when he knew of the beliefs of his Pastor. Unless, of course, you want us to have the same credulity that you seem to have about this matter. Yet the credibility of a candidate is extremely relevant to his bid for president. If we can't trust the Senator about something that he says go to the core of who he is, why should we trust him on anything else?

It's clear you would like the Senator to appear on your program. But you've always promised your listeners and viewers that the "spin stops here." Mr. O'Reilly, you may not be spinning, but your view sure looks like you are sliding all over the place. Mr. O'Reilly, tell your viewers clearly whether you think that Sen. Obama knew his chosen Pastor was racist and anti-American before well before 2008.

(author to be posted at a later date)

EARTHQUAKE!!! 5.3 ------ EUREKA, CA.

Version #3: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.This is a computer-generated message. This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.

A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:03:06 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.The magnitude 5.2 event occurred 18 km (11 miles) ESE of Willow Creek, CA.The hypocentral depth is 18 km (11 miles).

Magnitude
5.2 - regional moment magnitude (Mw)

Time
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 8:03:06 PM (PDT)

Depth
26.3 km (16.3 miles)

Distance from

Willow Creek, CA - 18 km (11 miles) ESE (114 degrees)Blue Lake, CA - 42 km (26 miles) E (97 degrees)Hayfork, CA - 42 km (26 miles) NW (315 degrees)Eureka, CA - 56 km (35 miles) E (85 degrees)Sacramento, CA - 307 km (191 miles) NW (326 degrees)

I guess the Reno fellas didn't get around to reading this one. ?

Although this one was 35 miles away, I was holding on to my tv set (that sits on a four foot stand) and was moving about a foot back and forth. This was nothing compared to the 1989 quakes that hit 6.8 and followed with two 6.2's four hours apart. Most of our quakes occur off the coast here where we have a couple of major fault lines. The fact that this one was inland make me a little nervous about the next one.

"Perfect Storm" Continues.........

As Hillary Clinton defeated Barak Obama last night in Pennsylvania the Republican Party can't help but be pleased to see a Democratic nomination race continue as the two candidates march on to another primary and another round of self-denigration.

"This is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen," said Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat who has not endorsed anyone in the race. "They are going to just keep standing there and pounding each other and bloodying each other, and no one is winning. It underlines the need to find some way to bring this to conclusion."

Clinton got what she needed, (with a 55% to 45% ten point advantage), to continue her stance that she can win the "big" states necessary to win the electoral college votes in November. Clinton's problem, (and Obama's), is neither candidate appears to have the ability to convince the super-delegates to put an end to the race. As it stands right now, if either candidate gets the boot by the super-D's there will be just enough disenfranchisement in the general election to put John McCain in the White House. From today's New York Times:

"The results of the exit poll, conducted at 40 precincts across Pennsylvania by Edison/Mitofsky for the television networks and The Associated Press, also found stark evidence that Mr. Obama’s race could be a problem in the general election. Sixteen percent of white voters said race mattered in deciding who they voted for, and just 54 percent of those voters said they would support Mr. Obama in a general election; 27 percent of them said they would vote for Mr. McCain if Mr. Obama was the Democratic nominee, and 16 percent said they would not vote at all."

And from the Washington Post:

Gov. Edward G. Rendell, Clinton's top supporter in the state, described the victory at a post-election rally as an "earthquake" that would change the dynamic of the Democratic race. It came as a huge relief for Clinton aides, who say their only chance of an upset is to run off a string of triumphs.

Yet it was a relief for the Obama campaign, too. The senator from Illinois denied Clinton an overwhelming landslide in a state that played to her demographic strengths, with its many working-class, elderly and Catholic voters, and it put her back on uphill terrain. Obama continues to hold a huge financial advantage and a lead in pledged delegates that will be almost impossible for Clinton to surpass in the few contests that remain.

While all this is transpiring, the New York Times and the LA Times continue their own process of vetting McCain smear stories to see which ones will be worth re-publishing during the general election. So far, throwing mud on a military veteran that has far better national security and foreign policy credentials than the other two "cut 'n run" defeatist just doesn't seem to stick. Even the fragile economic concerns can not be shouldered completely by the Republican Administration when the Democratic Party will have been in control of the House and the Senate for almost two years by November. Pelosi and Reid have wasted too much time with over eight hundred over-sight hearings and surrender/retreat legislation to prove they can do the job they were elected to do, which was to solve the nations domestic ills. Instead, their partisan politics has destroyed much of their party's credibility. So much for the "new direction" promises the democrats made to the electorate that brought them into power. And now they have this "perfect storm" to deal with.

Raincoats and Popcorn required.

Update: The Dean 25 (credentials committee) is now kicking in the Michigan/Florida debacle into the "storm". This may be the makings for a hollywood script. Given the anti-war crap that flopped bigtime over the past year, the "producers" may have to give this a serious look.

Art Downs at Common Sense Political Thought puts the Obama-Clinton debacle in historical perspective.


