The Other McCain

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

Al-Qaida Is On The Path To Defeat And Charlie Don’t Surf! UPDATE: Women United Lowers The Boom

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 16 Comments

by Smitty

The first seven words of the title are from #OccupyResoluteDesk. The last three are from the demented Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. I’m going to argue that, at a high level of abstraction, the two ideas are equally absurd.

The Washington Times has an article that is useful for tracking the latest rumors. The more that is revealed, the more the whole affair seems to have been an absurd exercise in willful disregard of reality in a combat zone:

We don’t, and are not likely EVER to know the full scoop of the reasons for the situation in Benghazi. Having served a year in Afghanistan, I can tell you that High Value types like an ambassador do not normally get put at any personal risk in war zones, for the reasons you see in Stevens’s wake. However, I’m glad that the details seem to have moved beyond “hostage bait”. That would have been Machiavellian beyond words, and hard to keep a secret, and therefore was always a trifle implausible.

Back to “Apocalypse Now”, Kilgore’s madness is echoed in the idiotic response of blaming “The Innocence of Muslims” and throwing Nakoula in jail. In retrospect, that blame move was as insane as declaring the beach safe while bullets flew. In addition to being wildly un-Constitutional and un-American. Where is the Anemic Commie Laughing Unit (ACLU) on this one? I may have answered my own question.

Kilgore’s foolhardy personal courage, standing there amidst explosions, is a stark contrast to Obama’s technological detachment from those “bumps in the road”. (I don’t personally know how anyone not an actor on a movie set could behave like Kilgore’s character in a no-kidding firefight.) And yet, even a non-combat facing of the music on Benghazi is too much for a feckless worm like Obama. Her Fecklessness now assumes the ‘offended’ pose at the suggestion that she wasn’t workin’ hard, tryin’ to find away to help those poor ex-SEALs fight for their lives.

PROVE IT!

Charlie don’t surf, Barack, but your worthless carcass is going to have plenty of time to do so, come January.

Update: Linked by God’s Own Crunk.

Update II: Have a look at this rhetorical haymaker (h/t Bluegrass Pundit):

Category: Barack Obama, Libya

SCENES FROM ROMNEY-RYAN RALLY

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 19 Comments

Children cheer Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney in Marion, Ohio

MARION, Ohio
Last night I was on deadline and didn’t have time to upload photos from the Romney-Ryan “Victory Rally” at the Marion County Fairgrounds Coliseum, so here they are:

Paul Ryan addresses the crowd while Mitt Romney, Rob Portman, and Janna Ryan listen.

“Campaign Carl” Cameron makes his live broadcast for Fox News.

A little girl shows her support for Mitt Romney.

A vendor sells Romney-Ryan campaign buttons outside the event.

Romney rocks ’em at the rally.

Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel is interviewed by an Australian TV reporter. Have they ever heard of “Rule 5” in Australia?

Romney senior adviser Kevin Madden is interviewed by Zeke Miller of BuzzFeed.

Ali Akbar poses with @FairTaxNancy.

For the worry-wart poll-watchers: Republicans are winning this state, and are winning nationally. Headline on today’s Pew Poll:

Presidential Race Dead Even;
Romney Maintains Turnout Edge

Tonight, Ali and I are going to meet with some Republican operatives in Columbus. Please hit the tip jar.




 

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Category: Fear. Loathing., Mitt Romney, Ohio, Paul Ryan, Shoe Leather Fund

@DanRiehl Update 29 Oct 2012

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

Rainy day in VA. My office is closed, and my wife’s incessant stream of telcons, like hurricane Sandra, is a major distraction, since I’m mostly looking after the World’s Youngest Blogger.

Yesterday, as the sky assumed a claustrophobic, slate grey cast, and the winds were picking up, I did a bit of shopping:


I’m actually able to navigate INOVA Fairfax readily, so I made it to Dan’t room by about 1530. Dan had a guest, an old friend, who chuckled at the box of Diet Cokes on my shoulder.

Dan was looking quite a bit better, feeling strong enough to rule out any further photo ops. This also extends the life of the camera optic. Dan allowed that, according to the doctor, his numbers continue to improve. Those that know Dan understand that he’s rather private about personal matters and medical details. Also, I’m neither a journalist, nor one to pry. So we just chatted about nothing, not even the presidential race. The point was to bolster his spirits, and get his mind off of being caged in the hospital for a while.

Today’s cruddy weather precludes another visit. We are far enough south that it’s mostly a colossal downpour here, and shouldn’t threaten the safety of anyone in a hospital.


So, the good news is that Dan is on the mend. Fret not, Conor Friedersdorf: your floggings will resume presently. And hit Dan Riehl’s tip jar. I’d estimate Dan’s dropping about a mortgage payment a day for that array of tubes he’s sporting.

Category: Dan Riehl

FROM OHIO: Schedule Scrambled; Obama, Romney Cancel Campaign Events

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 23 Comments

MARION, Ohio
Looks like Hurricane Sandy has already caused major damage to my plans for the next couple of days, as both Mitt Romney and President Obama are canceling campaign events because of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the East Coast. By the way, this storm is so large we’re getting effects as far inland as Ohio.

