The Other McCain

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

‘The Light of the World’

Posted on | May 31, 2011 | 12 Comments

That painting by Charles Chambers is titled The Light of the World. Many years ago, a print of that painting hung in a first-grade classroom. But then the Supreme Court forbade religion in public schools, which meant the painting of baby Jesus had to go, and so the teacher took it home with her. Years later, the teacher gave it to her grand-daughter, who had just moved into an apartment with her boyfriend.

One day when her boyfriend was gone, she was home alone when a fire destroyed their apartment, and it was a miracle that she survived.

Her only possession that survived the fire? The Light of the World.

She and her boyfriend later broke up. You’ve probably heard of her boyfriend — he’s quite famous — but you’ve probably never heard of the woman who survived the fire, and who recently said this:

“My husband is my true hero. He has been a loving husband, a generous father, and hard-working provider for our family. . . . Today I am a pro-life Roman Catholic, the mother of seven children, and this year my husband and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.”

Want to take a guess? Her maiden name was Read more

Category: Abortion, Celebrities, Religion

LIVE AT FIVE – 05.31.11

Posted on | May 31, 2011 | Comments Off on LIVE AT FIVE – 05.31.11

TOP NEWS
South African President, Libya Hold Inconclusive Talks

Tripoli residents greet South African police guarding President Jacob Zuma

In other news, 120 officers and solders defect to rebels
Zuma: No honest broker?

Palin: 2012 GOP Field “Gonna Change Up A Lot”
Still hasn’t decided on run; lack of announced itinerary keeps press guessing

FEMA: Rental Homes Sought For Joplin Refugees; Trailers An Option
Not much housing left in city one-third destroyed by tornado



POLITICS
Obama Nominates Top Army General To Head Joint Chiefs Of Staff

Army Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey

General Ray Odierno nominated to succeed Dempsey

President Honors The Fallen At Arlington

Wildfires Destroy Twelve Homes On Outskirts Of Amarillo

Illegal Immigrant Arrested In Death Of Texas Policeman

The GOP 2012 Battle Test

Texas Governor Perry Considering Getting Into 2012 Presidential Race

California Assembly Bill Would Allow Cities To Opt Out Of Immigration Enforcement

Illinois Effort To Revamp State Pensions Stalls

Montana, SD Residents Brace For Flooding



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
European Shares Rise On Greek Bailout Optimism
Saudi Prince: Lower Oil Prices Needed To Prevent West’s Turn To Alternative Energy
Japan Faces Debt Downgrade As Jobless Numbers Rise
PRC Stocks Rise For First Time In Nine Days
India GDP Growth Slows But Still Robust
What’s The Big Deal About Intel’s Ultrabook?
PBS: Hacked; Tupac: Still Dead
Sony: Almost All PSN Services Online By Week’s End



SPORTS
Jim Tressel Resigns At OSU, And It Makes You Wonder…

Former OSU coach Jim Tressel

Resignation caps six months of turmoil, allegations, investigations

LeBron James Comfortable With Playing The Villain



White Sox Break Three-Game Skid At Fenway

FIFA Corruption Allegations Worry Sponsors

Dodgers’ Bats Stay Hot In 7-1 Win Over Rockies

Colon Fires First Shutout In Five Years, Blanks A’s

Marlins Pitchers Shelled Again In 15-4 Loss To Snakes

Soria Loses Closer Job After Another Late-Inning Meltdown

MLB Throws Out Fan-Backed Mets Bid

Twins Screwed Again By Lack Of Instant Replay

First In War, First In Peace, Last In The NL East



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Snooki’s In The Slammer In Italy

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi from "Jersey Shore"

No alcohol involved, no injuries reported after collision with police car

Sean Kingston Stable In ICU After Jet-Ski Incident

Maria Shriver Spends The Weekend With The Kids At The Beach

Official “Hobbit” Dates Released

Jessica Alba Expecting Again – It’ll Be A Girl

“Hangover II” Makes $138 Million In Debut Weekend

“Saddle Ranch” Star Wanted By Police


Will & Kate Snag July Cover Of Vanity Fair




FOREIGNERS
Karzai Seeks To Limit NATO Airstrikes
Yemen’s Capital Rocked With Explosions, Gunfire
Berlin Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Merkel Plane Delay
Footage Shows “Armed Westerners” On The Ground In Libya
Berlusconi’s Sex Trial Resumes
No Takers To Head Pakistani Panel On Bin Laden’s Death
Shunning Hamas Not Just About Israel



