WalMart, Edwards & Self-Interest

A must read from John at Powerline about the 'young kid' on John Edwards's staff who didn't know better than to shop at Wal Mart for quality products at low prices. Money quote:

...But beyond mocking liberals, Schweizer makes a more profound point: when conservatives act in a hypocritical manner, violating their own principles, they go astray and screw up their lives. When iberals, on the other hand, act hypocritically, they usually are also acting reasonably. They find their principles hard to follow in their own lives in part because their principles are wrong.

This case is a good example. Edwards recited the very silly liberal critique of Wal-Mart as a threat to low-income people. His aide, however, when charged with buying the Senator a PS3, quite reasonably went to Wal-Mart because he knew he would get the best price there. Which is, of course, why Wal-Mart is one of the greatest boons to people of modest means in recent history. Edwards should learn from his aide, not criticize him.

Read the whole thing.

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When Bloomberg is President...

...the Quadruple Bypass Burger will be illegal.

If you live in Tempe, Arizona, you can still get one at the Heart Attack Grill ("Taste Worth Dying For"), served by a hot 'nurse,' (which has apparently brought on a lawsuit by the Arizona State Board of Nursing). Wheelchair service is reportedly included. And if you manage to get it all down without dying, you can get flatliner fries as well.

It's a testament to our PC, health-conscious culture that places like this and FatBurger survive and flourish. I suspect it's only a matter of time before they face a lawsuit from the estate of some heart attack victim who happened to have dined there. Gorge yourself before they go away.

By the way, it's interesting to me that Rudy Giuliani is regarded on the Left as an intrusive proponent of the prurient nanny state because he cracked down on crime and made New York City manageable again. Michael Bloomberg by contrast, is trying to eliminate smoking and trans fats - to start with. And you hear hardly a complaint from the Left about 'letting us alone' and 'respecting individual choice.'

Could it be because Bloomberg is a liberal, and Giuliani a 'conservative?'

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Canada: Credit Where Credit is Due

I've ripped on Canada for it's unwillingness to support the Iraq war and their non-participation in missile defense, but they are doing their share of the heavy lifting in Afghanistan, particularly in comparison to some of our other NATO "allies". So, thank you neighbor.

Meanwhile, some of our other NATO buddies are deploying troops and then doing their best to make sure they don't see any actual combat. I'd like to know which of the European Powers won't let their forces "operate at night".

Baker Meets with the Syrians

The Syrian ambassador describes his meeting with the Iraq Study Group. This can't be very encouraging if you are Israeli, Shiite Iraqi, or a Lebanese who actually hoped to have a free country someday.

That being said, my prediction is the Study Group recommendations have even less impact then the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Their proposals for Iraq will have all the strength of your standard, bi-partisan, written-by-committee, white paper. I doubt they will even be able to play midwife to a new level of federal bureaucracy, falling short of the bar set by the 9/11 Comission. I just don't see an "Office of the Director of National Intelligence for Iraq" in the cards.

South Korea: Still Wobbly

The President seems to be getting what he wants from the general membership of the APEC conference: a unanimous statement condemning the DPRK for July's missile tests and last month's nuke test. Unfortunately, South Korea refuses to wholeheartedly endorse the Proliferation Security Initiative. South Korea has the most to lose in any military conflict with the DPRK so it is clearly in their interest to proceed cautiously with any policies that, if fully executed, could lead somebody to shoot somebody. But the article also says that the South does not want to "contribute to any instability that would send refugees flowing over their border." Color me perplexed. Wasn't it the East European underground refugee railroad to Austria that facilitated East Germany's collapse and set the Warsaw Pact dominoes falling? Just asking. I know not all tinpot Stalinist tyrannies are the same, but facilitating a refugee crisis in the DPRK may not be the worst thing in the world.

Fat, Dumb and Happy

If we fail in Iraq, here's a picture of the guy who will have defeated us. Not Zarqawi, not Sadr, not Usama and certainly not Saddam. He's a Shiite Baghdad "policeman" who, along with 150 of his colleagues, is protesting an Interior Ministry order to redeploy from Sadr city over to a Sunni neighborhood across town. Here are the details. They claim they're happy to "defend" Sadr city, but their lives won't be worth diddly in a Sunni neighborhood. On the face of it, that's almost understandable. It's easier to police your own turf than a neighborhood where you're not wanted. Problem is, they aren't policing. In their own words, they're "defending". They're not there to enforce the law on their own. They just want to protect their own from the Sunnis across town.

