First there was California. Fiscal problems galore and they’re not over yet in the Golden State. Even if - IF - the State Legislature comes to grips with state financing (they won’t even come close), their problems are nothing when compared to the counties, cities and towns who have unfunded pension liabilities up the gazoo and a unionized work force that will be looking to take advantage of said benefits in the near future. Nobody’s even talking about that one.

Next up, New York. From the DNC TalkingPoint Memo…

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson took the rare step on Monday of addressing a joint session of the Legislature during its traditional off-season and used the speech to underscore New York’s deepening financial crisis.

Mr. Paterson repeatedly used stark language to describe the gravity of the state’s economic health as he prodded lawmakers to make cuts he has proposed to programs long considered sacrosanct. “I will mortgage my political career on this plan,” Mr. Paterson told lawmakers as he warned that New York was rapidly running out of cash to meet its obligations.

“We stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of this state,” he added. “This is a historic moment. We’re going to have to make historic decisions.”

The state’s budget crisis and the negotiations between the governor and lawmakers over how to confront it have raised a fundamental question: Can New York, which is more generous in its social welfare programs than any other state, afford to continue to finance its expansive health care safety net and generous education spending?

Read the whole thing. It’s a beaut.

So, who’s next?

I’m referring, of course, to being the “Public Editor” of the New York Times.  That’s the position responsible for cleaning up after MoDo and the fruitcakes as well as dealing with the never ending laundry list of “corrections” to their “news” stories. Now I understand that once in a while stuff just slips through, heck I burned myself over the weekend right here at Redstate. Commenters caught my goof and I corrected it. So I understand what it’s like to be less than perfect. But…

The Times has a history of making factual errors to make an ideological point and then glossing over them much later. Today is no exception on the former, we’ll see about the latter.

In a story about the difficulties of being Muslim and serving in the military the Times works hard and spares no effort to show just how victimized the Muslim members of the military truly are. They interview combat veterans from Iraq and point out just how difficult it is to “do your duty” and then “return to your community”. And all that tripe.

And then, as a capstone to their whiney little piece, they cite a Muslim hero.

Too many Americans overlook the heroic efforts of Arab-Americans in uniform, said Capt. Eric Rahman, 35, an Army reservist who was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq at the start of the war. He cited the example of Lieutenant Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy Seal who was awarded the Medal of Honor after pulling a team member to safety during firefight in 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq.

Lieutenant Monsoor died saving another American, yet he will never be remembered like Major Hasan, said Captain Rahman.

Now let me note that I know times are hard at The Times. I noted it myself in a Redhot article a while back about the financial misfortunes of the “Paper of Record” forcing the layoff of a bunch of folks from the newsroom. Obviously the folks on the hit list were fact checkers. Oh well, think of it as job security for the Public Editor.

From Petty Officer Second Class Monsoor’s official Navy biography…

Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony at the White House April 8, 2008. He will receive the award for his actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. On that day, Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers. An insurgent closed in and threw a fragmentation grenade into the overwatch position. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest before falling to the ground. Positioned next to the single exit, Monsoor was the only one who could have escaped harm. Instead, he dropped onto the grenade to shield the others from the blast. Monsoor died approximately 30 minutes later from wounds sustained from the blast. Because of Petty Officer Monsoor’s actions, he saved the lives of his 3 teammates and the IA soldiers.

Though he carried himself in a calm and composed fashion, he constantly led the charge to bring the fight to the enemy. His teammates recall his sense of loyalty to God, family, and his team. He attended Catholic Mass devotionally before operations, and often spoke lovingly of his family - his older brother, a police officer and former Marine for whom he held great respect; his sister, a nurse; and his younger brother, a college football player.

My emphasis added.

So Mr. Public Editor, we have a small correction, Monsoor was a Petty Officer not a Lt. Heck, I’ll give you that one. No big deal. But then there’s that tricky thing. You know, the part where your story implys that Monsoor is a Muslim. I know the story says “…heroic efforts of Arab-Americans…” and doesn’t specifically say Muslim. Context, however, is very important and the excerpt above is bracketed with these paragraphs:

Just before…

“Is it an army that defends the oppressed, or have you slipped into becoming the oppressor?” asked Mr. El Fadl, who has counseled Muslims conflicted about enlisting. “People from the military who contact me, that’s what I find they’re torn up about.”