BLOGS & STUFF
Iowahawk: Help Me Bring The Weiner Hacker To Justice
American Thinker: Obama May (Finally) Be Getting Tough With Gaddafi
NRO Corner: Palin Planning Iowa Visit
Jihad Watch: Senior Ayatollah Says Suicide Bombings A Must For Every Muslim
Ed Driscoll: Napoleon In Rags And The Language That He Used
Jawa Report: Muslim Girl Stoned To Death In Ukraine For Taking Part In Beauty Contest
The Sundries Shack: The Democrats’ Medicare Lie …Again
Blackfive: The Definition Of Cognitive Dissonance


— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

BREAKING: Weiner Lawyers Up! UPDATE: In CNN Interview, Weiner Dismisses Hacking as ‘Prank’

Posted on | May 30, 2011 | 103 Comments

OMFG:

New York Rep. Anthony Weiner has retained an attorney to advise him “what civil or criminal actions should be taken” after a lewd picture was sent from his Twitter account.
Weiner, who has represented part of New York City since 1998, says online hacking led to a close-up shot of a man’s underwear being sent from his official Twitter account Saturday night.

(Get your facts straight, guys: It was Friday night.)

Dave Arnold, a spokesman for Weiner, said the Congressman’s staff is “loathe to treat” this incident as more than a prank “but we are relying on professional advice.”
“At a time when the GOP is playing games with the debt limit, a member of the Supreme Court is refusing to recuse himself from matters he has a financial interest in, and middle class incomes are stagnant, many want to change the subject,” Weiner said in a statement emailed to POLITICO by his office. “I don’t. This was a prank, and a silly one. I’m focused on my work.”
Weiner’s office did not answer specific questions about the photograph, whether he has contacted authorities or the Seattle woman who received the photograph. He has said that his Facebook was hacked and if his Twitter had the same password, that too could be vulnerable.

So (a) Weiner himself is not speaking, but issuing statements through his spokesman, and (b) his office “did not answer specific questions.”

Drew M. at Ace of Spades HQ has further commentary. Looks like Ace picked the wrong time to get weinered-out.

UPDATE: Drew links the Daily Caller version of the story:

It remains to be seen what type of official investigation will ensue, if any, into the allegations Weiner has made that his Facebook and Twitter accounts were hacked. The FBI and Capitol Hill police have not responded to TheDC’s requests for comment or clarification, but, seeing as Weiner is a member of Congress, he has access to highly sensitive information that may have been compromised during a potential hack.

The key point about Weiner’s retaining counsel and making noises about “civil or criminal actions” is that it permits the congressman to employ the old “ongoing legal proceedings” excuse not to talk about the case. Anyone who remembers the Clinton administration will be familiar with this tactic: “Oh, well, we’re exploring our legal options and aren’t at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation.”

Meanwhile, Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit demonstrates that Gennette Cordova was one dot in a pattern of Weiner’s online behavior. It is unfortunate that Jim decided to include the name and photo of the teenage girl I’d mentioned earlier. But that’s one of the liabilities of the online world: Once it’s on the Internet, it’s hard to hide it.

More at Memeorandum.

UPDATE II: Linked at American Power — thanks!

UPDATE III: “Call the police. That will be $1,000.”

UPDATE IV: This story now has its own Memeorandum thread.

Alana Goodman writes at Commentary: “Weiner Investigation Would Benefit All Parties Involved.”

UPDATE V: Linked at The Lonely Conservative — thanks!

UPDATE VI: Publius at Big Government:

The latest statement from Rep. Anthony Weiner’s spokesman on the Weinergate saga makes a subtle but perhaps important rhetorical shift.
Apparently, Weiner’s office no longer uses the word “hack”; it now refers to the incident, in which a link to a lewd photograph was published on Weiner’s Twitter feed, as a “prank.”
Could that change reflect an attempt to walk back earlier “hacking” accusations?