For example, on a day when we're told American and Iraqi forces are scouring the country for kidnapped American contractors, an American soldier, and dozens of Iraqis from the Education Ministry, these officers find time to jump around in the streets of Sadr city, in uniform, brandishing weapons. Doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence. I'm not sure this is the sort of civil authority that will allow democracy to thrive.

On a side note, I'm also perplexed as to why in a county of rampant unemployment, poverty, and generally hard livin', the police department is willing to hire a guy who seems to be roughly 50 pounds overweight.

Family Weekend

So light blogging.

Check out the always worthwhile Novak for a look at Michael Steele's plan to become an African-American Rush Limbaugh. That's an unfortunate reference if he plans to run for office again, but great if he intends to make boatloads of money.

Elsewhere in the world, the college football game of the millenium (well, 6 years in anyway) is today at 3:30 Eastern.

The Club for Growth reminds us that the Cold War started to end 20 years ago, with the famous Tear Down this Wall speech. Oh wait - that wasn't 20 years ago...

And Ace gives us a look at the moderate, reasonable plans of the incoming Senate leadership.

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Blond, James Blond

As a long-time fan of the novels of Ian Fleming as well as the distantly-related movie franchise based on his characters, I welcome the latest incarnation of James Bond opening tonight across the U.S.

Trivia question: who first made a dramatic portrayal of Bond?--probably not whom you think.

The early reviews of the film zero in on a manifestation of a characteristic of the novels which was hinted at in the early cinematic Connery versions and then lost in the increasingly ridiculous plot twists and gadgetry of the Roger Moore era--that James Bond as written was a borderline sociopath, a killer who was very much on the razor's edge of virtue in a morally ambiguous universe.

Fleming was entirely a product of the era of total war, and his service in military intelligence drained from him any illusion that intelligence work was anything other than the work of "rough men who stand ready to do violence."

It is worth noting that the Broccolis toyed with the harder-edged version of Bond drawn in Fleming's novels with the much-maligned Timothy Dalton editions of the franchise at the end of the Cold War, but retreated swiftly to the anodyne Pierce Brosnan when critics and audiences found Dalton's rendering too dark. I hesitate to draw firm cultural conclusions from Hollywood sausage-making, but it seems that the Broccolis have decided that the mood of the nation is now willing to reconsider its attitude towards rough men doing what needs to be done to protect the Anglospheric way of life.

Early reviews from critics suggest that the Broccolis were correct, and the weekend box office will be the proof of the pudding.

Perhaps the dissatisfaction Americans have with the use of force and violence as instruments of foreign policy, in Iraq most notably, is not with the use of force per se (which is a bugbear to many on the Left), but rather with use of force which is not focused remorselessly and relentlessly on the elimination of threats but rather on open-ended crisis-management. Staying the course in Iraq has been rejected, but the Left goes too far to assert that the Americans voted for pacificism or political appeasement of global villains who call for the annihilation of other nations "in a sea of fire" or "driving them into the sea."

Today's Other Race

Everyone paid a great deal of attention today to the races for Republican Minority Leader and Whip - and they were clearly important. But the other critical race was for NRCC chair. And here in Washington, people remember the successful ones: Rahm Emanuel, Tom Davis, and Bill Paxon are the three House campaign committee chairs whose names I remember (I only go back about 15 years in this town).

Tom Cole is the man who's going to try to add his name to that list, and become one of the really successful campaign chairs. To do it, he will have to raise lots of money, recruit good candidates, make shrewd decisions about where there are weak Democratic candidates who look strong, and vice-versa. In short, he'll have to win back the majority. For that, he needs 15 seats.

His resume looks good.

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I Question the Timing

Holy Cow! Bo Schembechler dies the day before Michigan plays its biggest game in years?

John Cooper better watch his back.

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Al Gore Invented This?

All hail Doug Engelbart, the man who invented the Mouse (pictured at left), and received a patent for it on this date in 1970:

In 1970, a U.S. patent was issued for the computer mouse - an "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System" (No. 3541541). The inventor was Doug Engelbart. In the lab, he and his colleagues had called it a "mouse," after its tail-like cable. The first mouse was a simple hollowed-out wooden block, with a single push button on top. Engelbart had designed this as a tool to select text, move it around, and otherwise manipulate it. It was a key element of his larger project - the NLS (oN Line System), a computer he and some colleagues at the Stanford Research Institute had built. The NLS also allowed two or more users to work on the same document from different workstations.

