The Other McCain

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

When Will Weiner Quit?

Posted on | June 9, 2011 | 62 Comments

My hunch says today but, rationally, politicians always prefer to save bad news for after 7 p.m. on a Friday. That way, the story doesn’t make the evening news on a weekday, and ends up in Saturday’s newspapers, which almost nobody reads. However, as I mention at The American Spectator, it seems impossible that Weiner can delay his resignation much longer than that:

Weiner’s scandal “has become a national embarrassment for Democratic leaders,” Devlin Barrett of the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed “Democratic aides” as saying that if the embattled congressman “continues to resist calls to resign, the situation could reach a boiling point Monday when House members return to Washington.”

Right: Nancy Pelosi can’t have this thing drag out forever, stepping on her message. She wants him out — ASAP, PDQ, yesterday.

The problem is that Weiner knows this as well as anyone, and therefore can drive a hard bargain. I expect he’s negotating behind the scenes for something in the way of a “severance deal,” with a guaranteed six-figure salary for a no-show job at some progressive 501(c) non-profit, as the price for going away nicely.

According to the New York Post, Huma’s trying to keep Weiner in Congress, a story that seems incredible to me, and as Ace says, “[I]t’s one thing for a wife to be supportive. It’s another thing to be war-rooming it.”

Therefore I’m thinking the Post story is just a way for Team Weiner to send a signal to fellow Democrats that they’d better sweeten the pot on the “severance” payoff or else, The Human Stain is willing to hang around the Capitol and keep effing up their message just for spite.

The Democrats know how to play this game, and so they’ll give Weiner whatever it takes to get him to go quietly, a move I expect to be announced today, or by Friday evening at the latest.

If Weiner hasn’t resigned by Saturday, then, I’m wrong — and this scandal sails into terra incognita, that part of the map where it says, “Here Be Dragons.”

Category: Anthony Weiner

LIVE AT FIVE – 06.09.11

Posted on | June 9, 2011 | 3 Comments

TOP NEWS
UK, France Submit Draft UN Resolution On Syria

One of many posters of Bashar Assad looming over Damascus

No call for action, just condemnation of crackdown violence

Gates Summons NATO Allies To Libya
Germany, Poland, Spain, Netherlands and Turkey defense ministers told they need to do more

Cause Of German E. Coli Outbreak Still Uncertain
Koch Institute, German Health Ministry divided on whether worst is over





Wars, Budget Top Panetta’s Agenda At Defense
Three wars and Obama’s cuts pose a tough row to hoe for former CIA chief



POLITICS
11th Circuit Considers Striking Down Obamacare

State attorneys' challenge to individual mandate may doom law

Harsh questions from judges for DOJ lawyers

Poll Finds Voters Uncomfortable With Mormonism

Hearing Held On Mass. Transgender Rights Act


Banks Checked; Set To Lose $15 Billion As Senate KOs Delay

Feds Accused Of Misusing VA Land In LA



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asian Crude Futures Up On OPEC Indecision, Falling US Inventories
US Stocks Continue To Fall After Disappointing Beige Book Numbers
Nikkei Edges Up As Bargain Hunting Offsets Worries About US Economy
LinkedIn Loses Connection As Stock Tanks
CME Group Threatens To Leave Illinois Over Taxes
Apple’s iOS5 As Good As A New IPhone?
Facebook Stirs Privacy Ire With Facial Recognition Software
Nintendo’s New Console Rubs Market The Wrong Way



SPORTS
No Doubting Tim Thomas As Bruins Level Series With Shutout Of Canucks

Bruins' Boychuk and Thomas celebrate after Game 4 victory

Shutout follows rout as Bruins roar back to even the Stanley Cup series at two games apiece

Sox Blast Yankees 11-6, Move Atop AL East




Norris Loses No-Hitter, Wins Fourth For Astros Anyway

Arenas, Other Athletes Still Causing Twitter Headaches

Angels Lose To Rays 3-4 On Squeeze Bunt In 10th

Mets Bullpen Collapses In Loss To Brewers



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
LeAnn Rimes: I’m In The Healthiest Place Of My Life

Does this look unhealthy to you?

Singer, trainer respond to criticism of new lean look

Zach Galifianakis Slams Sean Penn, Ke$ha, Little Kids Everywhere

Kim Kardashian Blasts Cheating Allegations, May Sue

Jennifer Connelly: It’s A Girl!