And yet more than 3,500 Muslims have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department figures provided to The Times. As of 2006, some 212 Muslim-American soldiers had been awarded Combat Action Ribbons for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and seven had been killed.

And followed by…

Regardless, he said, Muslim- and Arab-Americans are crucial to the military’s success in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I’m not even going to argue the silly point that 212 Muslim-Americans (NYT’s term not mine) have been awarded the CAR for service in Iraq and Afghanistan - out of tens of thousands of US servicemen who’ve received the award - could have not been deployed with no impact on the war effort.

I will say, unequivocally, that your reference- IN CONTEXT - to Petty Officer Monsoor is offensive and disgusting. Pretty much what I’ve come to expect from the house organ of the DNC.

HT: Andrew Cline @ The Corner.

Maybe it’s more like 17.5%. From the DNC TalkingPoints page…

In all, more than one out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — were unemployed or underemployed in October. The previous recorded high was 17.1 percent, in December 1982.

This includes the officially unemployed, who have looked for work in the last four weeks. It also includes discouraged workers, who have looked in the past year, as well as millions of part-time workers who want to be working full time.

Hmmm. The previous high was in December of 1982. Ronald Reagan’s fault! Oops, Reagan took office a month later. Who was President in December of ‘82?

UPDATE: I am awarding myself the Idiot of the Week award. The commenters who caught my inexcusable error are right. I looked for an appropriate graphic and couldn’t find one that correctly reflected my public stupidity. Please make this an open forum for appropriate “Idiot Crown” graphics.

Want to see how a real Commander in Chief acts?

Want to see how a man who really cares about the military and their family acts?

Read something other than the Washington Post or the New York Times.

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) ? Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood’s military leaders and hospital staff for the “amazing care they are providing.”

Oh yeah. That’s right. I forgot. You DON’T give a damn. And if you had showed up, the whole freaking WH Press Corps would have been there. And we’d be reading MoDo about FBOTUS’ designer wardrobe in black.

HT to The Corner.

Keep in mind that in Massachusetts we’ve already seen RomneyCare™ implement rationing, exclude legal immigrants and have massive cost overruns. So now in the People’s Republic of California we have this from SF Gate…

California is paying six to seven times more per day to care for some elderly and disabled people in nursing homes because a state-funded in-home care program is turning them away, welfare advocates and lawmakers said Thursday.

[snip]

A bill by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, that would have delayed the deadline was killed in the Senate this week.

“The worst of it is that people will probably die as a result of this situation,” said Evans, who vowed to continue her fight to get people care.

Well, you can’t say they’re officially death panels, you’d probably want to classify this right up there with the Art’s homies putting the toothless old folk on an ice floe. Kinda multicultural wouldn’t you say?

Remember when TheBoyPresident™ went to Boston to raise money for their failing Governor and couldn’t fill a room with a lousy 600 seats?  A reminder from the Boston Herald…

President Obama blows into the bluest state today facing a cold shoulder from once true-blue admirers, as gay rights activists, anti-war protesters and vexed environmentalists vow to picket a fund-raiser he’s headlining for Gov. Deval Patrick - a marquee event that hasn’t even sold out.

Well, apparently it’s endemic with This Administration. Today, the PutzWhoWouldBeRex™ visited NY23. From the Weekly Standard…

At the Northside Improvement League here in town a rally for Democratic congressional candidate Bill Owens has just gotten underway with remarks by local Democratic politicians. June O’Neill, executive chair of the New York Democratic party, just finished delivering a stemwinder about “right-wing extremists” bringing their “hatemongering” to the 23rd District.

Biden is going to speak any minute, and there are maybe 250 people gathered (50 of them are with the media); Watertown has a population of 30,000. The event is open to the public–no one needed a ticket to get in–but the room is only about 65 percent full. The turnout suggests that Joe the Vice President might not connect with working class voters (the kind who populate Watertown) as much as the White House believes he does.

Ahhh, schmucks.

I am so angry right now I really shouldn’t be typing. TheBoyPresident™ finally and irrevocably crossed the line for me. I hate the bastard. Marxism I can deal with. What he did at Dover Air Force Base I refuse to deal with.

