The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

World’s Youngest Blogger: Did You Love Momma Today?

Posted on | May 12, 2013 | 5 Comments

If you can’t bring the cute, bring the flowers. Better still, bring both.

Category: World's Youngest Blogger

A Short Lesson in Liberal Media Bias: Has Alex Koppelman Forgotten Fitzmas?

Posted on | May 12, 2013 | 32 Comments

Scandals always highlight the disparity in how differently the media treat Republicans and Democrats. We are grateful to Alex Koppelman for this latest example:

It’s a cliché, of course, but it really is true: in Washington, every scandal has a crime and a coverup. The ongoing debate about the attack on the United States facility in Benghazi where four Americans were killed, and the Obama Administration’s response to it, is no exception. For a long time, it seemed like the idea of a coverup was just a Republican obsession. But now there is something to it.
On Friday, ABC News’s Jonathan Karl revealed the details of the editing process for the C.I.A.’s talking points about the attack, including the edits themselves and some of the reasons a State Department spokeswoman gave for requesting those edits.

How many millions of words were wasted by liberal journalists on the phony Valerie Plame “scandal,” and who ever could have doubted that it was a Democrat “obsession” — a ginned-up mountain of paranoia inspired by a minor molehill of events?

Does no one else remember how liberals pretended that Valerie Plame’s employment status at the CIA was America’s most closely-guarded national security secret, until that afternoon in July 2003 when Richard Armitage mentioned her to Bob Novak? And have we completely forgotten that the real scandal — the story Novak was actually trying to report — was the mystery of how Plame’s husband Joe Wilson, a diplomat with no genuinely relevant expertise, got the assignment to travel to Africa on a CIA-sponsored trip to investigate British intelligence reports that Iraq had obtained uranium ore from Niger? Has it also now been forgotten that, because Novak would not identify his sources, Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) launched a witch hunt that blamed Karl Rove and/or Dick Cheney for “outing” Plame, who was not exactly a secret agent, thus leading to an investigation that resulted in the prosecution and imprisonment of Scooter Libby?

For the love of God, have we forgotten “Fitzmas,” the 2005 rumor that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s federal grand jury was about to indict Rove or Cheney or both? Who could ever forget the ridiculous farce of “investigative journalist” Scott Leopold “reporting” in May 2006 that Rove had been indicted? I’ll bet Alex Koppelman recalls that fateful day — June 13, 2006 — when it was announced that Rove definitely would not be indicted.

All of that ridiculous “PlameGate” nonsense was taken very seriously by the mainstream media, as though it were a real scandal that might implicate the president in High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and yet it was transparently absurd from start to finish.

So fast-forward: Terrorists kill a U.S. ambassador and four other Americans in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, and Obama administration officials — obviously concerned about political fallout during an election year — begin stacking up lies like cordwood. Everything we know about the matter leads to the conclusion that the administration failed before, during and after the attack, that they consistently lied at every step of the way, and that they’re quite likely still trying to hide the truth, especially in regard to who gave the “stand down” order to cancel a Special Operations rescue.

According to Alex Koppelman, however, this was just a “Republican obsession” until Jonathan Karl of ABC reported it, even though Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard had previously reported the same basic story about the edited Benghazi talking points.

Here’s a breaking story Koppelman might want to investigate: For a long time, it seemed like the idea of liberal media bias was just a Republican obsession. But now there is something to it.

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers!





 

 

RECENTLY:

 


Category: Libya, Media Bias, Scandal

Rule 5 Sunday: In The Heat Of The Night

Posted on | May 12, 2013 | 15 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


Finally, back on schedule! Keep in mind that many of the links below are NSFW, so don’t open them where you shouldn’t.


Appropriately, we begin with Three Beers Later’s entry for Offend A Feminist Week: Hot Women With Guns! Laughing Conservative follows with a rather animated Mila Kunis, and WyBlog also noted Offend A Feminist Week in saluting Carrie Underwood for taking over Sunday Night Football. Randy’s Roundtable offers a Kelly Brookpalooza, Subject to Change has some interesting kitchen pix, and Blackmailers Don’t Shoot debuts with some Pretty Girls on a Thursday. Animal Magnetism has Rule Five Friday and the Saturday Gingermageddon, and Ninety Miles from Tyranny brings us Morning Mistress and Hot Pick of the Late Night. Fishersville Mike draws our attention to Zooey Version 2.


EBL brings home the bacon (with bonus Bjork!), and doubles down with Nigella Lawson. Also, butter!


A View From The Beach presents Doetzen Kroes (a Dutch treat), Joss Stone and some guy, a scholarly post on, er, chestplates, why sharks circle before they attack, Taiwanese talent, Orianthi, and Sex Slaves of Fairfax County.


