The Other McCain

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

National Review Institute Summit: Will This Controversial Event Make Headlines?

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 55 Comments

My decision yesterday to kick Jonah Goldberg in the knee promises to yield enormous dividends both ways. Goldberg has denounced my criticisms as “preening b.s.,” and he’s vowed to fire back at length later today, so I look forward to a (no doubt well-deserved) ass-chewing.

Do I expect Jonah to say nice things about me? No, but neither did I expected to be invited on a Caribbean cruise after the election. The world is generally divided that way: The cruise-worthy intellectuals and everybody else, and I’ve adjusted to life among the landlubbers.

Speaking of which, the National Review Institute “Future of Conservatism” Summit convenes next Friday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., and it would be a terrible thing if the summit were to be embroiled in controversy because a lot of pissed-off conservatives showed up and started asking questions like, “Who was it that convinced us that nominating Mitt Romney would be a good idea?”

Who would pay $250 to go raise hell at the NRI Summit? Maybe the Ron Paul crowd would think that’s a fine way to spend a weekend. Did I mention that college students can attend the NRI Summit for free?

Our friends at the National Review Institute are providing a limited number of full “scholarships” for the upcoming “Future of Conservatism” conference this January 25-27 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This covers the conference fee, which includes participation in all events, receptions, and meals. This is an excellent opportunity for a conservative college student to learn and network.

OK, so the “limited number” of scholarships probably diminishes the chances of Ron Paul supporters packing the NRI Summit with dopehead stooges yelling ugly things about “neocon warmongers,” but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities for headline-making controversy during the event. Everybody’s favorite MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s going to be there, after all. For some reason, while Scarborough is an honored participant at the NRI Summit, they didn’t invite Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin. Probably an accidental oversight . . .

So when the “Joe Scarborough’s OK, But We Don’t Like Mark Levin” conference convenes next Friday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., maybe you’ll want to be there to raise hell. If there are angry shouting matches in the hotel corridors and fistfights in the lobby bar, that might actually be newsworthy.

And I’m strictly a Neutral Objective Journalist . . .

 


Category: Conservatism 101, Jonah Goldberg, Neutral Objective Journalism

The Country’s Going Straight to Hell, But at Least We’ve Got a ‘Likeable’ President

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 9 Comments

Random adults:

[M]ore than seven in 10 are dissatisfied with the current state of the economy, and just more than a third are either “very” or “fairly” confident in Obama’s ability to promote a strong and growing economy.
And 60 percent believe the coming year will be a time to hold back and save because of harder times ahead . . .
As for views on Obama’s qualities as president, he gets the best marks for being easygoing and likeable (61 percent give him high marks here)

Pete Da Tech Guy’s non-random response:

So let’s get this straight, Over seventy percent of the public are dissatisfied with the economy, just over a third of the people are confident in the president’s ability to fix it, and 60% of the folks are battening down the hatches for rough weather.
Yet this man just two months ago won 300+ electoral votes?

Exactly: When the media deliberately mislead the public, we can expect widespread confusion to prevail. Welcome to Low-Information Nation.

Category: Barack Obama, Da Tech Guy, Polls

#LennayKekuaFacts: What You Don’t Know About Manti Te’o’s Fake Girlfriend

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 18 Comments

From the “Too Good to Check” file:

The Times was not among the most prominent offenders in taking at face value what turned out to be a hoax, as revealed by the Web site Deadspin.com on Wednesday.
But Times reporters still wrote about the Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o’s girlfriend at least five times in recent months.
A Nov. 25 article said that  Te’o was “dealt a full deck of adversity when his grandmother and his girlfriend died within hours of each other.”
Another, on Oct. 14, noted, “His girlfriend, who lost a long fight with leukemia, was a Stanford alumnus.”

