Perfunction

Today In History: US Surrenders In Iraq

Had Obama had his way back in January 2007:

The Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007

The Obama plan offers a responsible yet effective alternative to the President's failed policy of escalation. Realizing there can be no military solution in Iraq, it focuses instead on reaching a political solution in Iraq, protecting our interests in the region, and bringing this war to a responsible end. The legislation commences redeployment of U.S. forces no later than May 1, 2007 with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008, a date that is consistent with the expectation of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.

In case you were in a haze back in the winter of '07, "escalation" meant "The Surge." Per Obama, it was a predetermined failure before it was even fully launched.

Do you know how hard it is to find any pics of "American surrender" on Google? That's why I chose the iconic Saigon chopper. It's our version of the blubbering Frenchman. Indeed, the only picture of American surrender I could find was this one of Corregidor in the Philippines, 1942:

So that's what American surrender looks like. Do you want to know what actual American defeat sounds like? Listen to this haunting message, the last Morse code transmission sent before Corregidor fell to the Japanese.

Had enough? No? Vote for this naive American loser:

UPDATE: Welcome, National Review --- both The Corner and Campaign Spot (thanks, Lisa & Jim). Hello again, Instapundit! That uproven US missile defense system Obama wants to scrap? This one. It's one thing to embrace defeat overseas, but to actively neglect the defense of our very soil? Unacceptable.

Panic

Yeah, we bloggers/blog readers have been hearing this for the past month, but this AP piece is hitting the wires and will be in every print newspaper this weekend (sad to say, even I still take the local Sunday paper). Lots of unplugged people are about to get up to speed.

"Nightmarish...Wreck...Wrenching...Infuriating...Excruciating..." Delicious:

For all their delight in soaring voter registration and strong poll numbers, some Democrats fear the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton might have a nightmarish end, which could wreck a promising election year.

The chief worry is that Clinton may carry her recent winning streak into Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and other states, leaving her with unquestioned momentum but fewer pledged delegates than Obama. Party leaders then would face a wrenching choice: Steer the nomination to a fading Obama, even as signs suggested Clinton could be the stronger candidate in November; or go with the surging Clinton and risk infuriating Obama's supporters, especially blacks, the Democratic Party's most loyal base.

Some anxious Democrats want party elders to step in now to generate more "superdelegate" support for Obama, effectively choking off Clinton's hopes before she can bolster them further. But many say that is unlikely, and they pray the final 10 contests will make the ultimate choice fairly obvious, not excruciating.

UPDATE: Thanks, Insta-Glenn and Ace. Here's some weapons-grade Hillary schadenfreude for dessert.

(3-30-08, Local Sunday Paper Update: Half page article, top of A5. Awesome.)

Free At Last

Must read article today from WSJ's Kim Strassel, where she describes the liberal liberation from the Clinton Legacy:

Hillary's and Bill's scandals have been the elephant in the primary room ever since she first signaled a run. Yet up to now everyone has been too scared, or too loyal, or too weary to touch the ugly past. Her Bosnia misspeak is now serving as proxy for all the truths about the Clintons' non-truths, allowing even liberals to break free from their Clinton dependence.

And later:

No more apologizing. Now comes the euphoria, the liberation, the freedom of . . . Bosnian snipers! Suddenly, liberals all over are remembering that they never really liked the Clintons, even as they defended them in the 1990s. Suddenly, they can sidle into a discussion about Mrs. Clinton's ethics, and all on a subject that (bonus!) is relevant to today's race. Suddenly, they can break free of the Clintons, much as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson did earlier this week, with a look of ecstasy, as he ran toward the daylight and endorsed Mr. Obama.

And elsewhere at the WSJ, Peggy Noonan sees the writing on the wall that Hillary can't:

What, really, is Mrs. Clinton doing? She is having the worst case of cognitive dissonance in the history of modern politics. She cannot come up with a credible, realistic path to the nomination. She can't trace the line from "this moment's difficulties" to "my triumphant end." But she cannot admit to herself that she can lose. Because Clintons don't lose. She can't figure out how to win, and she can't accept the idea of not winning. She cannot accept that this nobody from nowhere could have beaten her, quietly and silently, every day. (She cannot accept that she still doesn't know how he did it!)