Soylent Green’s Monday Motivationer asks, how’s your swordsmanship? Tuesday Titillation is provided by Stacey, followed by some linky-love for last week’s Rule 5 monster mashup, Humpday Hawtness Tiffany, Evening Eye-Opener Amanda, Fursday Fabulous Ginger, Corsetcare Cacophony, Overnighty Rima, and Afternooner Jeanette.


Proof Positive’s Friday Night Babe is Chiquinquira Delgado, his vintage babe of the week is Gina Gershon, Kim Basinger represents for Sex in Advertising,  and with reference to this week’s Tebow flap, there’s a Jaguars cheerleader. Dustbury has Zooey pics from the Met Ball and outside the Ed Sullivan Theater.


The DaleyGator’s DaleyBabes this week included Girls, Guns, and all the other things that upset Nanny Staters; more specifically, Winona Ryder, Selena Gomez, Chisato Morishita, Ananda Lewis, Aida Yespica, Melina Moye, Alejandra Martin, Dannie Riel, Hester Winkel, Vivi Pineda, Saffi Karina, and Carissa Rosario.


Thanks to everyone for their links! Deadline to submit links to the Rule 5 Wombat mailbox for next week’s roundup is Saturday, May 18.


 

Category: Rule 5

FMJRA 2.0: All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight

Posted on | May 11, 2013 | 3 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Don’t know if it’s the sudden eruption of multiple scandals surrounding our least favorite Chicago politician and his inept lackeys, people finally recovering from tax season, or just more folks having time to blog and link; maybe it was the Peter Dinklage graphic in yesterday’s Live At Five. Whatever the reason, I sure am glad to see all you folks back and linking.

A Festive Occasion!

Domestic Terrorists Teaching At Colleges?

Unsurprising Media Consensus: ‘Shut Up About Benghazi, You Stupid Republicans’

The ‘How Dare You’ Defense on Benghazi

Hope and Chains: #WarOnWomen Kidnapper Is Cuyahoga County Democrat

If @AmandaMarcotte Made You a Sandwich, Would You Eat It?

Obama Administration’s Benghazi Lies Exposed as State Department Cover-Up

FMJRA 2.0: Beer For My Horses

What Part of ‘Fuck You, Commie Scum’ Is So Hard for @BurkelyH to Understand?

Why I’m Not on the Harvard Faculty

The Highly Ironic Syrian End-Game?

You Disagree With @Instapundit At Your Peril, But I’m Going With Nicolaitanism Over Oikophobia

Rule 5 Sunday: Cinco de Mayo Massive Catching-Up Edition

Muslim Student Association Doesn’t Get Credit for Soccer League Sponsorship

Like Many Other Liberal Activists, @Political_Bill Doesn’t Like Police

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.07.13

Chip Gerdes, Remembered

To Quote Inspector Harry Callahan …

Death by Heartbreak: TV Psychic Told Mom Her Missing Daughter Was Dead

‘House of Horrors’: Kidnapped Sex Slaves Held in Chains by School Bus Driver

Cleveland ‘House of Horror’ Neighbors Called 911; Police ‘Didn’t Take It Seriously’

Occupation: Consultant

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.08.13

Monsters Could Face Death Penalty in Cleveland ‘House of Horror’ Kidnappings

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.09.13

LIVE AT FIVE: 05.10.13

Teaching Your Kids to Hate You

Whittle Breaks It Down To The Soft Drink Level For The Thirsty

The Big Benghazi Lie: State Department Deleted Key Facts From Talking Points

Has Somebody Told @Jack Dorsey That Twitter Was Invented by Ed Markey?

As a ‘Christofascist Godbag,’ I Need Some Civility Lessons From Melissa McEwan

Top linkers this week:

  1. Rick’s Rants (20 the hard way)
  2. Lonely Conservative (9)
  3. That Mr. G Guy (8)
  4. Daley Gator (7)
  5. The Camp of the Saints (6)
  6. Daily Pundit (5)

Thanks to everyone for their linkagery! Deadline to submit links to next week’s FMJRA is Friday, May 17.

Category: FMJRA Award

#JayCarneyExcuses Don’t Make Me Give You The Full Jessup Again

Posted on | May 10, 2013 | 20 Comments

by Smitty

Is there an American who looks a bigger ass than Carney? None. None bigger ass.

Channeling Colonel Jessup:

Category: humor, Libya

As a ‘Christofascist Godbag,’ I Need Some Civility Lessons From Melissa McEwan

Posted on | May 10, 2013 | 73 Comments

Let me begin this response to Melissa McEwan by citing Ann Coulter, not because she is a woman — certainly not one of those “liberal women constantly talking about their vaginas suddenly pretending to be offended by the word ‘slut'” — but because Coulter dared to tell the truth about Max Cleland’s Vietnam war injuries.

