All the News That's Fit to be Tied

I have an axe to grind, but unlike the New York Times, I freely admit it.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Obama's Traveling Medicine Show

What better place to show some unity than in a place called Unity, New Hampshire? It's so simple, so comprehensible, even a child could make the connection; but is there one? When Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama met in Unity to show unity Obama supporters were mesmerized, which is not unusual for his fans that swoon, fall and faint and in his presence. They are so enamored that it doesn't really matter what he says. He need not be consistent, honest or even logical. He just needs to speak and they are entranced. In a town of just 1700, four thousand people showed up at the Unity rally so it begs the questions; who are these people? How did they all get there? A total of 214 votes were cast in Unity on Primary day: One-hundred and seven for each candidate. Obviously this is indicative of the party split between the two. The total population of Unity was 1716 in 2006. There is no reason to suspect that is has grown to 4000 since the local census was taken. So who are these 4,000 who showed up at the rally? How did they get there? Why were their signs so perfect? How come they all cheered at the same time? Why did they all boo at the same time? It was a show. A put-up job for television and radio, so Americans would think that the Democrats were united and Obama was the choice for all Democrats, so every Democrat should support him. It was a show like every other Obama rally that takes place in the country. You've seem them in little towns in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa and other places whose populations swell on Obama days. Supporters are bussed in, given signs and coached on when to clap, when the cheer, when to ooh, when to ahh, when to yell no, when to yell yes, when to say O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA. It is the Obama Traveling Medicine Show and like the medicine peddlers of the 1800's, who traveled in covered wagon caravans with entertainers, barkers, and shills, Obama is traveling America peddling the elixir of change, the promise of feeling better tomorrow and the promise of a better you. All you have to do is drink the elixir that will catapult Obama to the White House.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Haditha-Seventh Marine Exonerated

After three years of courts martials and hundreds of presumptive articles about guilt, Lt Col Jeffrey Chessani, has been exonerated of any wrongdoing in the famed Haditha Massacre, where 24 U.S. Marines were said to have killed unarmed Iraqi men, women and children. Only one Marine remains and there is little reason to expect him to be convicted based on the previous courts martials. The massacre claim was made by a "self-styled local journalist and human-rights activist, Taher Thabet al-Hadithi." His claims have all proved to be virtually false. The truth was that Iraqi militants used old men, women and children as cover to fire upon American troops and then lied to the world. When the marines approached the building, it was cleared of weapons and the civilians were left inside to serve as collateral damage for the PR war being waged in the press against America. Have we heard from the righteous and indignant U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-PA), who proclaimed the Marines committed "murder in cold blood?" Have we heard from the liberal hordes (Matthews, Schieffer, McGlaughlin, Stephenopoulis, Blizter, Cafferty, et all.) who were so quick to join in the condemnation chorus but are silent now? The answer is NO because they are wrong. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. Our soldiers are the best people America has. These young and often grown-up men and women, who love their country and understand the responsibility of freedom and vigilance, are the fruit of our nation and we should be grateful for their service. Semper Fi Marine

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Russert Followup

Many readers were not thrilled when I inadvertently teed-off on Tim Russert, when what I really wanted to do was tee-off on that Sunday morning over-the-top eulogy on NBC. I and millions of others who like to be informed watch Meet the Press nearly every week and that is a bigger compliment to him than any of the flattery-laden platitudes put forth by the panel like he could have been the Pope or the President. It’s easy to see why they admired Russert so much. He was more successful and respected than any of them and if they could say Russert was as important to them as the Pope or the President is to others, then someday, when their times comes someone will say that about them. Wishful thinking on their parts, and they know who they are. Anyway it was the fairness comments they kept making that got on my nerves. I’ll leave it at that.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Tim Russert-More than just a God