UPDATE VII: Linked at Piece of Work in Progress — thanks! Meanwhile, reporters keep getting basic facts of the story wrong. In a scandal timeline at The Atlantic, Ujala Seghal asserts that the notorious photo was Tweeted on Thursday. But in fact the photo-Tweet was sent Friday evening, and was quickly reported — at 12:24 a.m. Saturday — by BigGovernment.com.

When reporters flub such basic facts, it does not inspire confidence in their interpretation of those facts.

UPDATE VIII: Notice how blithely dismissive Weiner is — not a hint of outrage — in this CNN interview:

Ho-hum. Somebody hacked my online account. No big deal. Nothing to see here. Move along.

UPDATE IX: Doug Ross provides the transcript of the CNN interview:

I was hacked, it happens to people. You move on.
This is a prank, uhh, not a terribly creative one, and it’s a distraction…
Look… you’ve got Republicans playing games with the debt limit, a Supreme Court Justice who is refusing to recuse himself despite conflicts of interest, you have a health care act that’s under siege, this… this is a distraction.

Linked by If You Seek Peace and by POH Diaries — thanks! Most women bloggers are afraid to touch this story, but Little Miss Attila is all over the Weiner.

PREVIOUSLY:


Category: Anthony Weiner, Congress, New York, Scandal

Ace Is Suffering Weiner Overload

Posted on | May 30, 2011 | 11 Comments

Illustration by Carol of No Sheeples Here

After 72 hours of constant weinering, Ace says he’s all weinered out — afflicted with hyperweinerosis — so he’s pulled the plug to go watch a movie. Before he left, however, Ace put up a post trying to analyze the infamous photo of Weiner’s alleged wiener.

Meanwhile, Mediaite brought in a photo expert to do a similar analysis.

The result? A tactical draw.

As might be expected.

The belief that this mystery can be solved by analyzing the available online data, staring at the photo long enough until you spot the smoking-gun clue, is probably misguided.  Wherever the answer to this enigma is to be found, I don’t think it’s in the photo itself, because the question is not whether the photo is “real.” The question is who sent it from Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter account.

Weiner’s spokesman has denied that the congressman sent it, and has asserted that the congressman’s accounts were “obviously hacked.” However — and I can’t emphasize this enough — the congressman himself has said nothing, except for a couple of vague jokes on Twitter.

No one has interviewed Weiner. He hasn’t been on TV or radio. He hasn’t issued any statement under his own name. He hasn’t held a press conference. He is incommunicado.

So long as Weiner is not personally addressing this controversy, and so long as there is no law enforcement investigation of the alleged “hacking,” bloggers can comment until they’re blue in the face without solving the mystery. It doesn’t matter whether it’s DKos kooks ginning up conspiracy theories, or right-wingers speculating about Weiner’s sexual predilictions, all of this is of little use to answering the question of whether Weiner or some unknown “hacker” sent that photo.

Anthony Weiner isn’t talking.

That’s rare enough in itself to constitute a clue — a clue far more significant than anything we’re likely to find by microanalyzing a photo.

(And yes, I said “microanalyzing.” IYKWIMAITYD.)

UPDATE: For those of you who haven’t followed the developments, Bryan Preston at PJM has an excellent summary, “Weinergate: What We Know.”

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Ace of Spades, Anthony Weiner, Congress, New York, Scandal

The Curious Case of the Weiner-Following (And Weiner-Followed) Teenage Girl

Posted on | May 30, 2011 | 73 Comments

One of the aspects of #WeinerGate that cropped up early was that a teenage girl was among the 90-odd people that Rep. Anthony Weiner was following on Twitter.

Several people have mentioned this to me, sending me e-mails with screen-caps of a Tweet (from April 13) in which the girl said she was “talking to Rep Weiner from New York right now! is my life real?”

When the #WeinerGate scandal went public, the girl blocked her Twitter account and changed her screen-name — thus preventing anyone (except people with whom she was mutual followers) from looking at her feed. Sunday, however, she sent this message:

Unblocking my tweets and changing my name back. I didn’t do sh*t and I’m in no way involved in your political bullsh*t.

