The Other McCain

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

‘I Believed at the Time That the Documents Were Genuine and I’ve Never Ceased Believing That They Are Genuine’

Posted on | April 16, 2012 | 19 Comments

Dan Rather still refuses to accept the truth that he was bamboozled by Bill Burkett and, with characteristic narcissism, offers his own belief in the authenticity of the Texas Air National Guard document as evidence of their actual authenticity, saying in effect: “If I, Dan Rather, believed they were authentic, therefore they must be authentic.”

No one that I know of ever accused Rather of being a conscious collaborator in Burkett’s hoax. Nobody said that CBS News published the phony documents knowing that they were phony.

Without having read the entirety of Joe Hagan’s Texas Monthly article, it would appear to be an effort to rescue the “fake but accurate” narrative of the RatherGate scandal, to say that — without regard for the authenticity of the Burkett papers — the crux of the CBS story was true: George W. Bush did indeed receive favorable treatment in the National Guard, so that he was, in effect, an overprivileged draft-dodger.

Let us stipulate the obvious: Membership in the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group was not allotted randomly, and it isn’t difficult to imagine what kind of string-pulling may have been involved in Dubya getting that coveted assignment. But (a) National Guard service is not dishonorable; (b) the alleged incidents of Dubya being AWOL from Guard duty occurred when the war was winding down, long after there was any danger of Bush being drafted and sent to Vietnam; and (c) suspecting favoritism toward the scion of an affluent family is not the same thing as proving such favoritism.

Nevertheless, liberals always believe the worst of Republicans and so are notoriously gullible in accepting anything as “proof” of their suspicions. Hence, we are hardly surprised to find discredited Dan piously confessing his continued credulity to Joe Hagan:

Rather says he remains “optimistic” that somebody, somewhere, will one day come forward and reveal the truth of what happened. “They’re out there,” he says. “Let’s set the record straight.”

Yeah, Dan: The truth is out there!

Category: CBS, Military, Texas

RAAAAACISM!

Posted on | April 16, 2012 | 23 Comments

Just pre-empting the predicted liberal spin on this story:

Obama applied for a position as an adjunct and wasn’t even considered. A few weeks later the law school got a phone call from the Board of Trustees telling them to find him an office, put him on the payroll, and give him a class to teach. The Board told him he didn’t have to be a member of the faculty, but they needed to give him a temporary position. He was never a professor and was hardly an adjunct.
The other professors hated him because he was lazy, unqualified, never attended any of the faculty meetings, and it was clear that the position was nothing more than a political stepping stool. According to my professor friend, he had the lowest intellectual capacity in the building.

(Hat-tip: Jim Hoft and Don Surber.)

Category: Barack Obama

Naomi Wolf: Don’t Think of a Scam

Posted on | April 16, 2012 | 36 Comments

Katy Perry’s ‘glorification of violence’?

Pop singers rarely show up on my radar. I’m more of a classic rock guy. My occasionaly interest in celebrity news tends more toward starlet meltdowns, and other such “Hollywood Babylon” stuff. So I’m grateful to feminist Naomi Wolf for denouncing Katy Perry’s music video:

Have you all seen the Katy Perry Marines video? It is a total piece of propaganda for the Marines…I really want to find out if she was paid by them for making it…it is truly shameful. I would suggest a boycott of this singer whom I really liked — if you are as offended at this glorification of violence as I am.

Chris Bannon observes that the video portrays Katy Perry “as a feminist dream — a strong, independent, empowered young woman,” and you’ll excuse me for pointing out that FEMINISTS HAVE BEEN ALL ABOUT WOMEN IN COMBAT FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS! Read more

Category: Celebrities, Doomed Beyond All Hope of Redemption, Feminism, Military

Dear Victor Davis Hanson: Racism Is A Power Pump

Posted on | April 16, 2012 | 68 Comments

by Smitty

Here’s a great essay by Victor Davis Hanson on the racial divide, epitomized by the Trayvon Martin tragedy.