Major Boobage: One Of The Best South Parks EVAH

Cat jenkem. Classic Cartman. Eliot Spitzer.

And the most incredible homage to the adult animated movie Heavy Metal. Click here to watch the full episode at the new South Park Studios website. Animated boobage is taken to an absurd and hilarious extreme.

Obama: Raise Capital Gains Tax By 100%

From the current 15% to 28%. When confronted with the fact that he just proposed raising taxes on 100 million voters, Obama danced quickly:

BARTIROMO: You're impacting a lot of people.

Sen. OBAMA: Right.

BARTIROMO: A hundred million Americans own stocks today.

Sen. OBAMA: Absolutely.

BARTIROMO: So it's not just the rich.

Sen. OBAMA: No, no, no, absolutely. And that's why I think that it may be, for example, that you could structure something in which people with certain incomes were exempted from this increase and it would stay at 15. The broader principle that I'm interested in is just making sure that we've got a tax code that is fair for all Americans. And I think it is not unreasonable to say--you know, I know that we'll get some arguments from some folks on this, but it's not unreasonable to say that those of us in the upper brackets have benefited disproportionately from a globalized economy; that those benefits have been compounded by the Bush tax cuts and that for us to roll back some of those tax cuts and to put this economy on a more stable fiscal footing and to make investments in the American people so that they can afford a decent life, that that is actually good long term for our economy and also good for investors and Wall Street.

So, Obama wants to take the only fair, flat tax out there and work the typical Dem class-warfare magic on it. Great.

US Fighters Brush Back Russian Bombers

Yet another encounter with re-envigorated Russian strategic forces, this time off the coast of Alaska:

U.S. radar picked up the Russian turbo-prop Tupolev-95 planes about 500 miles off the Alaska coast.

The U.S. fighters from Elmendorf Air Force Base were dispatched to meet the bombers and escorted them out of the area without incident, the officials said.

The United States maintains the air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska, barring unidentified aircraft or aircraft that don't file flight plans inside that area.

Back in the day, Alaska was our tripwire --- Alaskan fighters scrambled to shoot down Soviet bombers bound for the lower 48.

Today however, Alaska itself is home to the bulk of our currently deployed ballistic missile defense system, including several of our most powerful radars (Cobra Dane & the sea-based SBX) and our largest missile interceptor base (Fort Greely) --- all easy targets for Bear bombers. Stay tuned.

Note: Photo is an older, undated Alaskan encounter, not yesterday's. If the new one surfaces, I'll update/replace.

Mumia: Wright On!

Convicted cop killer and death penalty poster boy Mumia Abu-Jamal is in the news again. Who knew he's on the radio nearly as much as Limbaugh?

Although first popularized via the web, the Reverend's comments caused Sen. Obama to say he was "appalled" by them, and he has repudiated such remarks as "offensive."

Just what were these comments? As far as I've heard, they were that Sen. Hilary Clinton (D.NY) has had a political advantage because she's white; that she was raised in a family of means (especially when contrasted with Obama's upbringing); and she was never called a nigger.

Sounds objectively true to me.

Rev. Wright's other remarks were that the country was built on racism, is run by rich white people, and that the events of 9/11 was a direct reaction to US foreign policy.

Again -- true enough.

Saddle Up

After single-handedly losing the black vote for Hillary, Bill is still aiming for a shoot-out with Obama:

Senator Clinton's chief surrogate, her husband, former president Bill Clinton, told voters in West Virginia yesterday, "My family's not big on quitting." He also downplayed concern over the campaign's tone, saying: "Let's just saddle up and have an argument. What's the matter with that?"

Hooooo doggy.

Tuzla Late

I'm sure you've seen the earlier clips, but Allah snagged this one hot off this evening's CBS news. Simply devastating.

Dogpile!

Dan Abrams: Markos Moulitsas Is UnAmerican

Abrams said it (7:10 mark in the video), not me:

"It is totally UnAmerican --- on either side --- to encourage people to go vote for a candidate you want to lose in the election."

Stop questioning his patriotism, Dan.

BREAKING: New Hillary Clinton Video

Dan Abrams: Rush Limbaugh Is UnAmerican

Howling about GOP party-switching strategic voting in the Ohio Democrat primary, Dan Abrams is outraged over Rush Limbaugh's Operation: CHAOS. So outraged that he calls Limbaugh --- and any strategic voter --- UnAmerican.

