"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler
DES MOINES, Iowa
Here are the photos of Herman Cain’s soap box speech this morning:
I counted no fewer than eight TV cameras recording the speech. I’ve got videos, but this McDonald’s where I’m working has crappy bandwidth on the WiFi, so the videos will have to wait for later.
DES MOINES, Iowa
Sometime before you die, you must visit the Iowa State Fair. And when you visit the Iowa State Fair, the one exhibit you must see is the world-famous Butter Cow: A sculpture. Of a cow. Made of butter.
By the way, I won two blue ribbons for Blogging Excellence:
by Smitty
Proof Positive quotes Mark Levin:
“I would vote for a can of orange juice over Obama, but I would prefer a conservative.”
Ben Howe offers a more extended meditation on the theme:
The sad part about the clip is either the ease of the target or the difficulty in whittling down the material–unsure which.
I’ll vote for Levin’s glass of orange juice before I vote for somebody just because I personally admire them. Leadership isn’t a personality contest. Leadership is not about race, gender or creed. If we’re jingoistic lemmings, as the Left was in ’08, only about a conservative, then we haven’t advanced the cause of liberty.
Update: Ed Driscoll ‘lanche!
by Smitty
In Iowa, Stacy McCain has fallen in love with the Butter Cow. Meanwhile, in Virginia, noted parody tunesmith Fishersville Mike thinks about a Palin Candidacy and feels like it’s already Christmas. A bit of ribbon:
You better watch out
as liberals cry
Here comes a force
They cannot deny
Sarah Palin’s coming to town
RTWT.
If I thought there was much religious content remaining in the Saturnalia, I might denouce Mike as some rampant Christianist or something.
Me, I just enjoy the Nativity.
by Smitty
Via Protein Wisdom, we have this Zero Hedge article that is a bolt of pure hairshirt.
“Welcome to the Age of Instability”. Yes, it’s going to be turbulent for a decade-ish. Yes, the centralized world order is dead on its feet. Yes, some folks in the forty-to-sixty age bracket, like me, are getting a haircut of sizeable proportions.
Deal with it.
You can ‘go British’, and crap in your dinner plate, or you can man up and re-embrace that exceptional American commitment to liberty. All I want to see is political leadership that can go after the Code of Federal Regulations: Continue reading Not Buying So Much Gloom →
— compiled by Wombat-socho
TOP NEWS
Obama Vows New Ideas To Boost Jobs, Slams Congress
No actual initiatives contained in speech. More whining about House GOP.
Britain Looks To US For Riot Control Advice
PM Cameron cites former NYPD chief Bill Bratton as likely advisor
British policeman has advice for Bratton
The Guardian Live-Blogs The Ames Debate
Hilarity (or something like it) ensues.
POLITICS
“Kids For Cash” Judge Gets 28 Years
Took $1 million in bribes from for-profit juvenile detention center operator; most pay $1.2 million restitution
Debt “Super Committee” Reflects Party Leadership
Harvard Prof Elizabeth Warren Explores Run For Senate Against Scott Brown
US Attorney Adds Insult To Injury Of Slain Agent’s Family
Judge Rules Little Rock Bus Line Wrong To Refuse Atheist Ads
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
European Shares Seen Opening Higher; Investors Digest Short-Selling Ban
Wall Street Ride Is A Rollercoaster
Gasoline Prices Expected To Fall
Postal Service Seeks Exit From Federal Benefits Plan; Wants To Lay Off 120,000 Workers
New Jobless Claims Fall To Four-Month Low
Was Facebook Holding Back Game Improvements To Counter Google+ Release?
DARPA Loses Another Hypersonic Test Vehicle Over The Pacific
Tablet War Is An Apple Rout
PRC Finds 22 More Fake Apple Stores
SPORTS
Flamboyant Dennis Rodman Ready For Spotlight
Five-time Olympian and fellow inductee Teresa Edwards: “If Dennis wears a dress better than me, I’m going to beat him before I leave here.”
Butthurt Non-ND Indians Sue Over “Fighting Sioux” Nickname
Verlander Wins #100 As Tigers Top Tribe
Snakes Strike Back On Last Strike, Come From Behind To Beat Astros 8-5
Pujols Pulls Cards To 5-2 Win; Staves Off Sweep By Brewers
Jordan Zimmerman Good, But Not Good Enough As Cubs Win 4-3
FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Former Warrant Lead Singer Jani Lane Dies, 47
Found dead in LA hotel Thursday night, no cause of death announced
Sesame Workshop Declares Bert & Ernie Officially Asexual
Stalker Arrested At Sharon Stone’s Home
USA Orders Final Season Of “In Plain Sight”
Jessica Alba Lights Up Hollywood
Pauly D Confirms G-Unit Deal With 50 Cent
Third “Bridget Jones” Movie Finally A Go
“Glee” Season 3 Spoilers And What The Cast Wants To See
Soros Sued By Ex-Girlfriend Over Real Estate Dispute
FOREIGNERS
Cameron Considers Tough Measures After Riots
London Weighs Social Media Crackdown (Video)
Three Asians Killed In Riots, Ethnic Tensions Increase
Libyan Rebels Claim Victory In BregaSyrian Assault On Hama Ends With Town In Ruins
Clinton: Don’t Cut Farm Aid For Africa
US Wants India, PRC To Take Steps Against Syria
BLOGS & STUFF
Allahpundit: Huckabee Tells Perry He Screwed Up Badly By Dissing Iowa
Kathryn Lopez: “Anti-Gay” Or “Anti-Gay Marriage”?
PJ Tatler: Some Liberal Twit Yells At Mitt Romney
Mediaite: Pawlenty & Bachmann Rumble In White-Hot Debate Exchange
AmSpecBlog: Talking The Hawk – Regarding Rick Perry’s Foreign Policy
Weasel Zippers: Republican Congressman On Deficit Committee Won’t Rule Out Tax Increases
Hit & Run: Hope Does For Unions As Wisconsin Voters Reject Change
Israpundit: Abraham Foxman Claims Sharia Not A Threat In The US
SOTD: Elected
AMES, Iowa
This is where everybody weighs in with their opinion of tonight’s debate. I’ve got photos, video, etc., but please feel free to cram the comments with your own views.
The view from here? T-Paw was the big loser. He looked weak, and I’m not the only one here who thought so.
UPDATE: Here’s my video intro to the spin room:
UPDATE II: Guess who I found in the spin room? Chuck Grassley!
UPDATE III: Herman Cain in a post-debate interview:
UPDATE IV: They closed down the spin room at midnight here, and I had to go find someplace to finish my Friday column for The American Spectator.
The National Affairs Desk, at Buffalo Wild Wings on Duff Avenue.
And a weird thing just happened. After I hit my deadline, I went outside to smoke a cigarette and phone my editor, and while I wandered around in the parking lot talking on the phone, I saw a familiar face: Rick Santorum’s daughter. The entire Santorum campaign — including Rick Santorum himself — was out on the patio having a late dinner and watching the replay of the debate on Fox News.
Dumb luck? An omen? I dunno. But if Santorum does better than expected in Saturday’s straw poll . . . well, that’s a hypothetical.
For now, the certainty is that it’s nearly 1 a.m. and I’ve got to be up early in the morning. Good night from Ames!
by Smitty
People ask me how it’s going, and I say “I can’t complain.” Case in point as to why:It’s explicitely spiritual, without being heavily evangelical.
<jest>At the end, though, Crowder does ‘go British’, and starts hating on the Cosmic Credit Card that has made America great. Why do you hate Progress, Steven?</jest>