And yet. . .I just don’t think the great scholar gets it, or, at least, seemed to pull his punches:

Why?
I could go on and on, but one gets the message. So why the anger at this point and not, say, in 2007, when the evil Bush was president and Obama was but a weak senator and a dubious presidential candidate? For eight years there were African-American secretaries of state. Bush, through his African AIDS initiatives, saved millions of blacks who had no access to medicine. Minorities were visible in his cabinet. No one objected to the fact that Obama garnered 96% of the black vote, or thought much about it when, in the bitter Democratic primaries, the Clintons alleged that race was used to whip up support against them. So why, then, the anger now, when things should have improved even more?

I’ll tell you why, sir: power. 2008’s Racial Healer is 2012’s Master Baiter not because he cares fig #1 about the state of racial discourse in the United States. Rather, he maximizes power on both ends. 2008 was the year when harmony was a hot stock; this year, #OccupyResoluteDesk is shorting it like Carbonite.

Here’s a principle to keep in mind: assume anyone on the Left is arguing disingenuously until proven otherwise. Sometimes they are full of crap due to simple ignorance. But that seems increasingly less likely with each crappy gambit this year (Fluke, race, Rosen).

Power is the only unifying motive at work across these disparate threads.

Category: Democrats, Racism

LIVE AT FIVE – 04.16.12

Posted on | April 16, 2012 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Kabul Siege Ends After Afghan Army Storms Tower Block

Afghan soldiers wipe out last of jihadi attackers

Construction site battle ends weekend attack on embassies

Mitt Romney Outraises Obama In Michigan
Also, President’s lead in polls shrinking


Midwest’s Midnight Tornado Kills 5
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin: Remarkable more weren’t killed



POLITICS
TurboTax Timmy: Romney’s Statements On Women “Misleading And Ridiculous”

Tax evader Timothy Geithner, currently Treasury Secretary

Romney “right but meaningless” on womens’ job numbers, claims deadbeat

TSA Tests New Check-in System

Obama’s “Buffett Rule” Impact On Taxes & Jobs

Four Congressional Hearings Scheduled This Week On GSA Scandals

NC Dems’ Executive Director Resigns, Denies Sexual Harassment Charges

NY Congressman Ed Towns Reverses Himself, Decides To Retire

Not Dead Yet – Tea Party Activists Still Working At Grassroots



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Brent Falls Below $120 On PRC Data, Euro Worries
NYMEX Crude Falls To $102 After Iran Nuke Talks
Asian Shares Drop; Spain Woes Overshadow PRC Yuan Move
Euro Drops Below $1.30 As Spain Worries Mount
Last Minute Tax Tips For Those Waiting Until April 17
KPN Weighs Strategic Options For Belgian Mobile Phone Biz
Web Freedom Faces Greatest Threat Ever, Says Google’s Brin
No Summer Of Love For Gasoline Prices
Oracle v. Google: What’s At Stake
FCC Fines Google Over Street View
Roku Launches In Canada
Netflix CEO Hits Comcast On Net Neutrality, Data Caps
Facebook Acquires Team Behind Customer-Loyalty App Tagtile
One In Five American Adults Doesn’t Use The Internet



SPORTS
A Bloody Good Win For Flyers

The Pens' Sidney Crosby shoves his glove in the face of Flyer Brayden Schenn during yesterday's third-period brawl

Flyers up 3-0 on Penguins after fight-filled 8-4 win; is a sweep imminent?

MLB Players All Wear #42 In Salute To Jackie Robinson

Kobe Who? Lakers Beat Mavs 112-108 In OT For Season Sweep

Anthony Has Big Day, Knicks Burned By Heat Anyway

Feds Bulk Up To Retry Clemens On Perjury Charges

Quick Shines As Kings Push Canucks To Brink

Reds Avoid Sweep, Beat Nationals 8-5 In 11th



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood Gets Hitched

Dave Haywood and Kelli Cashiola

Last single member of country band ties the knot

Jason Segel Explains Why He’s Not Writing “The Muppets” Sequel

Dame Maggie Poised To End Acid Reign At Downton Abbey After Third Season

Mitt Romney Offered SNL Hosting Spot?