Tim Russert's many fans will miss his slant on the news, but the elevation of him from mere mortal to God was more than most could bear listening to, and the implication that there was no slant is just wishful thinking. George Stephanopoulos, Bob Schieffer, and Chris Wallace must have been insulted when Russert was described by his colleagues as the smartest, brightest and best of the lot of Sunday political show analysts. Others like Tom Brokaw and Wolf Blitzer are just too stupid to know they were being insulted. Today’s running of Meet the Press, which included the normal group of analysts (LOL) and commentators like James Carville, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mike Barnacle, Gwen Ifill, Maria Schriver, Meet the Press producer Betsy Fischer, Mary Matalin, and the previously mentioned Tom Brokaw, was a cacophony of platitudes by a group of people who all think alike, with Matalin being the single exception. It’s not surprising that when liberals gather they all perceive themselves as fair. It was so one-sided that even the gracious Mary Matalin decided to lay off when they called Russert fair to both sides of the political isle. Anyone who really watched the show knows that Russert was not fair to both sides. His liberal leanings showed through his questions. Questions to conservatives and Republicans were always more pointed, more aggressive and politically tinged with the built-in animosity and superiority that liberals reserve for conservatives, unless that Republican or conservative is a Republican in Name Only (RINO) like John McCain, Chuck Hagel or Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was fairer when compared to others in his line of work. He was able to do it with less nastiness than say David Gregory, more finesse than George Stephanopoulos and certainly with more intellect than most of his counterparts, but to say he was equally aggressive to conservatives and liberals is dishonest. Russert was a Democrat through and through. He always made sure that any conservative panelist on his show was outnumbered three to one, so the analysis would always be dominated by the liberal perspective. The gushing of Goodwin, the brown-nosing of Barnacle and Carville, the phony reverence of Gwen Ifill was like sour milk. The continuous presence on his Sunday panel of racist Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post and NBC Political Director Chuck Todd, was a testament to his political leanings. His admirers thought so much of him that they said he could have been a Catholic Cardinal, the Pope or even President of the United States if he merely wanted to. However, his humility and desire to serve the public was so great that getting paid $15 million a year to be a TV reporter and anaylst was good enough for him. Given that I suppose he could have cured cancer, found life on Mars and united the Republicans and Democrats, if it merely paid more. Radio show talker Sean Hannity related a story to his audience in which he said that Russert once donated $10,000 to a Scholarship fund that provides financial supoport for the children of American service men and women. If you make $50,000 a year Russert's donation would be the equivalent of donating $33 to your favorite charity. I hope that readers won’t take this the wrong way, but the canonizing of Russert is over the top. He was good, but he wasn’t a God.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

A Bad Week for Bush

Today had to represent the culmination of a bad week for President Bush and a bad day for the American People. Three things took place this week that when viewed separately are bad enough, but when viewed in the context of current events represent an even more serious situation. The week the US Congress tried to end the war in Iraq and failed. The legally blind Governor of New York, David Patterson, flew flags statewide for three days because of the death of three soldiers in Iraq, never having previously flown them for the same reason. Though permissible half-mast rules dictate that flying flags at half mast is to be taken seriously (See http://www.gettysburgflag.com/FlyFlagHalfMast.php) and not used to bolster a political argument. Today the Supreme Court voted to provide illegal enemy combatants being held by the US military in other countries with the legal rights of people in America. Is liberal hatred for this President so poisonous that they would risk a bill that was doomed to fail, fly flags on NY state government buildings at half-mast for three days during the Congressional debate as a show of support of the legislation and rule by fiat that the safety of Americans is not as important as the freedom of its enemies. Sadly the answer is YES.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Clinton, Obama, the Real Count

Have you noticed that while the media is proclaiming Obama has gained "presumptive nominee" status many reports include adjectives like "effectively," or virtually assured" to describe his win. That is because in reality neither Obama nor Clinton has enough pledged delegates to win the nomination outright. Obama has 1,764 pledged delegates and Clinton has 1640. Without super-delegates, who actually do not vote until the convention, the Democrats will have a brokered convention unless Hilary resigns from the campaign and takes second best. Super-delegates can declare support, but it only matters psychologically. They still have to vote, and just because they claim to back such and such a candidate there is no reason why they cannot change their mind. If the remaining undeclared supers support Hilary and for some reason 100 of Obama’s supers change their mind Hilary can win the big prize. And, while that does not seem probable at the moment stranger things have happened. This being case it makes you ask yourself why they are telling you over and over again. Why is it such a big headline that Hilary is suspending her campaign? The primaries are finished so there's nothing to do except wait for the convention when the real action will begin, unless she quits now. So we’re guessing that Hilary will wait until at least the first ballot to see what happens no matter what she may say publicly. If another photo of Obama at a Palestinian fundraiser emerges, stronger connections to Toney Rezco are established, or questions continue to emerge about his past associations, he could be fatally flawed no matter what kind of historic breakthrough his candidacy represents.