UPDATE: I’ll be uploading photos from last night’s rally here, but meanwhile here’s the report:

Paul Ryan stood onstage Sunday evening and told a fired-up crowd of nearly 5,000 supporters, “As Ohio goes, so goes America.”
Few would argue with the Republican vice presidential candidate. Of the 11 states rated as “toss ups” by Real Clear Politics, none is more fiercely contested than the Buckeye State, whose 18 Electoral College votes appear destined to decide this election. And the latest poll, commissioned by a consortium of Ohio’s eight largest newspapers, shows the state a dead heat, with 49 percent each for GOP challenger Mitt Romney and President Obama. Perhaps more important, the poll conducted Oct. 18-23 by University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research, showed Romney has gained three points — and Obama has lost two points — since September, when Obama led 51-46 in Ohio.
This net five-point shift in the Ohio newspaper poll substantially mirrors a general trend, as Romney has improved his standing in the RCP average for the state by a net 3.5 points since Sept. 30. And while Obama still leads most Ohio polls (by an average 2.1 points), “The trendline is going in our direction,” senior Romney campaign adviser Kevin Madden said Sunday night during the rally at the Marion County Fairgrounds Coliseum. . . .

Read the rest at The American Spectator.

UPDATE II: Of course, when a crisis hits, nobody answers their phones, so I’m still scrambling to get specific details from Romney’s campaign, which has yet to issue an “Updated Media Advisory” on their schedule. Probably everybody’s on conference calls right now. Meanwhile, the lobby of this hotel is full of guys who look a lot like Secret Service agents and there’s an SUV in the parking lot with Virginia tags and a Romney/Ryan bumper sticker — probably a campaign staffer. Here’s the latest poll talk from Fred Barnes at The Weekly Standard:

The bipartisan Battleground Poll, in its “vote election model,” is projecting that Mitt Romney will defeat President Obama 52 percent to 47 percent. . . .
While Obama can close the gap with a strong voter turnout effort, “reports from the field would indicate that not to be the case, and Mitt Romney may well be heading to a decisive victory,” says pollster Ed Goeas. . . .
The poll’s election model takes into account variables including voter intensity, age, and education, and voters who are certain in their vote. The race “remains very close in the surface,” Goeas said, “but the political environment and the composition of the likely electorate favor Governor Romney.”

UPDATE III: Went out to the nearest convenience store and grabbed a copy of the local newspaper, the Marion Star which — historians will note — was once published by a guy named Warren G. Harding. The front page of the paper today is dominated by two stories covering Sunday’s rally:

Romney, Ryan rouse crowd

Audience comes away
filled with enthusiasm

This is from the second story:

MARION – Energized and pumped up was how the crowd left Veterans Memorial Coliseum Sunday night after attending the “Victory In Ohio” rally for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
There are nine more days until there will be a change, Romney emphasized, encouraging people to get out and vote early or on Nov. 6 for him and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
Sara Lawhon and her daughter, Erin, came over from Mount Vernon.
“I’m excited,” Sara said. “It’s fun to be in the same room with people cheering for the same thing and feeling the same way you do.”
Erin, 14, still has four more years before she will be able to vote, but she shared her mother’s excitement.
“I thought he was honest and truthful,” she said. “He went by the heart because he believes in it.”

Mount Vernon is in adjacent Knox County. Just got this via e-mail from a friend on the Romney campaign staff: “Daveport is on today, but all other events today and tomorrow are cancelled. Will update with details when we have them.”

UPDATE IV: Hot Air headline on story from Katie Pavlich at Townhall:

Obama campaign warns against politicizing
hurricane as Bill Clinton politicizes it

UPDATE V: Thanks to Finrod in the comments for the news that Rasmussen’s latest Ohio poll has Romney 50, Obama 48.

Of course, Nate Silver has raised Obama’s re-election chances to 74.6%, because . . . Objectivity!




 

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Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Ohio, Paul Ryan, Polls, Shoe Leather Fund

Obama Gains Clarity After Benghazi

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

This is one of the better ads, coming out a few months ago, along with the “You didn’t build that utterance.”

The idea of Obama throwing small businesses under the bus echoes the 9/11/2012 under-bussing of two ex-SEALS and a couple State Department officials  fighting for their lives in Benghazi.