Coma Vigil For Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis Dating



Amanda Bynes Still Partying, Refuses To Go To Rehab

Courtney Love Apologizes To Daughter Frances Bean

Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake To Star In “Runner, Runner”

Ryan O’Neal Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer



FOREIGNERS
Lord Ahmed Suspended By Labour Party After Offering $16 Million Bounty On Obama, W
Norway Killer Breivik Refuses To Recognize Court
100th Anniversary Of Titanic’s Sinking Commemorated With Prayers, Wreaths, Songs
Afghan Interior Minister: Pak-Based Haqqani Network Behind Weekend Attacks
UN Truce Monitors Arrive In Syria As Shelling Continues
Israel Moves To Thwart Pro-Palestinian “Flytilla”; 45 Held At Ben-Gurion Airport For Deportation
Twist And Shout, Kim Style
Regional Summit’s Future In Doubt Without Cuba
PRC State Media: Purge Of Bo Xilai “Great Fortune” For China



BLOGS & STUFF
American Power: Kim Novak Says She’s Bipolar; Branded As Difficult
An Ex-Con’s View: On The Duplicitous Nature Of Islam
Israel Matzav: Moment Of Truth Is Near?
Power Line: Bill Maher, The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Don Surber: It’s Not The Hookers, It’s The Secret Service
Gateway Pundit: Obama’s Real Agenda In Colombia? Scouting Out Future Vacation Spots
Clayton Cramer: I’m Sure He’s Trying To Be Cute
Belmont Club: Burdened By Success
Jammie Wearing Fools: Tax Cheat Timmy Attacks Romney
Don Sensing: The Downside Of Cohabitation
NewsBusters: SNL Writer Claims Hannity “Dumbest Person Ever Paid To Speak On Television
Weasel Zippers: Dick Cheney Says Obama “An Unmitigated Disaster” For America
Charles Stross: What Amazon’s EBook Strategy Means

Category: Live at Five

First in War, First in Peace, First on the List of Britain’s All-Time Enemies

Posted on | April 15, 2012 | 22 Comments

The Brits acknowledge George Washington’s greatness:

Our nation’s first president, who led the 13 colonies in the Revolution against England’s tyrannical rule, was picked by a wide margin in a National Army Museum in London poll as the greatest foe ever faced by Britain.
Washington delivered one of “the most jarring defeat(s)” ever inflicted upon the British Empire at the time, said author and historian Stephen Brumwell, according to London’s Telegraph.
“He was a worthy opponent,” he said.
Washington was selected among five other finalists, who were picked during an online poll that received at least 8,000 votes. The four other potential British foils were Ireland’s Michael Collins, France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, Germany’s Erwin Rommel, and Turkey’s Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Each commander had to actually lead an army in the field of battle against British troops — excluding political enemies such as Adolf Hitler — and had to have faced England during the 17th century or later, according to the National Army Museum.

So that leaves out William the Conqueror and William Wallace, as well as Aulus Plautius, Vespasian, Suetonius, Tacitus, and other Romans.

(Hat-tip: Amanda Read on Twitter.)

Category: Great Britain, History

#ObamaBookTitles

Posted on | April 15, 2012 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

Twitchy was so gracious as to pick up a few dozen great riffs, including some of my snarky-snark.

As you might expect, it puts the ‘B’ in brutal. The Left has completely abandoned trying to get a word in edgewise. Mostly because they have precious little to say. Can Twitter help restore serious government to the United States? If these riff-fests have any impact, the answer may be yes.

Click the tweet to see my full snarky input .

Category: Barack Obama

Warning: No Betas Need Apply

Posted on | April 15, 2012 | 20 Comments

At CPAC 2012, Gabby and Christine were digging the manly men.

Is Gabby Hoffman the world’s hottest young blogger, or what? Her essay on manliness was not only linked here, but was also linked in the AOSHQ Overnight Thread and even got the coveted Instalanche.

Bloggers young and old must envy such precocious success. How many college students — Gabby is a senior at UC-San Diego — have ever gotten that kind of traffic? Some bloggers may say to themselves, “Well, of course — she’s a blonde. Everybody knows blondes get more traffic. Just look at Ann Althouse, for crying out loud.”