OK, fine, Little Miss Potty-Mouth. Nobody is accusing you of wrongdoing. But your contact with Rep. Weiner goes toward establishing a pattern, a modus operandi, in Rep. Weiner’s behavior. Read more

Category: Anthony Weiner, Congress, New York, Scandal

@JoanWalsh Blames @AndrewBreitbart and #tcot Bloggers for #WeinerGate Story

Posted on | May 30, 2011 | 119 Comments

Dear Joan Walsh:
I arrived late at the #WeinerGate story — it was already on top of Memeorandum by the time I blogged about it at 4:23 p.m. ET Saturday — and my first reaction was to make a joke of it. But then, as I took time to acquaint myself with the facts, a question formed in my mind: Who is this woman to whom the Twitter photo was sent?

It seemed to me that this was the key to the enigma. The claim by Rep. Anthony Weiner that his Twitter account and YFrog.com account had been simultaneously hacked seemed to be inspiring extreme skepticism.

The most plausible alternative theory was that Weiner had mistakenly sent the photo as a public Twitter message when he meant to send it as a DM. The obvious way to solve this mystery, it seemed to me, was to learn as much as possible about the intended recipient of the message. And so I inquired on Twitter, and was quickly directed to the materials that were included in my first two updates:

UPDATE: Velvet Hammer at Ironic Surrealism examines “Gennette Nicole,” the self-described “progressive” journalism student in Seattle to whom Weiner allegedly sent the photo, and who had previously described the married congressman as her “boyfriend.” Her Twitter account has now disappeared down the memory hole.
UPDATE II: Gennette Nicole Cordova is a student at Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, Wash., where she is a reporter for the student newspaper, Horizon.
Hat tip to “ThoughtsAloud” on Twitter for the original ID and photo.
It must be emphasized that at this point we have no idea whether Ms. Cordova actually knows Rep. Weiner, whether her Twitter claim of him being her “boyfriend” was just a joke, or whether Rep. Weiner actually communicated with Ms. Cordova.
Let’s hope Rep. Weiner will clarify this confusion, before the media scrum descends on Ms. Cordova.

You see the caveats and cautions included. It appeared to me that it was incumbent on Weiner to answer the obvious questions about this incident, or else the media would immediately turn their attention to Ms. Cordova — she being the only other person who might possibly explain their Twitter exchanges.

I did not hesitate to name Ms. Cordova. However, none of the writers at Andrew Breitbart’s sites named her before Ms. Cordova issued her statement. Read more

Category: Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, Congress, New York, Scandal

LIVE AT FIVE – 05.30.11

Posted on | May 30, 2011 | 3 Comments

TOP NEWS
Serbian Ultras Protest Mladic Arrest

Ultra prepares to throw debris at Serbian riot cops

Serbian Radical Party calls for protests, about ten thousand show up

Sarah Palin Kicks Off Tour Of Northeast At Rolling Thunder Rally
Keeps low profile at veterans’ event


Junior Comes Up Short at Charlotte 600
Runs out of gas less than half a mile from the finish



POLITICS
The History And Evolution Of Memorial Day

Graves at Arlington National Cemetery

Keeping it real on what used to be called Decoration Day

SD Farmers & Ranchers Warned On Missouri River Flooding

Bill Clements, First GOP Governor Of Texas Since Reconstruction, Dies At 94

GOP Firm: No Raise In Debt Ceiling Without Spending Cuts

Cantor: Congress Will Find Funds For Joplin

Nearly 200 Gather To Dedicate Jonestown Memorial

Illinois Workers’ Comp Reform Dies In House

Swollen Lake Champlain Tortures Vermonters



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Falls As OPEC Increases Output In May
European Stocks Stagnant After Four Straight Weeks Of Losses
Nikkei Index Edges Lower In Year’s Thinnest Trading
Oil Drops On Speculation US Economy Will Falter
HSBC: PRC To Settle Most Trade In Yuan By 2015
Lockheed Martin Networks Hit By Hackers
Military-Themed Games To Be Stars Of E3
Samsung Seeks To Compel Apple To Show Next Ipad, IPhone



SPORTS
Indy 500 Win Doesn’t Guarantee Wheldon A Job

Dan Wheldon celebrates second Indy win

Danica still can’t find a way to win

Fish Thump Dodgers 6-1; Ramirez Out With Back Problems?