Oh and you gloating anonymous blog commenters beware --- Dan will find you:

Limbaugh has his defense ready.

UPDATE: Thanks, Ace, Allah and Newsbusters. Here's a campaign palate cleanser night terror. And if you haven't already, check out today's moron links.

UPDATE: Allahpundit points this out in his update: DailyKos instructed his minions to meddle in the Michigan GOP primary two months ago. Goose/gander.

Heh, why not, Dan? --- Kos is UnAmerican, too.

But ... But, It Was Supposed To Be "Her Day"

This is now old news from yesterday, but reading it today warms the cockles:

As for today, it is Clinton’s day. She could dominate the news cycle with a major speech on the housing crisis in Pennsylvania. On this issue, Clinton has devoted more campaign time to the issue than either Obama or McCain. It's potentially in Clinton's wheelhouse for a number of reasons... yakkity-yakkity-talk-down-the-economy-bullshit.

News domination, Clinton Style:

Meanwhile:

Refinance Your Childhood Nightmares

Act Now!

If I remember my undergrad Marketing 101 correctly, triggering consumers' latent arachnophobia is not an effective ad strategy.

PS: That's a screencap of the final frame of a disturbing animated sidebar ad from this morning's NY Post, not a photoshop. I ain't no Slublog.

Happy Easter, Peeps

See you Monday.

DoublePlusUndead's Linkfest

Check it out!

mesablue's story on a giant sucking sound is pretty awesome.

Loony Bin's New Name Offends Psychos, Nutcases & Schizoids

Old name -- Weston Hospital

New Name -- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum:

That name is translating to Web hits, phone calls and tour tickets for the hospital's owners. They say they're recreating history by readopting one of its many past names.

But mental health advocates say it goes too far. They say the name denigrates the suffering of former patients and reopens painful wounds. They say words like "lunatic" and "retarded" should never be resurrected.

It actually has some pretty cool history, retards.

2007 YouTube Awards

You've probably seen most (or all) of these at some point last year.

While the "Political" category winner is an awful illustration of moral equivalence and/or ignorance, I suppose the upshot is that its win means Ron Paul is officailly no longer President of the Internet (winners are picked by click-happy YouTube voters).

Richardson Endorses Obama

One more superdelegate for Obama from the Dems biggest doofus. I'M CAROL!

Obama & Osama

Is it just me, or did these Osama Bin Laden tapes come out at precisely the wrong time for Barack Obama?

They are both major headliners this week, and honestly, I've found myself double-taking more than once while quickly scanning the news --- and I'm a freaking blog-addled political junkie; I'm supposed to be on top of it.

In my quest for the old Ted Kennedy Osama-Obama tongue twister, I found the following CNN video from Dec. 2006. Make special note of the voter confusion then; Saddam Hussein even makes an appearance.

So I ask you: what are the chances CNN would EVER run this exact same piece today?

Superdelegates: Who Are They?

Want to see which of your local pols are Super? Want to catch some Uncommitteds in some slippery quotes and general jackleggery on the way to the convention?

Check out this neat Superdelegate tool from the Wall Street Journal. UPDATE: The WSJ thingy is making my browser act squirelly --- here's a better tool (scroll down to find your state).

Are you Super? Thanks for asking:

And I'm Spent

Remember this old chestnut?

Here's how 'murcans do it (salty language alert).

Range test fire:

And in combat:

(h/t: Danger Room)

One Of Many

A reader sends me this story of how a nearby family and small town have dealt with the loss of a Marine in Iraq:

Someone donated limousines for the family. The sheriff met them at the funeral home. He led them on the long drive across the state of Alabama, lights flashing. Something amazing happened along the way. At every county line, other sheriff's deputies waited in their cars, ready to escort the Conleys, blue lights on, all traffic stopped. Nothing was interfering with their awful journey that night, from Lauderdale County to Lawrence County, then on to Limestone and, finally, Madison. All along the way, people lined the roadside, waving American flags. When the sun went down, they shined flashlights on the stars and stripes, so that the only things the Conleys saw blazing across northern Alabama were small circles of light with flags inside.

Thank you.

America's Next First Daughter?