Some background. Dover AFB is the site of the US Military mortuary. It’s the first stop for members of the military who’ve given all. It’s at Dover that final preparations are made for burial before that soldier, sailor, airman or Marine is finally shipped home to their grieving family members. I have some experience, thankfully not personal, with this. My oldest son Josh was a Marine with 2nd Btn 4th Marines and in 2003 his unit experienced the highest casualty rate of any unit in Iraq in Al Anbar. I knew some of the families who lost sons. It was, and still is, personal. HBO did a magnificent job of documenting the final journey home of one young Marine with their movie Taking Chance, here’s a trailer…

The full movie is available for free download at a number of sites, and since it’s also available for purchase I won’t link the sites but they’re not hard to find if you try.

The bottom line here is that the sacrifice made by members of our military, and their families, is treated with an incredible degree of respect by the military - and individually by every man and woman who wears a uniform - from the time of death on the battlefield or in a military hospital through every step of their homecoming and burial.

I’ve commented on this before at some length and it’s worthwhile to mention again here. George Bush would routinely reach out to families of the military who had had members killed in action. I personally know of families who received a call from the White House and who were brought to locations where the President was visiting on other business to meet with him. There was no fanfare. The families were taken to a large area and were briefed before the President’s arrival so they would know what to expect and that “the President is on a tight schedule and while he wants to spend time with each of you, he needs to leave at ‘X’…” In every instance, President Bush would come into the room, make a few short remarks and then meet with families. In every instance he would talk to individual family members about anything they wanted to talk about, he never rushed them and he stayed until the families suggested he should talk to someone else. There was always a White House photographer present to take pictures that were made available ONLY to the families. Repeat, O.N.L.Y. the families. The press was NEVER present. There was NEVER an announcement from the White House that the President was meeting with the families of the fallen nor were they ever recognized publicly at the event. Their privacy, and their loss, was always respected.

Which brings me to the self-serving bastard who occupies the White House today. He went to Dover. One might think it was to pay respect to the fallen coming home. Wrong. It was for a G*d damn photo op. He took the White House Press Corps with him and made his visit about him.

Liz Cheney commented about his visit, and his decision making about Afghanistan, in the video below.

Thank you Liz.

And Mr. President, posting rules prevent me from noting my real opinion of you, but you really do need to learn how to act around people who are your betters. You make Jimmy Carter look like a statesman.

Remember Nancy Pelosi’s promising us “the most honest and ethical Congress ever” and an end to corruption of the Bush years?  As a reminder, from the DNC House Organ Washington Post,

On June 15, beneath the crystal chandeliers and Corinthian pilasters of the Cannon Caucus Room, House Democrats had to decide how they really felt about the “culture of corruption.” After months of expressing outrage over Republican scandals, what would they do about the $90,000 the FBI had found in the freezer of one of their own?

Well. And from today’s Washington Times…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House ethics committee announced Thursday it is investigating two California Democratic lawmakers, but its embarrassed leaders then had to explain that other members — named in a confidential memo that leaked out — may have committed no wrongdoing.

The committee said it is investigating whether Rep. Maxine Waters used her influence to help a bank in which her husband owned stock, and whether the couple benefited as a result. Separately, the panel is investigating whether Rep. Laura Richardson failed to disclose required information on her financial disclosure forms and received special treatment from a lender.

[snip]

The names included three lawmakers previously identified in the inquiry: the chairman of the defense subcommittee, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.; and Reps. Peter Visclosky, D-Ind., and James Moran, D-Va.

Heh. Murtha. Heh. Moran. Heh. Maxine. Double heh.

Put them all in the same cell.

Wasn’t that supposed to pay for all kinds of good stuff?

Barack Obama supports imposing a windfall profits penalty on oil selling at or over $80 per barrel. Revenue from the proposal will be invested in a number of measures to reduce the burden of rising prices on families.
Source: barackobama.com

Keeping in mind, of course, that TBP doesn’t understand the difference between “commodity prices” and “profits”.

From today’s Wall St. Journal…

HOUSTON—ConocoPhillips said Wednesday it will sell assets in Canada, the U.S. and the North Sea as part of its bid to restructure itself—a transformation that executives say heralds a major shift in the way the oil business is run.

The Houston-based company also reported a 71% drop in earnings because of lower commodity prices and a weak environment for refining operations.

Oops. Oh well.

I suppose this is redundant, but elections DO have consequences.