The Apotheosis of Obama

April 21st, 2008 by Art Downs

There are often hints as the hype-mongers prepare to pull another fast one on the public. This is most often observed in the entertainment world as well as the mass-marketing of a product. Presidential candidates are usually the product of a seasoning process rather than the result of some ‘teaser’ type ad or catchy media blitz. Our campaigns have had their songs, images, and slogans but they were adornments rather than the basic product.

Our earliest presidential candidates were chosen by the respective party caucus and this seemed to leave the choice to the insiders. The ‘era of good feeling’ that followed the War of 1812 saw partisanship vanish on a National basis but the campaign of 1824 put an end to kinder and gentler politics when four contenders from the only National party fought it out in a contest where the first runner-up (John Quincy Adams) beat the Jackson and initiated four years of bitter complaining by the unselected candidate. The result was a party split and the birth of the Whig............Link

Cash Cow vs. National Security
House of Representatives-­Lawyers Lobby Holding Up Surveillance Bill

Saturday, April 12, 2008
by Rovin

Our House on Friday passed their version of the Terrorist Surveillance Bill leaving out the crucial text that protects communication companies from getting sued when they cooperated with the government after 9/11. There are currently over 40 lawsuits (in the billions) pending against the companies that could bring in millions for individuals and attorneys claiming that the wire-taps were illegally authorized by our government. President Bush plans to veto this version of the bill if it reach’s his desk.

WASHINGTON-AP - The House on Friday approved a Democratic bill that would set rules for the government's eavesdropping on phone calls and e-mails inside the United States.

The bill, approved as lawmakers departed for a two-week break, faces a veto threat from President Bush. The margin of House approval was 213-197, largely along party lines.

Because of the promised veto, "this vote has no impact at all," said Republican Whip Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri.

The president's main objection is that the bill does not protect from lawsuits the telecommunications companies that allowed the government to eavesdrop on their customers without a court's permission after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. White House spokesman Tony Fratto called the measure a "political ploy" designed to give Democrats cover for their failure to grant full retroactive immunity to the telecom companies.

The vote sent the bill to the Senate, which has passed its own version that includes the legal immunity for telecom companies that Bush is demanding.

Without that provision, House Republicans said, the companies won't cooperate with U.S. intelligence....... Link to full story

While Nancy Pelosi and her powerful lawyers lobby continue to play games with our national security for monetary gain, our communication companies are left high and dry by being subjected to civil lawsuits. This was the same surveillance that prevented the London bombers plot to blow up planes crossing over the Atlantic.

For the record, the Democrats are claiming that they are protecting constitutional civil rights as their reason for leaving out the protections to the telecoms. While it’s ok for the government to pick up the tab on social service programs to the tune of billions, it’s apparently not ok to intercept phone conversations that plot to blow up Americans.

We should all thank Nancy and her party for looking out for our best interest.

San Francisco Protesters Get "Torched" by Route Change

AP and Washington Post Spin Troop Reductions Story

Meanwhile Pelosi and the Dumbocrats in the House continue their moonbattery:

"As Congress prepares to take up a new war spending bill, House Democratic defense appropriators agreed this week on three policy prescriptions: a government-wide ban on torture, a mandate that soldiers and Marines be given at least a month at home for every month in combat, and a withdrawal timetable that would be longer than past failed efforts and that would explicitly leave the details of withdrawal to military commanders."

While General Petraeus, Ambasador Crocker, and our President are all on the same page in protecting the gains made over the past seventeen months that have turned the corner in violence in Iraq, our Democratic "leadership" continues down the road of surrender and defeatism while pandering to their radical left anti-war crowd.

Angry Journalist

As CBS cuts jobs in their news division, there's a new website for the disgruntled journalist to vent their frustrations. Too bad they just don't get it------that they are catering to only half this nation with their liberal bias while blaming the Internet.


Angry journalists vent their frustrations to the world

They're angry at their demanding editors. They're angry about the mushrooming workload in shrinking newsrooms. They're even angry about other angry journalists.

But these angry journalists are happy they can now vent their frustrations to the rest of the world, courtesy of angryjournalist.com, a sort of online complaint board allowing ink-stained wretches to gripe anonymously.

Ironically, their anger is partly fueled by the Internet, which has forced newspapers and television networks to reinvent themselves with painful consequences for their staffs.

Here's a sampling of comments posted to this story:

4. Steve C. April 1st, 2008 - 9:00 pm

Hey, CBS just laid off a load of people today. You want to get angry guys? How about directing your anger at the management that allows you to produce that biased crap you try to pawn off as journalism. This ain’t rocket science fellas. The quality of journalism is a joke. Everyone knows it but you. And for the love of god,stop blaming the Internet. We go to the Internet because newspapers and network news are not doing their job, period.

Hey, if you don’t like your jobs, maybe you could go to Hollywood and write some more of those anti-war movies. They keep making them and they all do so well. Hundreds of people have seen them.

3. Jon April 1st, 2008 - 8:56 pm

Oh…poor baby print journalists - grow up!! The world is changing at breakneck speed - oh sorry, that was the print journalism ‘profession’ the online world just passed by…I, for one, am delighted not to have to put up with the vile anti-American garbage from NYTimes, LA Times, etc. who all take their cues from whoever is angry with the US (i.e. Castro, Chavez, Ahmedijad, etc.)…perhaps your rags will be recycled into a proper use - say, toilet paper…long live online!!