Five mentions! The non-existent girlfriend of Manti Te’o has actually gotten more New York Times coverage than the “Fast and Furious” scandal. Think what it means that Deadspin.com did more thorough fact-checking than the nation’s most prestigious newspaper:

Deadspin Editor-in-Chief Tommy Craggs says Timothy Burke and Jack Dickey were faced with a tough question when reporting their now famous Manti Te’o story: “What lengths do we go to to try and prove a negative?”
When asked about his reaction to The Boston Globe calling Deadspin “a website that has broken some high-profile stories but not an outlet regarded for journalistic standards,” Craggs says: “Whatever. Why should I care what a craven, slipshod outfit like the Boston Globe thinks of my ‘journalistic standards’?”
In an email Q&A, Craggs elaborates on Burke’s explanation of how Deadspin got the story that all other journalists missed . . .
From the start, Tim Burke and Jack Dickey kept a running notes file in Google Docs that acted as a skeleton for both their reporting and for the story itself. They asked themselves the obvious questions, Socratically: Who is the person in the photos? Where was Lennay Kekua born? When was Lennay Kekua born? Where did Lennay Kekua live? Did Lennay Kekua attend Stanford? When was Lennay Kekua’s car accident? When did Lennay Kekua die? . . .
We began reporting on Friday. By Monday, Burke had found and contacted the woman in the Lennay photos. Once we had her on the record, we knew we had enough for a story. . . .

She was a cyber-fiction, and yet she was mentioned five times in the New York Times and got quoted on the CBS Morning News.


 

(Hat-tip: MediaGazer.com.)

Category: CBS, Journalism, New York Times

LIVE AT FIVE: 01.18.13

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Death Toll Unclear After Algerian Raid To Free Hostages

The Amenas gas field, site of the hostage situation

Algeria’s Communications Minister: “Those who think we will negotiate with terrorists are delusional…Those who think we will surrender to their blackmail are delusional.”


Florida Supreme Court Approves State Worker Pension Levy
State may require 3% contribution from workers’ pay to state pension fund

No Deal In Iran-IAEA Talks
New meeting set for February 12



POLITICS
Senator Angus King Reluctant To Embrace Assault Weapon Ban

Senator-elect Angus King (I-ME)

Favors universal background checks, limits on “clip” sizes
Also sees no reason to oppose Hagel for Defense

NYC, Teachers Union At Impasse On Evaluations; $450 Million In State Aid At Risk

Former Chicago Businessman Gets 14 Years In Terror Case

FBI: No Arrest For Passenger Pulled From Alaska Air Flight

Latino Voters Push Obama To Keep Immigration Promise

Panel Of Experts Questions Effectiveness Of Food Stamp Program

White House Enlisting Doctors In Gun Control Fight?



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Extends Advance, For Now: NYMEX $95.64, Brent $111.26
PRC Economy Posts Slowest Growth Since 1999
asia Stocks Rise Amid Strong PRC Data, Weak Yen
Citibank Falls Short Of Earnings Estimates, Blames New Regulations
Major Benchmarks Advance Ahead Of Wall Street Open
American Airlines Reveals Long-Awaited Makeover
Sony To Sell NY Headquarters For $1.1 Billion
Facebook Becoming Online Love Connection?
Sony Xperia Z Tablet May Debut In Japan Next Week
Dish Asks FCC To Pause Review Of Softbank’s Sprint Purchase
Apple Offering Early Access To Hearst Magazines Via Newsstand
MEDL Mobile Releases Practice Range App To help Teach Gun Safety
Blackberry 10 Nets 15,000 Apps In Just Two Days
Nokia Cutting Another 300 Jobs



SPORTS
Who Got Snubbed From NBA All-Star Starting Lineups?

Six of the ten starters, including these four guys, were gold medalists at the 2012 Olympics.