Let’s see now.  We’ve got TheBoyPresident™ and his minions trying to turn our health care system into Britain’s NHS, unemployment is at record - recent record - highs and going up, the housing industry is a freaking mess, banking will be back for another bite at the apple before long… 

Did I miss anything?  Oh yeah, from the New York Times,

WASHINGTON — The commissioner of the N.F.L. faced heated criticism Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, with lawmakers, former players and even a former team executive accusing the league of neglect in its handling of active and retired players with brain injuries.

[snip]

In his opening statement, the committee chairman, Representative John Conyers Jr. said the issue of brain injuries in football warranted federal scrutiny because “the N.F.L. is a monopoly whose existence was legislatively sanctioned,” referring to the antitrust exemption for broadcasting that has helped the league grow into a multibillion-dollar operation. The league is also arguing a case before the Supreme Court hoping to expand its antitrust privileges.

John Freaking Conyers. Heh.

Now then, is the subject of brain injuries to players important? Well, I’d guess it probably is to them. And maybe even to the owners. And the equipment manufacturers. Is this an issue for the Congress of the United States? Please.

Although, on second thought, I really would rather have the Congress spending the time of idiots like John F Conyers, Jr. debating issues like football rules and equipment or the use of steroids by baseball players than talking about the other stuff on my earlier list.

So, John F Conyers, Jr., here’s a big 908 Pat on the Back for YOU!

Well gosh.  The current scion of the Kennedy clan - as the Boston Glob [sic] noted - “a son of one of the nation’s most prominent Catholic families” - may just have his [fill in appropriate anatomical reference] in a vise with his Bishop.

For you really ignorant non-Catholics (or really ignorant Catholics like the Kennedys) the Bishop is the guy who carries out policy for the Catholic Church. His opinion counts. If you are a lay-person, even if you are a Catholic lay-person (take note Nancy), your opinion doesn’t count. At all.

OK, so this is what Kennedy said.

“I can’t understand for the life of me how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time, where the very dignity of the human person is being respected by the fact that we’re caring and giving health care to the human person - that right now we have 50 million people who are uninsured,” Kennedy said.

He added: “You mean to tell me the Catholic Church is going to be denying those people life-saving health care? I thought they were prolife? If the church is prolife, then they ought to be for health care reform, because it’s going to provide health care that are going to keep people alive.”

So Paddy boy you’ve got an opinion AND a big mouth. And just about as well endowed in the “brains” department as your alcoholic, adulterer, killer, traitor (see letter to the Russians), father. You should give Chris Dodd a call. He probably hasn’t had a decent waitress sandwich for months. I’m sure you could fill in for your dad.

Anyway, apparently the Bishop in RI reads the papers. And, unlike Paddy boy, he understands the concept of a top-down hierarchy like the Catholic Church. And he apparently takes his job seriously. Courtesy of Jill Stanek, this is what Most Rev. Thomas Tobin, Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, RI had to say…

Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s statement about the Catholic Church’s position on health care reform is irresponsible and ignorant of the facts. But the Congressman is correct in stating that “he can’t understand.” He got that part right.

As I wrote to Congressman Kennedy and other members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation recently, the Bishops of the United States are indeed in favor of comprehensive health care reform and have been for many years. But we are adamantly opposed to health care legislation that threatens the life of unborn children, requires taxpayers to pay for abortion, rations health care, or compromises the conscience of individuals.

Congressman Kennedy continues to be a disappointment to the Catholic Church and to the citizens of the State of Rhode Island. I believe the Congressman owes us an apology for his irresponsible comments. It is my fervent hope and prayer that he will find a way to provide more effective and morally responsible leadership for our state.

Now let me be clear, I’m not a Catholic and never have been. In various places and in various roles I’ve worked with lots of Catholics and even got to know a couple of Bishops. Bishops are pretty “political” fellas. The “office politics” in any church - Catholic or Protestant - would drive a guy like Donald Trump crazy. Let’s just say that you don’t get to be the pastor of a large Protestant church or a Bishop by shooting your mouth off. I don’t recall EVER seeing a “man of the cloth” make a statement like this. ESPECIALLY one that starts like this one.

Oh, and Bishop, one small point. You’ll never, ever get morally responsible actions from a Kennedy. But I understand you job forces to have hope.

WOW.