And her...friends:

Meghan McCain.

(h/t: EC in Ace's comments)

Taking The Bark Off Barack On Iraq

McCain (or his adviser) is pushing all the right buttons with this statement. Much --- MUCH --- gets forgiven if his tone remains this tough through November:

"Senator Obama says that ending the war will not be easy, that 'there will be dangers involved.' Yet, in that patented way of his, he declines to name those dangers. Let me enumerate a few: al Qaeda, which is now on the run, will survive, claim victory and continue to provoke sectarian tensions that, while they have been subdued by the 'tactics' of the surge, still exist and are ripe for provocation by al Qaeda, which would almost certainly ignite again civil war in Iraq, a civil war that could easily descend into genocide. To say that invading Iraq was used as a recruiting tool for al Qaeda is one thing. To pretend that our defeat there won't provide an even bigger one is foolish supposition. Iran, which trains Shia extremists and is known to arm and equip Sunni extremists, a fact Senator Obama is apparently unaware of, will also view our premature withdrawal as a victory, as will other countries in the region, and the biggest state supporter of terrorists, a country with nuclear ambitions and a stated desire to destroy the State of Israel, will see its influence in the Middle East grow significantly. These are some of 'dangers,' that our premature withdrawal from Iraq will engender, and they all have the potential to destabilize the entire region. A realistic plan to prevent them from occurring is what people with experience in statecraft call 'strategy,' something Senator Obama has not offered yet.

"Senator Obama, as has also become a habit of his 'new politics,' mischaracterizes John McCain's position by saying McCain did not want to reduce troops because the violence in Iraq was too high, and now do not wish to do so because the violence in down. The reason violence is down is because General Petraeus' counterinsurgency is, which even Senator Obama recognizes, succeeding.  Those 'tactics,' are advancing our 'strategy.' Deprive General Petraeus of the resources and manpower to employ those tactics, or worse, leave Iraq altogether, and our strategy will collapse. That is national security 101. John McCain wants American forces to come home when our clear and serious interests at stake in Iraq, which nearly 4,000 Americans have given their lives to secure, are truly safe, when al Qaeda is defeated; Iran's influence is contained, and the potential for a truly cataclysmic civil war in Iraq is remote.  That, I think, is what is called 'making us safer.' Senator Obama's plan, if it can be charitably described as one, would do the reverse."

(h/t: HotAir)

Fatherly Advice From Wright To Obama

In yet another example of "man, these churches are awesome!", here's some advice given by Wright to a doe-eyed Obama before the 2002 Congressional Black Caucus conference:

But what truly struck Wright from that meeting was Obama's astonishment over the black caucus event in Washington. It opened Wright's eyes once again to just how innocent and idealistic Obama could be about the world of politics. [snip]

"He had gone down there to get support and find out who would support him and found out it was just a meat market," the pastor said in an interview, breaking into a laugh. "He had people say, 'If you want to count on me, come on to my room. I don't care if you're married. I am not asking you to leave your wife - just come on.' All the women hitting on him. He was, like, in shock. He's there on a serious agenda, talking about running for he United States Senate. They're talking about giving [him] some pussy. And I was like, 'Barack, c'mon, man. Come on! Name me one significant thing that has come out of black congressional caucus weekend. It's homecoming. It's just a nonstop party, all the booze you want, all the booty you want. That's all it is.' And here he is with this altruistic agenda, trying to get some support. He comes back shattered. I thought to myself, 'Does he have a rude awakening coming his way.'"

Wright was very prescient with that last remark.

Best Wright Compilation (So Far)

Finally, someone gets all of his Greatest Hits (so far) in one clip.

And of special note, I finally found Sharpsville (2:56 mark below). Not that it matters now that Obama has admitted to hearing "some controversial sermons."

And be sure to check out Doubleplusundead's links today, if only for the Tay Obama pic.

Was Chris Matthews That Excited About Obama's Speech?

Excited enough to cop a feel. Er, he knows, right?

Thanks for links, Allah & Ace.

The Week After September 11, 2001

September 16, 2001:

September 17, 2001:

"We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly," Maher said on the Sept. 17 episode. "Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."

