Conservative blogger Rick Moore has asked me to appear on his Internet radio show, Holy Coast on the Air this coming Monday night. I'll be discussing the upcoming Ohio primary with him, as well as my 2007 blog series on how Christians might think about the 2008 presidential election. (Note: I don't believe that God is a Democrat or a Republican, a liberal or a … [Read more...] about Catch Me on ‘Holy Coast on the Air’ on Monday Night
Hillary absent from scheduled campaign flight (UPDATED)
The Trail says that, "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has disappeared from the campaign trail, and her campaign plane, with no explanation. Clinton did not show up for this afternoon's flight from Dallas to Columbus, Ohio, and campaign spokesman Doug Hattaway would not elaborate on the reason or her whereabouts." Hmmm. Any ideas? Check out the comments at that thread - some … [Read more...] about Hillary absent from scheduled campaign flight (UPDATED)
The War on Plagiarism
[Note to TMV readers: the following post is plagiarized from my own blog, "the talking dog".] While Senator Clinton fires wild shots that hit nothing (though the recoil seems to keep knocking her ever further off her game) about Senator Obama's supposed "plagiarism" by using lines from Mass. Governor Deval Patrick it appears that the nation's new "war on plagiarism" has … [Read more...] about The War on Plagiarism
Texas Democratic Primary Political Ju Jitsu: Obama Ad Parodies Clinton’s “Red Telephone” Ad
In a classic case of political jiu-jitsu, Democratic Senator Barack Obama has a campaign ad parodying Senator Hillary Clinton's controversial "red telephone" ad. We wrote about that controversy HERE and also included an early Obama campaign response. But now this ad is airing in Texas -- laid out like the Clinton ad but with a decidedly different message: My DD's Todd … [Read more...] about Texas Democratic Primary Political Ju Jitsu: Obama Ad Parodies Clinton’s “Red Telephone” Ad
Barack Obama’s Credibility Problem
I have discussed the candidates with several friends, mostly lifelong Democrats, college-educated women in their 40s and 50s. We just cannot buy what Barack Obama is selling. Many of us are facing the possibility of, for the very first time, voting for the Republican nominee in November. Sen. Obama does not charm me (the more I watch and listen to him, the less I like him) and … [Read more...] about Barack Obama’s Credibility Problem
Building Bridges
Terry Teachout writes in the Wall Street Journal Five Myths, Direct From Pyongyang about the recent performance of the New York Philharmonic in North Korea. Basically he feels that we enhanced Kim Jong Il's hometown prestige without meaningfully impacting our image with the average North Koreans. I remember almost 30 years ago I moved from Los Angeles to an almost rural … [Read more...] about Building Bridges
Hillary Clinton’s Hissy Problem . . .
Kathy was a girl about my age who lived down the street from me when we were a few years short of our teens. She was an only child and was spoiled rotten. She also had the most and nicest toys in the neighborhood and I and other kids often ended up in her playroom. Woe be it to the playmate who didn't see or do things Kathy's way because she would hold her breath, begin … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton’s Hissy Problem . . .