What a stone cold creep. But, a consistent creep.

via Blue Pundit

Category: Barack Obama

LIVE AT FIVE: 10.29.12

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
HURRICANE SANDY PUTS 50 MILLION AT RISK

Hurricane Sandy: ready for her close-up

Predicted to come ashore in Atlantic City; coastal Virginia already flooding

Romney Holds Slight Edge Over Obama In Long Island
Siena College/Newsday poll shows Mitt ahead 47-45

No Longer The Underdog
Scott Brown rallies moderates from his pickup



POLITICS
Key Senate Races Tighten, GOP Hopes Rise

Senator Brown and the Lying Professor

Romney’s coattails could shift eight critical Senate seats, create GOP majority in Senate
Related: MN poll shows Romney within the margin of error

Stephanie Cutter Whines About Des Moines Register Romney Endorsement

Ohio Race Plows Ahead On Stump, Airwaves

Obama Even In TV Ad Race Despite SuperPACs

Todd Akin Learns To Watch His Words

Colin Powell Regrets Nothing

Unions On The Front Line For Obama In Ohio



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Falls As East Coat Refineries Brace For Sandy: NYMEX $85.92, Brent $109.10
Hurricane Sandy Forces NYSE, NASDAQ Shutdown
Penguin, Random House To Merge $3.86 Billion Deal
Yen Well Off Lows As BOJ Meeting Approaches
Asian Shares Ease On Uncertain Growth, Corporate Outlook
Property Insurers’ Shares Fall As Storm Looms
UBS To Cut 10,000 In Overhaul
Johnson Controls Declines Lender Role For A123
Oak Ridge Unveils Titan Supercomputer
iPad Mini Is Smaller, Not Cheaper
Livescribe Sky Smartpen Review
IBM Prepares For End Of Process Shrinks With Nanotube Transistors
A Closer Look At Assassin’s Creed III
Hurricane Sandy Delays Nexus Phones, Tablets
GameStop To Open Seasonal Stores For Kids
Get Your Google Back



SPORTS
GIANTS SWEEP TIGERS, SCORE SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN TWO YEARS

…and Game 2, Game 3…

“Giants were just better,” Tigers say

Cowboys Lament Poor Play, Close Call In Loss To Giants

OKC Thunder Trade Harden To Rockets For Five Players

Super Statement: Broncos’ Rising Defense Complements Manning, Stifles Brees

Jets In Tank After Crushing Defeat

Tom Brady Leads Patriots’ Rout Of Rams

Jimmie Johnson Wins Martinsville, Takes Over Points Lead

India’s Ganguly Calls Time On Glittering Cricket Career



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Natina Reed, Star Of “Bring It On”, Dead At 32

Natina Reed, 1979-2012, RIP

Actress, rapper hit by car

Kutcher, Kunis Set To Become Two And A Half?

Newly Single Taylor Swift Announces Concert Tour

Four Axed From “Basketball Wives” L.A.

After Ditching Family, Occupy Mom Gets $85K In Divorce


Jessica Simpson Saddened By Parents’ Divorce

“How I Met Your Mother” Plots “Buffy” Reunion With Seth Green

“Gladiator” Scribe John Logan To Pen Next Two Bond Films



FOREIGNERS
Protests Against Chemical Plant Force PRC Officials To Back Down
Yanukovych Claims Ukraine Win
Ongoing Clashes End Syria’s Failed Truce
Jihadi Rocket Attack Ends Gaza Truce With Israel
Indian Cabinet Reshuffle Addresses Regional Aspirations
Seven Killed, 100 Wounded In Nigerian Church Bombing
Chicom Leader Wen Jiabao’s Family Deny $2.7 Billion Fortune
LDP Wins By-election In Kagoshima Prefecture; Bellwether For General Election?
Lithuanian Opposition Vows To Form Government
Papparazzo Responsible For Duchess Of Cambridge Topless Pix Set To Arrested By French Police



BLOGS & STUFF
WyBlog: Reason #3417 To Like Chris Christie – His Frankenstorm News Conference
Wall Street Journal: Harry Reid’s Graveyard
Legal Insurrection: President Obama vs. Sandy
Pat Dollard: Gingrich Observes That Obama Canceled Campaigning For Sandy, But Not For Benghazi
NewsBusters: It’s Official, Rachel Maddow Completes Conversion To Baghdad Bob
Power Line: Al Qaqaa And Benghazi – That Was Then, This Is Now
GayPatriot: Independent Voters Tilting Increasingly To Romney
Breitbart: Media Blackout – Aside From Fox, Sunday News Hosts Fail To Mention Benghazi.
Ed Morrissey: Virtual Tie…In Minnesota?
Lonely Conservative: Mitt Romney Picks Up Endorsements From Four Major Iowa Newspapers
Jonah Goldberg: The Panetta Doctrine
Scared Monkeys: Over In Florida? Tampa Bay Times/News 9 Poll Has Romney Ahead 51-45
NRO Corner: Tom Friedman’s Ignorance About Reproductive Biology And Pro-Lifers
Gateway Pundit: Obama Reportedly Offered To Reestablish Ties With Iran
Protein Wisdom: Calling All Women

Category: Live at Five

Obama

Posted on | October 28, 2012 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Once, by a mere accident
only believable as Machiavellian advance,
our beloved America matriculated an
old-school, benighted Alinsky-ite moron all
over better advice, mocking acumen.

(At the behest of Bill Quick.)

Category: Barack Obama

A Post Of Such Sublime Depth, Sweep, And Analytic Power That I Am Left To Stand In Awe Of The Blogging Talent On Display And Simply Say: Wow, I Wish I Had Written That.

Posted on | October 28, 2012 | 17 Comments

Here

Category: humor
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