Au contraire, my friends! Because if you’ll take another look at that photo, you may notice Gabby’s brunette colleague Christine Rousselle. They’re both contributors to The College Conservative and, believe it or not, Gabby’s recent success pales by comparison to the viral sensation Christine created with her column last year:

A Scarborough native whose column about the welfare abuses she says she witnessed as a cashier at Walmart said she’s received five marriage proposals since the piece went viral online. And she has a follow-up column in the works to respond to those who didn’t like her original post.
Christine Rousselle, a 2009 Scarborough High School graduate and a current junior at Providence College in Rhode Island, wrote about her experiences working as a teenager at the Scarborough Walmart in a column that was published Tuesday on the website The College Conservative.
She wrote about customers at the store using government subsidies to buy toys, candy and jewelry, as well as a hot dog stand operator who she says supplied his business using food stamps.
The column has skyrocketed past 400,000 views since it was posted early Tuesday morning and began to get passed around by readers using social networking websites.
Rousselle told the Bangor Daily News Thursday afternoon most of the response has been positive.
“I’ve actually gotten five marriage proposals from this,” Rousselle, 20, said. “Or at least five. I haven’t checked the comments yet today. I’m floored by all of this.”

Who says blondes get more traffic, huh? Read Christine’s column here. You can follow her on Twitter and also follow her friend Gabby on Twitter. As for marriage proposals, my advice would be:

  1. Be a manly man; and
  2. Cut to the chase.

Some guys try to do that wimpy passive-aggressive thing, trying to conceal the seriousness of their interest by pretending they aren’t really filled with overwhelming desire for the woman of their dreams. This never works. Chicks spot that kind of phony “kinda maybe interested” game for what it is: Cowardice, concealing a fear of rejection.

If you’re going to make a move, make it, and don’t try to hide your interest. If she turns you down, so what? There are three billion women on this planet, and if this particular chick doesn’t appreciate your superior qualities, that leaves 2,999,999,999 other possibilites.

No need to play silly games like a schoolboy. Be up-front about it, and have the confidence to display a sense of humor about the ultimate absurdity of our civilized mating rituals. If it were up to your inner savage, the transaction would be simple: “Me, Tarzan. You, Jane.” Society might require you to be less direct about your purposes, but if a chick really digs you, there’s no need to waste much time finding out for sure.

You can ask Mrs. Other McCain about this: I was no rookie rider in the Rodeo of Love, and as soon as I laid eyes on her, my intentions were obvious. I was Pepe Le Pew  and she was that pretty black cat with the white stripe accidentally painted on her back.

Twenty-four years and six children later . . .

Honesty is the best policy, and it’s also a great time-saver. If you’re instantly smitten with a girl — if you’ve got that feeling she might just be The One — there’s no point wasting time with a bunch of rigamarole: Make your move, and if she shoots you down, move on. No hard feelings on your part. You’ve got two tickets to Paradise, and if she doesn’t want to take the ride, some other girl is going to get lucky.

Smart girls dig manly men, and vice-versa.

Blonde, brunette or redhead? A matter of taste. But manly men are not afraid to admit it: We dig a chick with a big brain.

Also, it helps if she makes good biscuits.

One final word to you manly young fellows throbbing with desire for these ladies: Don’t forget to wear your fedora.

UPDATE: Nothing is more predictable: Gabby thought the photo originally posted — the one I took at CPAC — was not entirely flattering, so she asked me to substitute a photo (taken by John Hawkins) she liked better. In all my years of taking photos, I’ve never had a guy say to me, “Oh, don’t post that one — I look hideous!”

UPDATE II: Christine got covered with hate by the feminist blog Jezebel. A woman denounced by feminists? Now that’s sexy!

If she ever gets her own Media Matters file, she’ll be so irresistible, she’ll need bodyguards.

Update (Smitty): welcome, Instapundit readers!

Category: Blogging
« go back — keep looking »

    About

    This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

    Subscribe to our feed

    Search

    Admin