I find it really interesting that the Bishops seem to be finding some folk with fairly large amounts of testosterone lately who are willing to take on people like politicians who are trying to pass for Catholic. Because that’s all Paddy boy is trying to do, without regard to the opinion of the Boston Glob.[sic] (And yes, I think the people who run the Glob are “sick” too.)

WOW. Life just maybe could be getting interesting.

And just so I’m really clear about my “feelings”,

Good Guy. Bishop. Guy with his head screwed on right.

Schmuck. Drunk. Worthless oxygen thief just like his father.
Hey Dad! Pass me one of those BBQ ribs. Thanks. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. It’s all burned…

HT to HotAir… Well, the Left is back in the swing of things. It’s a mega-gathering of the OldHats in Boston tonight to protest the denial of civil liberties to homosexuals in the military, to protest “wars of convenience”, to shout out the complicity of the US in the destruction of the environment and of course the unions will be there protesting anti-union policies. It’s been a while since the CODE Pinkos and the gay rights folk and the envirowackos and the union thugs have had the opportunity to get together and break windows bread, but a fundraiser in merry old bean town is bringing them all together again.

From the Boston Herald…

President Obama blows into the bluest state today facing a cold shoulder from once true-blue admirers, as gay rights activists, anti-war protesters and vexed environmentalists vow to picket a fund-raiser he’s headlining for Gov. Deval Patrick - a marquee event that hasn’t even sold out.

[snip]

As some grousing liberals were plotting their protests, tickets were moving slowly for the posh private hotel gathering where Obama is slated to shake hands and pose for photos at $6,000 a pop.

Add it all up, and liberal ire with Obama is close to the boiling point, said Princeton University political scientist Julian Zelizer.

Oh, did I say GW Bush? My bad!!

There have been a bunch of govvie programs that were supposed to help people who were in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Let’s see how they’re working.

HOPE for Homeowners, launched 10/1/08. Allows eligible borrowers to refi into an FHA loan and requires principle reductions on the loan. So far, they’ve refi’d 94 loans. But it’s only been a year.

Home Affordable Modification Program, launched 3/1/09. $75B from TARP to provide modifications for homeowners in default. So far, they’ve helped 1,174 borrowers.

That’s just two of the programs but none are doing any better.

Oh, and things are going to get substantially worse in the housing market and with banks over the next 12 months. Third quarter FDIC numbers will be out shortly and compiled by the end of Nov. It’s going to be really ugly. I’ll have a diary out in early December on the housing/mortgage market after the numbers are available. Here’s a snapshot from the second quarter that’s going to get substantially worse with the third quarter numbers:

1-4 Family Mortgages:

The critical thing here is that 90+ day defaults cure at a fairly low rate, typically less than 50% and currently in California they are curing at less than 10%. In other words, those homes are headed for the bank’s inventory.

The numbers will get substantially worse through this time next year.
__________________________________________________________________________
see Bank Loan Performance for a comprehensive look at second quarter numbers. I would recommend having alcohol handy.

Three of my top list have joined together to start a new website focusing primarily on matters of national security. Bill Kristol, Debra Burlingame and [drum roll please] Liz Vader Cheney. It’s called, appropriately enough Keep America Safe.

You can follow the link and check out their new site and their statement of purpose. Their initial offering is the video below. This kind of stuff is what I would expect from people like Krisol, Burlingame and Cheney.

Think “Scorched Earth”. These are folks who know the real face of the enemy and aren’t afraid to call him out.

Well gosh, the White House thinks that the Mayo Clinic is just the bees knees and should be the model for how hospitals are run.  Until maybe today according to that organ of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy the Washington Post.

The renowned Mayo Clinic is no longer accepting some Medicare and Medicaid patients, raising new questions about whether it is too selective to serve as a model for health-care reform.

The White House has repeatedly held up for praise Mayo and other medical centers, many of which are in the Upper Midwest, that perform well in Dartmouth College rankings showing wide disparities in how much hospitals spend on Medicare patients.

[snip] But some skeptics — health-care analysts as well as politicians and medical officials in states that would be hurt by Mayo’s proposals — argue that low Medicare spending by Mayo and others is driven by the lack of diversity and poverty in their patient population. They say Mayo’s low-cost image is belied by the high rates it charges insurers and private payers.