It was classic Maher, as infuriatingly un-p.c. as ever. But the times, at least momentarily, had changed. And few wanted to hear -- or defend -- Maher's comments. Enemies of Maher, on both the left and right, seized the opportunity and called him unpatriotic. A protest ensued. Even the Bush White House (a frequent Maher target) stoked the outrage, with spokesman Ari Fleischer calling Maher's remarks "a terrible thing to say" and the subsequent contretemps a reminder "to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is."

Maher apologized for his statements to "anyone who took it wrong," but the damage was done. Major advertisers pulled their commercials from the ABC show; 17 ABC affiliates dropped the program from the air. It was canceled May 14.

One man loses his job.

The other man is cheered by his audience.

Teachable moments indeed.

Klueless Kos Kid

This naive Kos diarist just simply does not know what trap Obama just sprung:

This speech is amazingly honest and will hopefully spark a long overdue discussion on race in America.

A discussion on race is the very last thing Obama needs and has been Hillary's topmost priority since South Carolina.

UPDATE: See?

Obama Throws His Granny Under The Bus

 

Screw you, granny:

...a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

Hillary On Iraq: "We Cannot Win."

America hates a loser:

She accused McCain of joining President George W. Bush in pushing a "stay the course" policy that would keep U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years.

"They both want to keep us tied to another country's civil war, a war we cannot win," she said.

Alternate Universe: Harlem Pastor Trashes Obama

Funny in a holy-crap-WTF-am-I-watching?! kind of way.

Did I miss this a couple of months ago? NSFW, due to language including this lead-off riff:

Obama is a mack daddy! You don't get your campaign started with a big-chested white woman! She must be a 54D! Double-D! ... OBAMA! That's the first place I saw [his name], on two great big ol' tits!

Rev. James David Manning is an avowed Clinton lover if you stick around for it. Without further ado:

I meant to post this as some kind of goateed-Spock antidote to Rev. Wright's poisonous sermons, but now I'm thoroughly confused and wondering why some Sunday sermons need a NSFW warning.

Is this part of the "you just don't understand the context of black churches" defense being peddled?

Bingo. I just do not understand.

UPDATE (3-19-08): Heh --- Rush Limbaugh is playing these clips today.

UPDATE (3-20-08): Man, this is a popular post! Let's get back to Wright ... and his advice to Obama.

Who Benefits Least From Obama-Wright?

What are the chances McCain picks Huckabee as veep now?

I'm not saying that Huckabee ever preached anything remotely similar to Wright, but with the hours of unseen Huck sermons, you just know the Dems would find something --- anything --- as payback for Obama's scandal.

Where Was Obama On September 16, 2001?

That was the Sunday after 9-11 when Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, gave one of his most incendiary --- and gleefully animated --- sermons:

Obviously, placing Obama there that Sunday would have been the coup d'grace. Alas, he and Michelle have an alibi:

(Last year, Mr. Obama said, “The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification,” and added that he and his wife were at home on the day of the sermon, tending to their new baby.)

Given his amatuerish spinning re: Wright, I'd like to see a second source. At the very least, he's on record with the NYT for not being in church on September 16, 2001. Stay tuned.

YouTube Auteurs, Here's Your Chance

I suck at creating multimedia internet stuff. Nix that: I can't make multimedia internet stuff. Anyway, anyone looking for thier big shot at YouTube stardom should consider this seemingly easy mashup.

Overlay Will.i.am's We Are The Ones (mainly the O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma chant):

With any number of Jeremiah Wright sermon videos. It would be especially poignant to have the rapturous faces of our celebutard betters placed immediately after a fiery "God damn America!"

Someone else is on the same track, albeit with the other Will.i.am song Yes We Can. Not very tight and quite long. Your assignment needs to be 2 minutes top:

Awaken The Giant Within

Some people find inspiration and motivation from the tapes they buy from late night infommercial hucksters.

Whose motivational tapes did Barack Obama take to Harvard Law?

It [Trinity United Church of Christ] also helped give him spiritual bona fides and a new assurance. Services at Trinity were a weekly master class in how to move an audience. When Mr. Obama arrived at Harvard Law School later that year, where he fortified himself with recordings of Mr. Wright’s sermons, he was delivering stirring speeches as a student leader in the classic oratorical style of the black church. [my emph.]

Obama says he never heard the ugly, controversial Wright sermons in person. Which ones did he use to hone his oratory skills at Harvard Law?