. . . And John McCain’s Flea Problem
In light of the controversy swirling around the endorsement of John McCain by career bigot Pastor John Hagee, Professor Bainbridge reminds us that there's an old saying that if you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas, while Glenn Greenwald notes that you shouldn't judge a candidate by the people who endorse them. Both true. But while Barack Obama has repudiated Louis … [Read more...] about . . . And John McCain’s Flea Problem
Obama’s Parenting Advice
While Hillary Clinton reminds voters that, if she wins, they can tell their daughters a woman can be President, Barack Obama is going deeper into parenting advice and telling them what they might "not want to hear." After a programmatic answer about issues in education to a mostly African-American audience in Beaumont, Texas, according to Shailagh Murray of the Washington … [Read more...] about Obama’s Parenting Advice
China’s Olympic Deal With al-Qaeda: ‘There Will Not Be Blood’ …
This is just one of the allegations in Roger Faligot's book, The Chinese Secret Services: From Mao to the Olympic Games. This specialist in intelligence retraces the history of the ties between the Middle Kingdom and al-Qaeda. According to this review of the book from Le Matin of Switzerland, the author writes, 'The first negotiations with Osama bin Laden's entourage are … [Read more...] about China’s Olympic Deal With al-Qaeda: ‘There Will Not Be Blood’ …
The Metaphor of 12 Angry Men
Gosh, how I still love this movie that came out when I was a kid. It defined for me wisdom, strength, courage and the American idea. There were a bunch of these around that time: Failsafe, Advise and Consent, The Best Man, Seven Days in May... In brief, it is a story of a jury deliberating a murder trial. It starts with all but one convinced the kid did kill his father. But … [Read more...] about The Metaphor of 12 Angry Men
Hillary thinks she sees a vulnerability
Barely a day after The Nation's Jeremy Scahill put out an article about Barack Obama's position on private military contractors, Hillary Clinton has signed onto a bill banning their use: "Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that she has cosponsored legislation to ban the use of Blackwater and other private mercenary firms in Iraq. Presumably she … [Read more...] about Hillary thinks she sees a vulnerability
Buddy Miles (1947-2008)
MORE HERE ON A MAN MOST PEOPLE KNOW IN ANOTHER INCARNATION. FOR BUDDY AT HIS FINEST, CLICK HERE AND LISTEN TO "MACHINE GUN" FROM JIMI HENDRIX' CLASSIC BAND OF GYPSYS. … [Read more...] about Buddy Miles (1947-2008)
Bad Poll News For Senator Hillary Clinton
Her big polling lead in the Ohio Democratic primary is shrinking. Link has been fixed. … [Read more...] about Bad Poll News For Senator Hillary Clinton
Shameless Slimeball of the Millennium
Quelling the Night Terrors
Continuing the unhelpful theme of "just stop saying this stuff", the RNC has chastised its terrified Tennessee representatives: (CNN) – Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan formally denounced Thursday the Tennessee Republican Party's use of Barack Obama's full name in a recent press release questioning the Illinois senator's commitment to Israel. “The RNC … [Read more...] about Quelling the Night Terrors
It’s Enough To Make an American Proud
A reader responding to my post on what a Democratic president and Congress should do about the Bush administration’s many scandals had a pretty good idea, albeit tongue in check: Send The Decider, Cheney, Gonzo, Rummy and Company to the Navy brig at Guantánamo Bay where they would be held without rights and waterboarded to see if they would yield any good intelligence. The … [Read more...] about It’s Enough To Make an American Proud
Pick Your Crazy: McCain, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, and Ahmadinejad
Question: Which is the craziest? a) John McCain claiming that Obama is all about "the past" on Iraq. b) Bill O'Reilly equating Arianna Huffington with the Nazis and the KKK. c) Rush Limbaugh defending the "Husseinization" of Obama. d) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling Iran the world's #1 power. I'll go with b) and d) -- a tie. McCain's claim is just silly, while Limbaugh's … [Read more...] about Pick Your Crazy: McCain, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, and Ahmadinejad
Tim Goeglein, director of White House office of public liaison, plagiarizes, then apologizes
So writes Nancy Nall. The plagiarism involves Tim Goeglein lifting the work of Jeffrey Hart. Nall's conclusion says it all: I mentioned at the top of this post that I feel bad about what I’m going to do here. (I stole that line, by the way; it’s Nora Ephron’s opening for her devastating profile of Dorothy Schiff’s New York Post. Now that I’ve given credit, it’s not … [Read more...] about Tim Goeglein, director of White House office of public liaison, plagiarizes, then apologizes
CTV Sticks by Its Obama Story
In Ohio on Tuesday, Barack Obama told a debate-audience that he favors opting out of NAFTA if the agreement isn't re-negotiated so as to help more Americans keep their jobs. Wednesday, CTV reported: "Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would … [Read more...] about CTV Sticks by Its Obama Story