Emma Stone: Riot Grrrl

Alec Baldwin Sees Weiner Implosion As Opportunity

Mark Grace Busted For DUI


Shania Twain Signs To Headline Massive Two-Year Vegas Gig



FOREIGNERS
Official: 1600 Syrian Refugees Now In Turkey
Yemen’s Saleh Out Of Intensive Care
Taliban Attacks Waziristan Outpost, 8 Pakistani Soldiers Dead
Elephant Kills Man During Mysore Rampage
PRC Confirms It’s Building First Carrier



BLOGS & STUFF
Bill Kristol: Rudy’s Running
Althouse: Wisconsin Protesters Disrupt Special Olympics Ceremony
Allahpundit: Time For Another “Rick Perry Thinking Of Running” Story
Lisa Graas: Why Palin And Bachmann Will Inevitably Butt Heads
Legal Insurrection: Who Will Leave First, Anthony Weiner Or Ed Rollins?
Ironic Surrealism: Obama Approval Drops As Fear Of Depression Rises
American Thinker: Dept. Of Education SWAT Raid Still Troubling After Corrections


— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

Feminism and the ‘Friendly Stranger’

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 59 Comments

“How many coeds do you have to dick-dial behind the back of your pregnant wife before someone notices that maybe that’s not exactly congruent with the teachings of Gloria Steinem?”
— Ace of Spades, “In Which I Confess Some Doubts”

Having resisted the temptation to re-open my long war with Little Miss Attila over the history and meaning of “feminism,” I’m wondering if Weinergeddon isn’t waking some people up to what a lot of people have long suspected about guys who kowtow to feminists. That is to say:

Guys who make a big show of being on board with
the feminist agenda are just doing it to ingratiate themselves
with women, perhaps with the worst sort of ulterior motives.

There — I’ve said it as bluntly as possible and, as I say, a lot of people share that suspicion. Being a cynic means that one expects others to act in their own interests, so that whenever you see someone make an ostentatious display of altruistic idealism, your gut-hunch instinct is to suspect a scam: What’s in it for them? Read more

Category: Ace of Spades, Anthony Weiner, Feminism

Weiner’s Secret Desire
UPDATED: ‘X-Rated’ Photo Emerges; Weiner’s Wife Is Pregnant; More Democrats Now Calling for Resignation

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 30 Comments

“To be sure, Weiner stayed true to his 1996 pronouncement when, 14 years later, he wed a member of the cognitive elite, a high-powered career woman. But the details of his online shenanigans suggest that he harbored secret desires for female admiration and deference — that he was a closet male chauvinist.”
— James Taranto, “Can’t Feminists Be Hypocrites?” Wall Street Journal

UPDATE: Well, well: I had wanted to ignore this, and I’m sure no sane person actually wanted to see it, but Ace of Spades linked to Dave Weigel and . . . OK, so now Anthony Weiner’s “Full Monty” shot is at the top of Memeorandum. And just coincidentally, top Democrats have begun demanding Weiner’s resignation.

Today, I was talking to a Republican operative who said, “Who cares whether he resigns now or not? He’s been neutered. Can Weiner accuse Republicans of wrongdoing now? . . . I say, let him stay.”

Solid reasoning there, but Weiner’s political uselessness as a liberal attack dog, now that he’s been “neutered,” is precisely why Democrats will be utterly ruthless in throwing him under the bus. As Da Tech Guy pointed out, the consistently clueless Joan Walsh is still blaming the wrong people:

“If we let the other side take scalps, the right wing is choosing our leaders for us.”

No, ma’am. You liberals chose Weiner as your own leader. And as an embodiment of Democratic Party beliefs and values, he’s perfect.

UPDATE II: Weiner’s wife is pregnant. To quote Ace: “Oy.”

UPDATE III: Donald Douglas at American Power:

There’s likely to be a flood of calls for Weiner’s resignation now. And now more than ever, if only for his wife’s privacy, and for the well-being of his unborn child, Weiner should quit Congress, get away from the hostile media glare, and start rebuilding his life.

Absolutely. He should have resigned days ago, but there is absolutely no reason his wife — now the mother of his unborn child — should be dragged through this mess any longer. And the only way to end it is for Weiner to do the right thing and resign.

UPDATE IV: Andrew Breitbart issues a statement:

Earlier today, a photograph resembling one that I had withheld from publication in the Weinergate saga was released without my knowledge or permission.
Prior to the publication of our story on BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com this past Monday morning, it was necessary to show the pictures I had received from our source to several news producers, including several at major news networks, to prove that the additional material I described really did exist, which some have continued to doubt.
This morning, I showed a photograph, which our source claims Weiner sent her, to radio hosts “Opie and Anthony” of the Sirius XM radio network on my mobile device. Somehow, without my knowledge or permission, apparently a picture was taken of my mobile device, and subsequently published by Opie (Gregg Hughes) on Twitter.
His co-host, Anthony (Anthony Cumia), stated today:
“In regards to the photo of Anthony Weiner that was leaked by members of The Opie And Anthony show on 6/8, I want to make it clear that Andrew Breitbart had no knowledge that this photo was being made public. A phone with the photo was being displayed and a camera in the studio caught it. It was then uploaded to twitter [sic], again, without Andrew Breitbarts [sic] knowledge.”
I regret that this occurred.