7. K. West April 1st, 2008 - 9:55 pm

If journalists weren’t mostly liberal morons who are more interested in promoting their agenda than in reporting the news, they might still have a job. RIP, dead tree news.

9. brian April 1st, 2008 - 10:20 pm

WAIT a minute !! Isnt this supposed to be a recession made up by the media? HMMM the plot thickens!!

11. G. MAN April 1st, 2008 - 10:34 pm

Hey Left Wing Media,If you got off your tail and told both sides, instead of trying to push your left wing agenda down our throats, you might have a job. You are getting what you deserve!!!You need to be fair on both sides. The news people need to investigate the Democrats the same way they do the Republicans. The media should not have an agenda, but you do. You are in the tank for the Democrats.You guys wonder why advertising is down, circulation is down, it’s simple, you don’t tell the truth, ( DAN RATHER) and you only tell half the truth. It’s easy, JUST BE FAIR and you will have a job. If you keep going the way you are, you will all be out of a job. I can’t understand why someone at the N.Y. Times or the L.A. Times, can’t see this. After all the business the major newspapers in this country have lost, you would think it would be easy to see. You are playing to only half of the country with you left wing agenda. Right wing people can read also, but they don’t want to read left wing garbage.

12. Parker April 1st, 2008 - 11:12 pm

Most journalists and editors are left leaning because only leftist ideologues could put up with the horse manure that passes as a "humanities" education these days. (Hint: conservatives are driven out, denied scholarships, made to feel unwelcome in humanities departments - leaving almost only liberals in the journalism and teaching professions).

Why? Because 60’s generation leftists monopolize 99% of the humanities departments, teachers schools and journalism schools across the nation.

Cultural relativism, race and ethnic identity obsession, anti-Americanism, fascist feminism, pro-terrorist Middle East studies - a regular circus of PC, cult of victimization nitwits.

15. Justy April 2nd, 2008 - 12:46 am

Well it’s their own damn fault. When you only cater to 50% of your potential audience you only require 50% of the staff.

16. Mike April 2nd, 2008 - 1:10 am

Try as I might (granted, I’m not trying very hard)I can muster absolutely no sympathy for these self-described " journalists". The vast majority are nothing more than shills for the political left, "useful idiots" who hold themselves and their own views in high esteem. Perhaps if they even approached objectivity, there might be a market for them. The thinking portion of the populace wants facts, not agenda-based opinion reported as fact.

23. Mark April 2nd, 2008 - 3:21 am

I’d ask all of you journalist-bashing posters how they’d feel if they lost their jobs… but then I realized, you’re most likely unemployable losers anyway so you wouldn’t be able to answer.

24. brian April 2nd, 2008 - 3:26 am

I hope you are all replaced by minimum waged illegal aliens, the ones you have so desperately supporting.

25. al vander stoep April 2nd, 2008 - 3:29 am

There isn’t too much to add. Normal Americans are tired of having their country and morals trashed by a bunch of gutless liberals who will write anything to keep their propaganda jobs. Good luck in the real world, liars.

Mark (in comment #23 bolded) must be one of those poor souls that doesn't get the point that so many others are writing about-----and resorts to what a good DUer or a KOS kid would do when they can't win (or debate an argument) by attacking the messenger.

The sad facts are that the mainstream media is becoming neither when they proceed to advocate their left-wing liberal agenda and call it "journalism".

Update: I found a fair assessment of what a journalist has become in this Angry Journalist post:

Angry Journalist #2786:

I am glad to see journalists lose their jobs. Today’s journalists are no longer unbiased, impartial, or the guarantors of democracy in their role as the fourth estate.Instead, today’s journalists are extremely liberal and seem to be social engineers rather than journalists. They persecute religious beliefs, give a free pass to politicians they agree with, and try to dictate morality and social norms by altering the public’s perception of the issues of the day. Illegal immigration is okay, abortion is good, religion is bad, Bush is a liar, Clinton is great, porn is okay, censorship of any kind is bad, etc. Why don’t journalists just report the facts, and let the readers interpret things for themselves? The success of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, et al, should be a lesson for them. Not that Fox is entirely unbiased either; but Fox is a backlash to the liberal agenda pushed on the public by the mainstream media. But do they get it? No. Americans like traditional values and want to see their traditional values embraced in the mainstream media. “Oh, traditional values? So you want segregation back and you want women confined to the kitchen?” NO, damn it, no. It is the common refrain of the liberal media to characterize traditional conservatives as wanting to turn back the clock and bring back all kinds of social and economic evils.We just want the truth and we want love of family, God and country to remain the cornerstone of our lives. Instead, we feel very much on the defensive regarding upholding and keeping these values.But most of all, I am glad journalists are losing their jobs because while they are becoming INCREASINGLY liberal, they deny the charge of liberal bias even MORE loudly. How dare they? How can journalists be so blind to their own bias? Or perhaps they are not blind — perhaps they think the general public is stupid enough to accept their denials of liberal bias. We are not stupid. And now you are out of a job. Good riddance to you all.

Stupid is------as stupid does................