Starting lineups and other guys

Te’oing Becomes Web Craze

Lance Armstrong Admits To Doping

LeBron James, Strong Heat Defense Crush Lakers 99-90


Wolverines Ride Hot Start By Tim Hardaway Jr. To Victory Over Gophers, 83-75

Epic Mike Napoli Saga Coming To A Close

Anthony, Stoudemire Lead Knicks Over Pistons In London

Cardinals Hire Bruce Arian Away From Colts To Coach

NHL Apologizes To Hockey Fans In Newspaper Ads

Don Cherry Gets More Time On “Hockey Night In Canada”

Nats Avoid Arbitration With Drew Storen, Sign $2.5 Million Deal With $1 Million In Incentives



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Pauline Phillips Dead At 94

Mrs. Phillips with her twin sister Eppie Lederer (a/k/a Ann Landers)

The advice columnist formerly known as Abigail Van Buren, later “Dear Abby”, died Wednesday after a long illness

Michael J. Fox Doesn’t Want Taylor Swift Dating His Son Sam

Manti Te’o Hoax: All Roads Lead To Ronaiah Tuiasosopo?

“American Idol” Posts Lowest Season Debut Numbers, Down 19% From 2012

Zac Efron Freaks Out After Being Photographed Near Display Of Dildos

Latest SWATting Victim: Tom Cruise

Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson To Return For Season 3 Of  “American Horror Story”

Apparently Doing A Sex Scene With Lindsay Lohan Is Awful And Tedious

The “Karlie” Cut Is Turning Heads

“Teen Mom 2″‘s Jenelle Evans Confirms Second Baby On The Way



FOREIGNERS
Triumphant Imam Qadri Refuses To Relent
11 Dead As Floods Swamp Jakarta
India Gang Rape/Murder Case Moved To Fast Track
Tens Of Thousands Gather In Diyarbakir For Kurdish Activists’ Funeral
Likud/Beitenu Alliance Leading Israeli Polls As January 22 Election Nears
Support For Germany’s SDP Continues To Slide
US Recognizes First Somali Government Since 1991
Greek Parliament Votes To Investigate Former Finance Minister



BLOGS & STUFF
Twitchy: Effort To Akin-ize GOP Continues Apace
Weekly Standard Blog: Rep. Cole Says He Won’t Vote For Debt Limit Increase Without Spending Cuts
Freedom Works: End The Debt Ceiling Shenanigans
PJ Tatler: Debt Ceiling Strategery
Weasel Zippers: RINO Chris Christie Slams “Reprehensible” NRA For “Dragging Other Peoples’ Children” Into Gun Control Debate
John Fund: Gun Sales And Background Checks – Obama’s Bogus 40% Stat
Brian Doherty: Post-Sandy Hook Support For Gun Control Already Slipping
Michael Walsh: High-Magazine Clip Capacity
John Hinderaker: Obama’s Unserious Gun Proposals
JustOneMinute: Is There A Calm, Rational Explanation Of The Merits Of The Proposed Assault Weapons Ban?
Ed Morrissey: Al Franken’s Not So Sure About The Assault Weapons Ban
Gateway Pundit: Texas AG Runs Ads In NY Urging Gun Owners To Pack Up Their Gun Racks, Move To Texas
Jawa Report: Holder begs Court To Stop Document Release On Fast & Furious
Volokh Conspiracy: The Criminal Charges Against Aaron Swartz
P.J. O’Rourke: Dear Mr. President, Zero Sum Makes Zero Sense

Category: Live at Five

Lance Armstrong For President

Posted on | January 18, 2013 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

Watch me take a contrary position on the famous cyclist, who is demonstrating more integrity than many public figures in circulation: Lance’s confessional comes at an interesting time.

For more than a decade, Armstrong dared anybody who challenged his version of events to prove it. Finally, he told the tale himself after promising over the weekend to answer Winfrey’s questions “directly, honestly and candidly.”
Winfrey tweeted shortly after the interview: “Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2½ hours. He came READY!”
The cyclist was stripped of his Tour de France titles, lost most of his endorsements and was forced to leave Livestrong last year after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a damning 1,000-page report that accused him of masterminding a long-running doping scheme.