Despite Reports, Kuester Still Pistons Coach (For Now)

FIFA Suspends bin Hammam, Warner On Suspicion Of Bribery

Verlander Dominates As Tigers Take Nightcap From Red Sox

A’s Rough Up Britton To Finish Sweep Of O’s

Snakes Rally Past Astros To Take Lead In NL West

Mets Find Their Offense, Beat Phillies 9-5



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Tony Romo Ties The Knot

Tony Romo and Candice Crawford

Quarterback scores “ultimate touchdown”

Adrianne Curry, Christipher Knight Split

“Hangover 2” Launches Summer Movie Season With Boffo Box-Office

Kelly Clarkson Sings The National Anthem At Indy 500

Gil Scott-Heron Dies

Sean Kingston Badly Injured In Jet-Ski Crash

Brad Pitt, Family Guy

Paula Abdul: Cheryl Cole Got Axed From “X Factor”?

Christina Aguilera Back On The Party Train

Kendra Wilkinson: Sex Is Better After DWTS

Maria Attended Christening Of Arnold’s Love Child



FOREIGNERS
Security Forces In Yemen Kill 20 In Taiz
Germany To Abandon Nuclear Power By 2022
Syrian Death Toll Rises As Military Widens Protest Crackdown
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan Sworn In, Pledges Unity
French Civil Service Minister Resigns After Sexual Harassment Allegations
PRC’s Special Treatment Of Kim Disguises Deep Distrust



ALL WIENERS ALL THE TIMEBLOGS & STUFF
Sarah Palin: Roll On, Rolling Thunder!
Gateway Pundit: Classy. Obama Sits In Front Row & Chews Gum During Joplin Memorial Service
American Digest: Meanwhile, A Memorial Day Look at Afghanistan
NRO Corner: Daniels Defends Medicare Reform
American Power: Architect Of “Reset” Policy Tapped As Next Ambassador To Russia
House Of Eratosthenes: McCain Says Palin Can Beat Obama
Ed Driscoll: Hiding During The Decline
Michael Barone: Pro-Obama Media Always Shocked By Bad Economic News

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

Rule 5 Sunday: Power Hour

Posted on | May 29, 2011 | 4 Comments

Soylent Green begins the (NSFW) week by upping the ante and doubling our pleasure with double the Monday Motivationators, follows up with some Argentine tool time, something cool to quench your thirst on Thursday, some Natalya Vodyanova on Friday, Sabado Snoochitas, and some tactical motivation for this Monday. “Go! Drink! Grill! Watch Sports!” he says. Since the Phillies are coming to town tomorrow, I think I’ll avert my eyes and go swimming instead. 🙁

Eye Of Polyphemus settles on Kristin Cavallari this week, Fishersville Mike nominates Arantxa Rus as the bloggers’ favorite in the French Open, but the POH Diaries is holding out for Maria Sharapova. Constitutional Crusader crosses the Meggie Mac/Rule 5 streams, and the Rio Norte Line offers a portfolio of beauties from Joss Whedon’s various shows. Mmmm, Eliza Dushku. Proof Positive feeds our heroine addiction a little more with Olga Kurylenko before going vintage with Christie Brinkley and helping spread the word about the natural awesomeness of Christina Hendricks.
Over at Randy’s Roundtable, it’s Tamara Witner and Eva Longoria, while At The Point Of A Gun reminds us that pretty girls get things for free.

Little Miss Attila climbs on the Rule 5 train this week with Kelly Hu, and is joined by Dustbury who offers Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Tamera Mellon, who is all about the Choos. Three Beers Later returns after a week off to bring us some early Juliana Moreira.

Meanwhile, at the Camp of the Saints, there’s Nell McAndrew, Lorrie Menconi, Christina Hendricks, and THE Rule 5 News.

This week’s DaleyBabes from the DaleyGator include Ashley Gellar, Taylor Cole, Shakira, Serinda Swan, Daniela Ruah, Rachelle Leah, Mickie James, and, of course, Christina Hendricks.

Thanks to all for their Rule 5 linkagery! To be included in next week’s roundup, send your links to Rule 5 Wombat by June 4.

Category: Rule 5
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