Flashback to 2002 (and I should include a “trigger alert” for liberals traumatized by that year’s mid-term elections) when Cleland was running for re-election to the Senate in Georgia. His Republican opponent Saxby Chambliss hit Cleland hard for having insisted on union rights for Homeland Security employees, Democrats claimed this was an attack on Cleland’s patriotism and, because of Cleland’s status as a disabled Vietnam War veteran, when Chambliss won the election, “Democrats began citing Cleland’s lost Senate seat as proof that Republicans hate war heroes,” to quote Coulter.

Among those who worked to craft that false narrative was notorious liar Eric Boehler, who said “Cleland lost both his legs and his right hand to a Viet Cong grenade” — which is a damned lie: Cleland was not wounded by hostile enemy action. His was not a combat injury, but inflicted by an American grenade that somebody dropped at at a division assembly area where Cleland decided to “have a beer with some friends.” Cleland himself never claimed to have been a hero, but liberals dishonestly did so, as part of a calculated strategy of playing the “chicken hawk” card against George W. Bush in the 2004 campaign.

Ann Coulter called this what it was — a lie — and when the usual suspects (Molly Ivins, Al Hunt, Joe Klein) reacted by trying to claim Coulter was impugning Cleland, Coulter let it rip in a memorably brutal February 2004 column that included this:

Liberals are not angry because I “lied”; they’re angry because I told the truth.
I wouldn’t press the point except that Democrats have deliberately “sexed up” the circumstances of Cleland’s accident in the service of slandering the people of Georgia, the National Guard and George Bush. Cleland has questioned Bush’s fitness for office because he served in the National Guard but did not go to Vietnam. . . .
Liberals simply can’t grasp the problem Lexis-Nexis poses to their incessant lying. They ought to stick to their specialty — hysterical overreaction. The truth is not their forte.

What the Cleland episode illustrated was how liberals shamelessly exploit victimhood for political gain, and never expect to be called out on it, because  then the liberals will accuse conservatives of being insensitive to victims. In her 2006 book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, Coulter explains how the “absolute moral authority” of Cleland, Cindy Sheehan and the so-called “Jersey Girls” (anti-war Democrat widows of men killed in the 9/11 attacks) was tantamount to a doctrine of infallibility: They’re victims, so you can’t argue with them.

Well . . . rape.

Can we just begin this part of the discussion by making clear that nobody is in favor of rape? Certainly, Republicans are not pro-rape, but maybe Juanita Broaddrick would have something to say about the Democrat policy on rape. (“Better put some ice on that.”) It should not be necessary to issue disclaimers like this — I’m also anti-burglary, anti-car-theft and anti-aggravated-assault — except that liberals have spent so much time trying to turn rape into a partisan issue. Exploiting rape to elect Democrats is acceptable (ask Todd Akin), but is grievously wrong when Republicans do it. In 1988, Democrat concern for Willie Horton’s victims Cliff and Angela Barnes manifested itself mainly as Mike Dukakis blathering on about his ACLU membership and liberals accusing Republicans of racism.

So when it was reported that Cleveland “house of horrors” rapist Ariel Castro is a registered Democrat, this was the kind of fact liberals were certain to ignore. The media was happy to have the Cleveland story (and the Jodi Arias verdict) as an excuse not to cover the Benghazi hearings, but now that we know the perpetrator was a Democrat, we’re likely to see a bit less coverage. And given how the media have spent the past four years endlessly trying to pin the Tea Party label on a mass murderer — from Tucson to Aurora to Boston — there must have been a huge letdown for liberals when they learned Ariel Castro is not a Rush Limbaugh listener. And, because this is National Offend a Feminist Week . . .

After checking to see whether Ms. Marcotte had indeed addressed that story (she hadn’t), I then decided to check on feminist writer Melissa McEwan. Marcotte and McEwan worked together briefly in 2007 on the John Edwards presidential campaign, a thought that always makes me smile when I think of this headline:

 Vote for Edwards, Godbag Christofascists!

As wretched as Marcotte is, it was McEwan whose penchant for obscene diatribes against Christianity did the most to get them fired from the Edwards campaign. The ironic denouement — Edwards being exposed as an adulterer, cheating on his cancer-stricken wife and siring a love child with a ditzy would-be documentary film-maker — ought to have been enough to give both Marcotte and Edwards second thoughts about how they had been blinded by their progressive ideology. But if feminists ever thought twice, they wouldn’t be feminists, would they?