Everybody is lining up to hate Lance, and sue the wheels off of him.

The Daily News has obtained and reviewed the sealed lawsuit Landis filed under the False Claims Act, a 33-page document that accuses Armstrong and his associates at Tailwind Sports of defrauding the government out of millions of taxpayer dollars by operating a sophisticated doping program over many years. The suit claims Armstrong’s use of banned and illegal drugs to dominate the Tour de France was in clear violation of the sponsorship agreement between the team and the United States Postal Service, which sponsored Armstrong’s teams from 1998 to 2004.

But is Lance a metaphor for the general problem of too much money and power and pressure concentrated in a small area? We go to Tea Party rallies and elect variations on the theme of Lance Armstrong at Every. Single. Election, and then we are SHOCKED! Shocked! when they get into office, expand government, and crank up the debt.

(Reference) What I’m getting at is that, while Lance merits whatever justice the courts mete out, we ought to question the game as much as the player. However, what we can expect not to occur is any thoughtful analysis about why putting as much money and pressure on sports (cycling, baseball, football &c) tends to crush sportsmanship and turn so many into thugs. It’s timely that Lance goes under the bus, bike and all, as the century of fiscal doping reaches its climax in this Congress. Is the Union going to go under the twin busses of History and Economics in the near future, like Mr. Armstrong? Can any elected official come clean like Lance admit that these ‘balanced approaches’ and ‘Roadmap Plans’ are just so much toast? Look at the cretinous alternative: (via Weasel Zippers) You know you’ve done well, as has Moran, when you get to lead off a chapter in a book like Throw Them All Out. There is ‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran, yucking it up with notorious racist Joan Walsh (no link to www.salon.com/2013/01/16/the_rights_colin_powell_freakout), who came after Stacy Washington for calling it like she saw it on Colin Powell’s non-commitment to anything resembling conservativism. I would trade ‘Gentleman’ Jim in a heartbeat for Lance Armstrong; both are flawed, fallen humans. But one of them knows how to man-up and confess. To defend Moran slightly, though, no one is asking why our system drives more or less everyone who spends any amount of time in office down to diabolical depths. When our political system has a blip, as with the Tea Party in 2010, and an Allen West creeps in, the system has to circle the wagons and reject him via gerrymandering. The Mike Pences run for state governor. The Jim DeMints repair to Heritage. The likes of Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz seem a fringe. Will they amount to a fart amidst a thunderous collapse?

Certainly, Lance is too flawed for public office. This post is not seriously advocating him for President. But one wonders how we break the cycle of abuse without ever asking harder questions about why things are so jacked up. I say it’s the centralization. Power tends to corrupt, noted Acton. Should American Exceptionalism mean anything, let’s see some GOP reform ideas, pronto. The movement to Audit the Fed is a great place to start, as there seems to be some relationship between power, money, and corruption. But is that House bill so much tissue paper without support in the Senate, and courage in the Executive?

Without the courage to confess, there seems scant hope of repentance, both of which are key to start making any reform.

Category: Jim Moran, Sports, Virginia

Five Years Ago Today …

Posted on | January 17, 2013 | 13 Comments

. . . I tendered my resignation at The Washington Times:

You may recall that I attempted to quit The Washington Times in August 2007, and was persuaded not to do so by Wes Pruden and Fran Coombs. Well, Wes and Fran are leaving now, so I suppose now is as good a time as any for me to go.
My last work day in the office will be Wednesday, Jan. 23, though cleaning out my desk may take a few days longer. . . .

As I said at the time, it was as if God said, “Go.” If nothing else, this spared me the bizarre dramas that have ensued at The Washington Times, which is now on its fourth editor in five years, after wave after wave of layoffs and sundry other embarrassments at what I’ve begun calling the People’s Democratic Republic of 3600 New York Avenue.