UPDATE VII: Got a fork? Stick it in Weiner now:

“Anthony Weiner lied to the country about his sexual misconduct online. He also lied to me. I had been defending him, based on what he told me, but no more. Weiner must resign from Congress immediately.”
— Kirsten Powers

UPDATE VIII: Et tu, Joan Walsh?

Just now, I was watching Hardball on MSNBC and former DNC Chairman Ed Rendell was also throwing Weiner under the bus “for the good of the party.” Democrats are ruthless that way. They are far more shameless in their cynical partisanship than Republicans.

UPDATE IX: Thanks to @AngelaTC for this tip: Yet another Weiner “sexting” partner has reluctantly come forward: 34-year-old Georgia teacher Traci Nobles.


Category: Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, Feminism

It’s Like the ‘Reefer Madness’ of Sex

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 10 Comments

Don’t know where Laura W. found this trailer for the 1967 exploitation film Teenage Mother, but we are all eternally grateful she did:

After watching that atrocious dreck, I’m sure you’re asking yourself three questions:

  1. Were the 1960s really like that? — Of course not, no more so than life in 2011 is like movies in 2011. The tacky clothes and silly hairstyles were the most accurate part of the film.
  2. Was this really an ‘educational’ film, as the narrator declares at the end? — Of course not. This low-budget movie used the “educational” pitch as a type of promotion that also served to get it into small-town theaters, where managers might face community backlash if it were obvious they were just showing a cheap titilating “teen sex” picture.
  3. Whatever happened to the ‘star’ of this film? — Arlene Sue Farber, who was 19 when Teenage Mother was made, enjoyed modest success as an actress, and actually had a small part in an Academy Award winner, The French Connection, in 1971. Her last acting role was in 1976 and, according to IMDB, the now 63-year-old Farber was last reported to be living in California.

Permit me to observe that this monumentally stupid film, and its “educational” promotion, perpetuates the fundmental falsehood of all sex-education efforts: Namely, the belief that most sexual problems are caused by a lack of knowledge, rather than a lack of virtue.

Here we are, more than four decades later, when knowledge about sex has never been more readily available, and yet we have even more sexual problems than Americans had in 1967.

Category: Culture, Movies, Sex, Video

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong: Belated Notice of Charles Johnson’s Total Beclownment

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 65 Comments

During the 10 days of WeinerGate, I tried to focus as hard as I could on following the main thread of the story, which was more than enough for anyone to attempt as the scandal rapidly developed. However, along the way I couldn’t help but notice a few distractions off on the periphery. And I vowed that, once the truth was known, I’d take a little time to double back and tie up a few loose ends, e.g.:

“As soon as I heard about the ‘scandal’ involving Rep. Anthony Weiner, and saw it being pushed like crazy by fraudster Andrew Breitbart, I knew it would turn out to be yet another phony story. And that’s exactly what happened.”
— Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs, May 30, 2011

Spoke a bit too soon, didn’t you, Charles? Your link was to a DKos conspiracy theory citing “sources” that were, alas, 100% wrong.

Now Breitbart’s scoop, which you called a “phony story,” is front-page news in the New York Times:

Weiner Faces Calls to Resign
and Tries to Make Amends

And you know who’s laughing hardest now, Charles?

Not me. Not Breitbart. It’s all those ex-Lizards you banned from LGF.

Category: Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, Charles Johnson

Joan Walsh: ‘I Look Kind of Stupid’

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 25 Comments

“The lying is what disturbs me. He implicated a lot of us. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, let’s just say that. And, you know, I look kind of stupid. But on the other hand . . .”

No, ma’am. There is no “other hand.”

You falsely accused Andrew Breitbart of “savaging a 21-year-old girl” and — on the morning of June 1 — doubled down by emphasizing the need to remind reporters “the story came from Breitbart and his right-wing smear machine.”

If Anthony Weiner did what Breitbart said he did, how is it a “smear” for Breitbart to describe what Weiner did? You still haven’t answered that question, Ms. Walsh and so, yeah, you’re right: You look kind of stupid.

And there is no “other hand.”


Category: Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, Media Bias

Weiner’s Race-Mongering Past

Posted on | June 8, 2011 | 7 Comments

If any Republican had exploited racial fear to win an election as shamelessly as Anthony Weiner exploited racial fear to win his first election in 1991, the Left would never forget it, nor forgive it.

You see it’s all about that “D” beside his name. Just put a “D” beside your name and no progressive can ever find fault with you.

Well, maybe a few can find fault — like Democrats who are trying to win elections. Former Democratic National Committee chairman (and 2012 Virginia Senate candidate) Tim Kaine: “Lying is unforgivable. Lying publicly about something like this is unforgivable and he should resign.” And the CNN headline:

Democratic leaders ostracize Weiner

Meanwhile, check out the transcript of Weiner’s Facebook chats with Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss.

What a classy guy . . .

Category: Anthony Weiner, Democrats, New York, Racism, Scandal
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