{fade to a Cambridge apartment ca. 1990}

"God damn America! .... meh"

"God damn America! .... still not punchy"

"God damn America! .... gold!"

Be sure to read that whole New York Times piece from last year. Wright blessed Obama's house as well? The Rezko house? ohmydearlord.

UPDATE: Welcome all you Aces --- the HQ types and the Flopping kind as well. Keeping up the poker theme, have we found Obama's "tell"?

UPDATE: Thanks for stopping by Newsbusters & Stop the ACLU. Hey, thanks again, Glenn. Yikes, looks like Bill O'Reilly reads Perfunction (or maybe possibly Instapundit, hard to say...).

UPDATE: Where was Obama on the Sunday after 9-11? Answer.

Obama's "Tell"?

Now that he's in the fire over his pastor's Un-American harangues, have we discovered Barack Obama's "tell", that poker tic that gives away your bluff? (Watch the surprisingly watchable Damon flick Rounders for more on "tells")

Compare his hotseat interviews on Hannity & Colmes and MSNBC to his "official" YouTube response. Same room, same crappy lamp, same tie in all three clips.

Notice anything different?

Hannity & Colmes:

MSNBC:

Obama's Official YouTube Response:

Is that dog-whistle rightish headcock Obama's mendacity tell?

In his telepromptered response, he has perfect posture, head high, chin up. Hope. Change. yada.

The ad libbed hotseats? Taking on water, listing badly starboard. In other words, sinking.

UPDATE: Welcome, Ed Driscoll folks (thanks, Ed). Obama didn't attend every sermon --- he didn't have to.

UPDATE: Hello, Instapundit and Protein Wisdom. Be sure to check out today's Doubleplusundead linkfest.

Sharpsville = Waterloo

Get ready to hear that word --- Sharpsville --- over and over. It may prove to be Obama's undoing.

Earlier tonight on Fox News, Obama reiterated that he had never heard Wright's questionable sermons.

Earlier in the segment, they ran a bunch of new Wright video. You've seen "GD America" and "US invented AIDS" --- these clips were new. Now, I don't have the video here in front of me, but I clearly remember hearing Wright pound the pulprit about various grievances and one word thundered out.

"Sharpsville."

I'll find a transcript and or video later. For now take my word.

Why is this important? Look what Rich Lowry found in Barack Obama's memoir Dreams From My Father (pub. 1995):

The title of Reverend Wright’s sermon that morning was “The Audacity of Hope.” He began with a passage from the Book of Samuel—the story of Hannah, who, barren and taunted by her rivals, had wept and shaken in prayer before her God. The story reminded him, he said, of a sermon a fellow pastor had preached at a conference some years before, in which the pastor described going to a museum and being confronted by a painting title Hope. 

“The painting depicts a harpist,” Reverend Wright explained, “a woman who at first glance appears to be sitting atop a great mountain. Until you take a closer look and see that the woman is bruised and bloodied, dressed in tattered rags, the harp reduced to a single frayed string. Your eye is then drawn down to the scene below, down to the valley below, where everywhere are the ravages of famine, the drumbeat of war, a world groaning under strife and deprivation.

“It is this world, a world where cruise ships throw away more food in a day than most residents of Port-au-Prince see in a year, where white folks’ greed runs a world in need, apartheid in one hemisphere, apathy in another hemisphere…That’s the world! On which hope sits!” 

And so it went, a meditation on a fallen world. While the boys next to me doodled on their church bulletin, Reverend Wright spoke of Sharpsville and Hiroshima, the callousness of policy makers in the White House and in the State House. As the sermon unfolded, though, the stories of strife became more prosaic, the pain more immediate. The reverend spoke of the hardship that the congregation would face tomorrow, the pain of those far from the mountaintop, worrying about paying the light bill…

Obama said he never heard the offensive sermons Wright gave. Obama wrote that he heard Wright talk about Sharpsville.

Obama just lied to you.

(Of course, his fall back is the definition of "those controversial statements he never heard" and whether the Sharpsville one is included. He'll say it's not.)

UPDATE: Thanks, Ace. Dont' worry, no matter what Wright said, when he said it, or whether Obama heard it, Mickey Kaus pegs Obama's defense --- Void If Controversial:

"All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn." -- Barack Obama

How convenient. And utterly amateurish.