Read the whole thing because, combined with bk’s front page article on Romneycare Rationing will give you a very good picture of exactly why Obama and Friends go to a proctologist when they have a head ache.

From, of all places, the New York Times…

U.S. Can’t Trace Foreign

Visitors on Expired Visas

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. and JULIA PRESTON
Published: October 11, 2009 DALLAS — Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and despite repeated mandates from Congress, the United States still has no reliable system for verifying that foreign visitors have left the country.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi entered the United States legally, but then overstayed his visa.

Mr. Smadi rented an apartment even though his visa expired.

New concern was focused on that security loophole last week, when Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa, was accused in court of plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper

Seems as though I recall the USDA tracking down a specific cow a couple of years ago that was imported from Canada and suspected to have “Mad Cow Disease”. If my memory is correct, we should turn immigration over to the USDA.

That aside, the article notes that it’s estimated that up to 40% of the people who are currently in the US illegally came on a visa and overstayed it. And the Department of Homeland stupidity Security just has no clue where they might be.

I could probably write about 10,000 words on this, but - you’re welcome Neil - I won’t. Primarily because, for this audience, I don’t think I need to. Wow.

With a hat tip to Weasel Zippers, Administration spokesman John Hardwood may have stepped in it while taking softballs from the schmuck at MSNBC. They are discussing Obama ignoring the far left, and specifically the radical homosexuals in his party. I can’t seem to get the MSNBC video to embed at Redstate, I think it has something to do posting rules and this being a family friendly site so if you want to subject yourself to the whole thing you’ll have to follow the link to Weasel Zippers…

As for the poopie he stepped in, well consider this…

HARWOOD: As a practical matter Lester I don’t think it’s a serious problem. We’ve seen and certainly Bill Clinton learned that a Democratic President can get punished by the mainstream of the electorate for being too aggressive on social issues…

OK now, let me see. Clinton wanted to allow homosexuals to serve “openly” in the military. That didn’t go over really well with “the mainstream of the electorate”. Sooooo, that would place the groupies that Obama pandered to over the weekend, by definition, as outside the mainstream of the electorate. OK, I got that.

HARWOOD: … governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult.

Huh? Closely divided country? Whaaa? What happened to “I won!“?

I’m interested to see if a clarification will be forthcoming. Although, he did say it on MSNBC, so it’s not likely many people heard it.

My appreciation for Liz Cheney (or about any of the Cheneys) knows pretty much no bounds. Well, I will stop at posting 1000+ word dairies consisting primarily of press releases, but hey, even I’ve got limits. My disdain for Tom Friedman likewise pretty much knows no bounds. I prefer MoDo to Friedman, only because everybody KNOWS MoDo is a mindless twit and lots of people actually consider Friedman to be a “reputable journalist” (and Heidi Fleiss was a “successful businesswoman”).

OK, so why is the sky falling, you ask? Well, today (you might want to circle it on your Calendar of Improbable Events) Liz Cheney and Tom Friedman both sent pretty much the identical message to the BoyPresident™. Thanks to TNJim for posting the video of Liz & Friends (and if you haven’t seen it, Bill Kristol has to be auditioning for a spot on SNL) and a HT to HotAir for the Friedman link.

First, Liz…

Followed by Heidi er, Tom…

All that said, I hope Mr. Obama will take this instinct a step further when he travels to Oslo on Dec. 10 for the peace prize ceremony. Here is the speech I hope he will give:

“Let me begin by thanking the Nobel committee for awarding me this prize, the highest award to which any statesman can aspire. As I said on the day it was announced, ‘I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize.’ Therefore, upon reflection, I cannot accept this award on my behalf at all.

“But I will accept it on behalf of the most important peacekeepers in the world for the last century — the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

[snip].

“I will accept this award on behalf of the American soldiers who stand guard today at outposts in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan to give that country, and particularly its women and girls, a chance to live a decent life free from the Taliban’s religious totalitarianism.

Actually, you should read the whole thing. It’s an excellent column, and I would posit that Friedman should receive a Nobel Prize for Journalism for it. Seriously.