So now you know: Doug Engelbart is the man responsible for 'Mouse Finger,' which afflicts many millions today.

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Alive! It's ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!!

Comprehensive Immigration Reform, that is.

Silly, silly conservatives! You failed to see the method to the madness!

You thought that appointing Mel Martinez as RNC Chair, returning Trent Lott to leadership, and electing the same leadership team that lost the House were isolated incidents, which did nothing more than demonstrate how out-of-touch DC Republicans are.

Well, they may be out of touch. But is there a method to the madness? Were they trying to leave you numb and speechless so you couldn't respond to the real plan: the adoption of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (TM) by the Republican Congress before the Democrats take over?

That's right! Don't let the Democrats get the 'credit:'

Specter to Take Another Stab at Immigration Bill Before Year Ends
Thursday, Nov. 16; 3:01 pm
By Erin P. Billings,
Roll Call Staff

After meeting privately with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) earlier this week, Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Thursday he is moving forward with plans to resurrect the languishing immigration reform measure before the end of this year.

Specter said the three Senators, at the core of negotiations over the legislation, “decided to make an effort” to spend the next month working to bridge the divide between the House and Senate over the issue. He said the Nov. 7 elections, in which Republicans lost control of both chambers, sent a signal to Congress that voters want immigration reform now, and it is incumbent upon lawmakers to heed that call before the end of the 109th Congress.

“I’d like to do it,” Specter said. “We have time.”

Specter said he already has talked to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) about his intentions, adding that he expects Frist will discuss the matter with Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) when the two leaders meet later this week. The Judiciary chairman said he is also engaging the White House on the issue...

While the Iraq War clearly was the dominant issue in the 2006 elections, immigration reform was certainly a factor in some key races, Specter noted.

“A lot of people went down [over it],” Specter said. “And, we have another election in two years.”

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a chief backer of comprehensive reform, said Thursday he also believes Congress has time to move forward. The chamber is expected to remain in session through the end of December...

A lot of people went down over it? Go ask JD Hayworth if he thinks he went down because he was too tough on immigration - and if he thinks that passage of an amnesty would be the right way to go.

I think this is deader than dead. But it's shocking to me that some folks lack the political sense to know when to let go of the third rail.

In particular, Roll Call notes that Specter had already conferred with John McCain and Bill Frist. Does this imply that they both back this approach?

If so, McCain must be nuts if he think he can continue down this road - alienating conservatives - and still get the Presidential nomination. He isn't the only candidate.

Title Credit: Young Frankenstein

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Pelosi's Ongoing Challenge

It's almost universally agreed that Nancy Pelosi's gamble that she could depose Steny Hoyer and replace him with John Murtha was a significant shot to her leadership and credibility. Apart from that, it serves to alienate her from Hoyer's constituency - which includes many Blue Dogs, moderate Freshmen and New Democrats.

Those are important groups. Unlike the strongly liberal Black Caucus and Latino Caucus, these groups will differ from Pelosi and a number of the liberal committee chairs on important policy points. The GOP Minority - if it's well led - will constantly be looking for issues and votes where they can split the more moderate Democrats from their liberal leadership.

So the moderates have voted against her on Hoyer. Now they're going public with their disagreement on the Harman-Hastings question. What will be next? At some point, I'm going to write a piece about why minimum wage poses a challenge. It could be that, or it could be somewhere else.

The point is, Pelosi's leadership is in danger if any part of her caucus gets used to parting company with her. Once is understandable, twice is unfortunate, but if it starts to become routine, her effectiveness will be seriously undermined. The last thing she wants is a situation where a rump group of moderate Democrats joins with Republicans on big issues to frustrate her goals. And while we're nowhere near that point yet, you have to wonder why - just one day into her Speakership - you can see it on the horizon.

Along those lines, Roll Call reports:

‘Tuesday Dogs’ May Join Forces
November 16, 2006
By Jennifer Yachnin and Susan Davis,
Roll Call Staff

In an effort to boost their influence in the sharply divided chamber, members of the moderate Republican and Democratic House factions indicated Wednesday that the two groups may coordinate efforts in the 110th Congress and could move to create a formal bipartisan coalition in the new session.

Members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition and the centrist Republican Tuesday Group met in advance of the Nov. 7 elections, Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) said Wednesday, to discuss areas where the groups could align.

“We have a lot of common interests,” Matheson, a co-chairman of the Blue Dogs in the 109th Congress, said of his meeting with Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.), who co-chairs the Tuesday Group...