Anyway, I checked, and McEwan had actually written about the Cleveland case, so I taunted her:

This was . . . ah . . . not an informed decision. McEwan responded:

No, Robert Stacy McCain, the reason this case is hard for me is not because Ariel Castro is a registered Democrat. The reason this case is hard for me is because I was raped by a man who not only raped me in my own home, but also used to take me to his home, at the end of a gun, and lock me in his basement, and hurt me there, too. It’s hard for me because, when his father found me, shivering and afraid, he told his son, “Tell her to make a pizza while she’s down there,” before he walked back upstairs and shut the door behind him. It’s hard for me because I was forced to make fucking dinner for the abuser who called me his girlfriend and his cruelly indifferent father.

So now my thoughtless error permits the narrative ju-jitsu, and my insensitivity to victims becomes the subject of the story.

Well, I’m willing to drop this and move on. Healey’s First Law of Holes, and all that. But neither am I going to be lectured about decorum by deranged hate-filled moonbats. So I’ve considered what arguments I might make if these fanatics decide to belabor the point.

Did I mention she’s crazy? No, but she did.

And it’s still National Offend a Feminist Week, you know.

 

Category: Crime, National Offend a Feminist Week

Has Somebody Told @Jack Dorsey That Twitter Was Invented by Ed Markey?

Posted on | May 10, 2013 | 5 Comments

“Breaking down those monopolies in the 1996 Telecommunications Act unleashed $1 trillion worth of private-sector capital that has created thousands of jobs — yes, you know the names, Google and eBay and Amazon and Hulu and YouTube and Facebook and Twitter — but there are thousands of other companies, many of them here in Massachusetts . . . that are the heartbeat of the new innovation economy . . .”
— Rep. Edward Markey, March 27

Everybody laughed the first time Ed Markey — apparently channeling his inner Al Gore — claimed credit for the development of online businesses that he had nothing to do with starting. And since when are Democrats about unleashing “private-sector capital,” huh?

The aroma of bovine excrement around Markey’s preposterous assertion has lingered since March, but might have dissipated were it not for the fact that Markey has made this same claim — that “breaking down those monopolies” was what made Twitter and Facebook possible — the central focus of a new campaign ad:

Right: Ed Markey invented Twitter, and Elizabeth Warren is a Cherokee princess, and I am the reincarnation of Napoleon Bonaparte. But this isn’t just a joke about the delusional fantasies of liberals, because  polls show Ed Markey is a surprisingly vulnerable Democrat:

Two polls released this week — one by Public Policy Polling (PPP) and another by  WBUR-TV — show Republican Gabriel Gomez within striking distance of Democrat Ed Markey in next month’s special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by John Kerry’s appointment as Secretary of State. Gomez, a former Navy SEAL, has targeted Markey as a career Washington politician, the “poster boy for term limits.” . . .
While liberals have defended Markey, pointing to his role in promoting the 1992 Cable Act, the key measure that made possible the expansion of broadband Internet access was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. As my ViralRead colleague Ali Akbar’s research shows, that bill originated in the Senate, not the House, and Markey’s involvement in its passage was insignificant — Republicans controlled both houses of Congress at the time.
It wasn’t as if Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole were relying on Markey’s self-declared “leadership” to get votes for what was, in fact, a relatively uncontroversial measure, whose chief critics were left-wingers like Ralph Nader and Markey’s Massachusetts colleague Barney Frank.

Markey isn’t just claiming credit for inventing Twitter, Google and Facebook. He’s claiming credit for Newt Gingrich’s bill!

Go read the full report at ViralRead. (No, he didn’t invent ViralRead.)

And of course, I’m grateful that our readers are willing to help support the blog by making contributions through PayPal and shopping at Amazon — both of which were #InventedByEdMarkey.





 

Category: Massachusetts, Senate

The Big Benghazi Lie: State Department Deleted Key Facts From Talking Points

Posted on | May 10, 2013 | 20 Comments

Jonathan Karl of ABC News reports that an entire paragraph of the CIA’s original assessment of the September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was deleted after political objections were raised by a State Department official. The deleted paragraph — which referenced prior CIA warnings about terrorist attacks in Libya — was one of numerous revisions made in the talking points:

White House emails reviewed by ABC News suggest the edits were made with extensive input from the State Department.  The edits included requests from the State Department that references to the Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansar al-Sharia be deleted as well references to CIA warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi in the months preceding the attack.
That would appear to directly contradict what White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said about the talking points in November.
“Those talking points originated from the intelligence community. They reflect the IC’s best assessments of what they thought had happened,” Carney told reporters at the White House press briefing on November 28, 2012.  “The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two institutions were changing the word ‘consulate’ to ‘diplomatic facility’ because ‘consulate’ was inaccurate.”
Summaries of White House and State Department emails — some of which were first published by Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard — show that the State Department had extensive input into the editing of the talking points.

ABC has published an eight-page document showing the 12 versions of the administration’s Benghazi talking points.

 


Category: Libya
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