UPDATE (3-19-08): Wright's Sharpsville sermon found (video).

McCain's Other Ad

He's already got one free ad in the can (Hillary's repurposed 3AM ad). And now a liberal commenter at TPM gives him the next ad in his Obama line-up:

Imagine this 30 second ad, run heavily next October. I think it would be devastating among undecided and swing voters.

"What does Barack Obama really believe in? His spritual teacher for 20 years has been Jeremiah Wright. Wright wedded Obama & his wife. Obama named his book from a sermon of Wright's. [insert video of favorable comment about Wright by Obama]. What has Jeremiah Wright taught Obama? [Insert rabid clip of Wright capped by "God Damn America!! God Damn America!!"] We need a solid patriot to lead our nation. Someone we can trust. Vote John McCain 2008."

I think he's right. Awesome.

Name The Party

Someone at Agency France Presse just said "fuck it":

Thanks to wiserbud!

UPDATE: Thanks, doubleplusundead --- check out his links from around the Moronosphere, including one going to S. Weasel where you can see me being a total heel.

Dave In Texas' Favorite Day

Happy Pi Day!

{Insert Lame Politician Joke Here}

Two-faced baby born in India.

Obama Cries Uncle

Now that Ferraro is freelance, Obama reaaalllly wants Hillary to put the race card back in the deck. Good luck:

"We keep on thinking we've dispelled this," [Obama] said. "And it keeps on getting raised once again."

In each new primary, he said, "we seem to have to prove this stuff all over." Given his wins, he said, "at this point, we should have put to rest this notion that somehow I am a candidate that's just focused on one demographic."

But I'm afraid you can't unring the bell. Somewhere, Hillary smiles.

PS: Some people are going to write some great books about this odd, historic campaign. I look forward to the future chapter on the Ferraro-Clinton relationship --- how coordinated was this attack? who's the brain behind this extraordinarily effective tactic? how much did they talk after Ferraro went freelance? It will be fascinating.

That's No Moon

Want more rejected Star Wars merchandizing ideas?

(h/t: Jonah at NRO)

"God Damn America"

So commands Barack Obama's spiritual leader, Rev. Jeremiah Wright:

“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people,” he said in a 2003 sermon. “God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”

Blasphemy not good enough? How about some good ol' Ameikkka hating?

In addition to damning America, he told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda’s attacks because of its own terrorism.

“We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye,” Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost,” he told his congregation.

Calm down, it's just a progression for Obama:

• He refuses to wear a flag pin.
• He refuses to place his hand over his heart during the anthem.
• His wife was never proud of her country.
• His pastor wants God to damn America.
• His pastor says we deserved 9-11.

Let me stick my neck out a la Cheney and say that November will be a "cake walk."

Geraldone

I told you she'd have to climb down:

Geraldine Ferraro has resigned from Hillary Clinton’s finance committee after taking a barrage of criticism for repeatedly insisting that Barack Obama only got this far because he’s black.

Spot-on prognostication --- just another quality Real Blogger moment from your modest host. I oughtta get a tip jar.

Don't Jinx It

Geraghty reads my mind and spills the beans --- Shhhhhhhh!

Since McCain solidified the nomination, and since the Hillary and Obama fight turned ugly, periodically I've heard conservatives express a strange confidence about 2008. It's as if they don't want to say it too loudly, lest they jinx it...

If nothing else, McCain seems to be matching up quite well in the general election, and both Democratic nominees have glaring weaknesses. I'm not certain that McCain will beat Hillary or Obama, but I know that he can beat either one of them.

He goes on to layout the scenarios against each respective Dem rival. Pretty persuasive stuff --- read it all.

RACE WAR continues

Wow. This amazing snip from Geraldine Ferraro is a true touchstone for this historic election cycle (via Politico). She basically says what many are thinking. The last 20 seconds are pure unalloyed gold:

Unfortunately, while her tonedeaf candor is admirable, her position is untenable and she will climb down. Count on it.

It continues to be ON!

Ayatollah Patrollah

Iranian vampire ninjas policewomen:

This may be old, but like Danger Room says: new to me.

UPDATE: Welcome, mysogonists racists Fuck, I'm confused. Hi, Morons!