A totalitarian ethos of paranoia has evidently taken hold in management, prompting one staffer to remark to Fishbowl DC’s Betsy Rothstein:

“Don’t you just love a media company that has an absolutely strict policy against ever talking to the press ever?”

It’s weird. Other news organizations that didn’t even exist five years ago have started from scratch and eclipsed the Times in importance, despite the triumphant air with which the paper announced the hiring of John Solomon as editor in January 2008, heralding what management proclaimed would be a new era of glorious success.

The newspaper was in utter disarray by the time Solomon left in 2009, and now — further demonstrating the brilliance of management — Solomon is back with the title of “Chief Digital Officer.”

Chief Digital Officer.

Let’s think about this. While getting paid as CDO by the Times, Solomon has been promoting his own project, The Washington Guardian — which you never heard of until you read this, right?

As of 8 p.m., the Twitter feed for the Guardian had 512 followers.

The Twitter feed for Twitchy Team has 70,391 followers. FishbowlDC has 22,860 Twitter followers. I’ve got 17.602.

Maybe you see what I’m getting at here.

It’s not really pleasant to watch a news organization being “managed” into oblivion, but it is what it is. And God said, “Go.”

 

Category: Journalism

The Filthy Rotten Party of Corruption, Treason, Fraud, Sodomy and Abortion

Posted on | January 17, 2013 | 31 Comments

Charles Rangel: Why ‘corrupt Democrat’ is a redundancy

In a Twitter colloquy with Susan Cloud, producer of the Mark Davis radio show, I found myself compelled to explain and defend my previous criticisms of National Review. The problem, really, is that Republicans just don’t hate Democrats the way Democrats hate Republicans.

Most Republicans are born and raised Republicans, and are spiritually attuned to the sentiments of bourgeois respectability that are core values to the decent, honest people the GOP represents. By contrast, Democrats owe their power to the vilest dregs of humanity — corrupt union goons, Marxist academics, criminals, drug addicts, sexual perverts and race hustlers — who have no respect for the values of decent, honest people.

In politics, this represents a tremendous advantage to Democrats, who elect to high office vicious thieves like Charlie Rangel without any sense of embarrassment, and then applaud Rangel’s lies without shame. The Democrats are a gang of brazen criminals who have contempt for their victims — you, the respectable citizens who vote Republican.

Having been born and raised a Democrat, I was never taught to be embarrassed of my politics the way most Republican children seem to be taught. And these nice Republican types who grew up groveling and apologizing — “Please, Professor, don’t give me a bad grade for diagreeing with you!” — are the weak link in the chain, the essential cause of the Republican Party’s feebleness.

What these practicioners of Republican niceness lack is the boldness to speak the blunt truth about what a despicable organization the Democratic Party has become. No moral, honest and intelligent American would associate themselves with the Democrats. Therefore the question we should ask our friends who might be tempted to vote Democrat is, “Are you immoral and dishonest, or merely stupid?”

The truth may sometimes seem rude, but it is still the truth.

 

Category: Abortion, Corruption, Crime, Democrats

Crisis in Algeria: More ‘Arab Spring’ Consequences; U.S. Hostages Seized

Posted on | January 17, 2013 | 12 Comments

Over the weekend, I mentioned the al-Qaeda-backed rebellion in Mali, and now there’s more Islamic trouble in neighboring Algeria:

Six hostages, 8 kidnappers killed
in Algeria siege; 7 still held
— Reuters

US confirms Americans among hostages
taken by militants in Algeria
— The Hill

Militants Grab U.S. Hostages
— Wall Street Journal

Militants: 35 hostages dead
in Algerian copter attack
— CBS News

The facts of this emerging crisis are not entirely clear, but it looks a lot like further evidence of the bankruptcy of Obama’s foreign policy:

Donald Douglas at American Power is aggregating developments, including this confession of impotence from the White House:

 

Category: Uncategorized
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