Now then, can you imagine (cue John Lennon) an Obama speech that fails to make the centerpoint of said speech Himself (don’t criticize my English, it’s the Irish usage thank you). Please note that Ms. Cheney even went so far as to send a Gold Star Mother to receive the “award”. Heh. Well, at least we know they’ve already got the telephone numbers of military families, so maybe they’ll just send a “Future Gold Star Mother”. Or Cindy Sheehan. Oops, she’s personna non grata, won’t be her. Anyway, the BoyPresident™ missing a world media event? Barack’sTeleprompter™ would have a fit. And let’s not forget the million four. If he sent a Gold Star Mom or accepted it on behalf of the US Military he’d probably have to donate it to a military charity. Or maybe he could toss it to the Gay Veterans With Hurt Feelings in lieu of getting rid of DADT.

So, in conclusion, I agree with Ms. Cheney and Ms. Fleiss Mr. Friedman. What I will not be doing is holding my breath.

From Politico…

Sen. Lindsey Graham working with Sen. John Kerry on climate bill
TAGS: John McCain, Climate Bill, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Barbara Boxer, Carbon Emissions, New York Times, Lamar Alexander, Nuclear Power, Lindsay Graham

“Our partnership represents a fresh attempt to find consensus that adheres to our core principles and leads to both a climate change solution and energy independence,” the two senators wrote in The New York Times. “It begins now, not months from now — with a road to 60 votes in the Senate.”

Graham’s support is a major win for climate supporters, who are seeking Republican support for climate legislation. [...]

The Democratic Caucus is split over the climate bill, with Rust Belt senators fearing that the legislation could hurt industry and consumers in their region. The divide among Democrats means supporters will most likely need Republican votes to overcome a Senate filibuster.

In the world of things that piss me off, this is pretty near the top of the list. Note the TAGS. Both Graham and McCain and both of the bast**ds are pretty much unbeatable.

The Republican Party in DC seems to be having real problems these days doing any number of things. But finding a replacement for Arlen Specter doesn’t seem to be one of them. Do we have any real leadership in the Senate? Anybody? Has even one Senator spoken up to note their regret at voting for Obama’s AG? Where’s the outrage people?

Tuesday is payday at our house. Direct deposit hits the account at 9:00pm MST and at 9:01 I’ve $50.00 each headed for Pat Toomey and Marco Rubio. These two guys are our reason for being hopeful.

Actually he will. There are a couple of guys who’ve already announced. Chris Simcox and Jim Deakin. Simcox is marginally well known as a founder of The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and has some baggage that he will bring to the primary. He also has the ability to raise some funds outside of Arizona. Deakin is basically unknown to all but his immediate family and hasn’t got two cents and can’t raise much more than about a nickle.

Today, John Fund reports that JD Hayworth is thinking about running. I got the clip from NRO and try as I might I couldn’t find it at the WSJ.com.

He may have been his party’s presidential nominee last year, but John McCain could still have to endure a primary challenge from the right when he runs for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate next year. Conservative radio talk show host J.D. Hayworth, who was a Republican member of Congress for a dozen years until losing his seat in 2006, is mulling running against Mr. McCain.

Mr. McCain has always had a tenuous relationship with the grassroots of his party in Arizona. Many GOP voters remain genuinely angry with him for cosponsoring a comprehensive immigration bill with the late Senator Ted Kennedy in 2005. A new Rasmussen Reports poll finds that 61% of Arizona Republicans think Mr. McCain has lost touch with the base of his party. In a general election, however, Mr. McCain remains a shoo-in since his approval rating among moderates is a striking 64% and he also wins approval of a surprising 41% of liberals.

Please note the last sentence in Fund’s quote. The bottom line is that John McCain is absolutely unbeatable in the general election unless Janet Napolitano comes back and runs against him, and then it’s a contest.

With respect to JD Hayworth, he’s simply worn out his welcome as a politician in Arizona. The guy is perceived by most people, quite rightly IMO, as a loudmouthed jerk. That is what cost him his seat in the House, not his immigration stance. JD might be able to raise a few bucks outside of the state, but he won’t raise much in state.

Without regard to who runs, or if they all run, in the primary, McCain will win in a walk. The 61% number doesn’t mean much given two things. One, I doubt that anybody thinks any of the three is a reasonable candidate. Two, McCain (absent Napolitano’s return) can spend $10MM in a primary which only has two media markets. He could probably spend more if he thought he had to because he can certainly raise all the money he needs to win the primary. He won’t have spend $50.00 to beat any Democrat but Napolitano.

I know it sucks. But that’s just how it is.