“At this point, we’re starting a dialogue,” Kirk said in an interview Wednesday, adding that the recent influx of new moderate Democrats elected last Tuesday will bolster opportunities to govern “from the political center...”

“There’s a lot more that unites us than divides us,” said Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), who will be a co-chairman of the Blue Dogs next year. “The American people expect us to reach across the aisle. There may be temptation to ‘get even’ [with Republicans in the 110th Congress], but I think that would be a huge mistake...”

“We’re not going to be a rubber stamp for anyone. We’re going to help bring our party back to the middle,” Ross said of the 44-member coalition, which includes nine freshman lawmakers. “We have a lot to say about what passes or doesn’t pass when it reaches the floor...”

This doesn't sound like a group that's predisposed to bend to Pelosi's wishes. She'll need to listen to them and make sure that her agenda offers them something. That's probably a good thing, because strong-arming is not going very well for her so far.

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It's Boehner and Blunt

Boy, do I eat crow. Blunt reportedly won 137-57.

And I believe Members really thought it was important to show that they got the message of 'change' from the election. They sure must not have liked the alternatives.

Given that the cast of characters looks completely the same, it's going to be all the more important that there are substantive changes. The GOP positions on earmarks, spending levels, congressional reform, health care, immigration, and other issues had better be well thought out and popular with the base.

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Boehner Wins Big

So John Boehner is the new Minority Leader, by a margin almost as one-sided as Nancy Pelosi's when she won. I hope that House Republicans do not take the one-sided vote as a sign that the status quo is acceptable.

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Blue Dogs Make Waves: Bye, Bye Alcee?

Remember back when Hoyer beat Pelosi's pick for Majority Leader - John Murtha? I said that if Murtha lost, she faced a situation where other powers in the Democratic caucus would try to exert their own influence, and she would wind up catering to Committee chairs and acting more as a 'first among equals' than as a leader.

Well, looks like that's happening, and it's only taken about 12 hours.

Blue Dogs back Harman for Intel panel chair
By Josephine Hearn

Eighteen members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative House Democrats, wrote Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Thursday imploring her to choose Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) to chair the House Intelligence Committee next year.

"Congresswoman Harman has served as Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee with skill and distinction. ... She has helped lead the bipartisan reorganization and reform of our intelligence community and has served as a strong voice for Congressional oversight of the Administration and its national security policies," wrote Reps. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.), Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and others. "Both our Caucus and Party have counted on Congresswoman Harman to answer forcefully and credibly to partisan critics who have questioned Democrats’ commitment to protecting our nation."..

The letter came just hours after the caucus issued a stinging rebuke to Pelosi in the race for House majority leader. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) beat Pelosi’s candidate Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) decisively, drawing on the support of many centrists such as the Blue Dogs.

Many of those same centrist feel that Harman, a Blue Dog herself, has served admirably on the committee and deserves to continue. But some progressives believe Harman has been too compliant with the Republican chairman, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.).

Good for the Blue Dogs. As in the case of Murtha, the Blue Dogs are trying to protect Ms. Pelosi (and the rest of the House Democrats) from herself.

As in the case of Murtha, Hastings as Intel Chair would put the lie to the Democrats' promise to change the 'culture of corruption' in Washington. The Blue Dogs recognize that apart from a security risk, he would be a national embarrassment.

Fresh on the heels of Hoyer's win, Pelosi has to be tempted to 'stay the course' with Alcee. To bow to the pressure and select Harman might be perceived as a sign of weakness. That's the last thing she wants now.

Still, you have to hope she does the right thing. If she sticks with Hastings, it sounds like her hand cannot be forced. But it will come back to haunt her.

Update: If Pelosi feels she needs to push Hastings aside, the negative public response is giving her ample 'cover' to do so. The LATimes is the latest to call for Harman, rather than Hastings, as Intel chair.

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Oh Dear...

Ugliest car ever? Probably.

I believe the dashboard is made out of the bridge console of the original Enterprise, from Star Trek.

Hat Tip: Mickey

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MKH: Battle of the Ex-Girlfriends

Mary Katharine Ham is pretty funny. Check it out:



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GOP's Jindal Eyes Governor's Race - Again

This would be great for the GOP and great for the State of Louisiana. Hopefully the campaign does not become a debate over who was more responsible for the Katrina mess - Governor Blanco or President Bush.

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TSG Beats me to the Punch Line

You call that a knife? A Florida convenience store clerk fends off a machete-wielding would-be thief with her own machete.

There is surveillance video (Windows Media or MPEG).

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