February 21, 2008

For more Althouse, see Instapundit.

I'm writing over there too for a few days. Feel free to comment over here on this morning's posts. So far:
"I GUESS MAKING ONESELF VULNERABLE to two negative stories in forty years is the price of a lifetime of public service."

LAWRENCE LESSIG'S RUN FOR CONGRESS. "The district, south of San Francisco, runs straight through the heart of Silicon Valley, where Mr. Lessig is considered a celebrity, though one who wears glasses and uses phrases like 'net neutrality.'" If you're "considered a celebrity," doesn't that make you a celebrity? Is there some deeper lever of genuine celebrity that I just don't understand?

"IS JOHN MCCAIN BROKE?"

"JIM RUTENBERG, MARILYN W. THOMPSON, DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and STEPHEN LABATON all show the kind of journalistic chops that made Us such a must-read in doctor's offices and lavatories around the world." Says Captain Ed.

MAJORING IN MIRACLES. Did Obama get sick on the eve of the big debate? Does Huckabee think this is the miracle he'd been hoping for? Unlike Huck, I didn't "major in miracles," but like the Virgin Mary on the grilled cheese sandwich, these works are uninspiring.

AND: Three more:
A BIG CIGAR? THERE?! That seems so wrong.

APHASIA IN THE COMICS.

"IF REPUBLICANS ARE MAKING TOO MUCH of Michelle Obama's gaffe that 'for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country' -- and well they might, because it could win them the election -- Democrats are making way too little of it."

54 comments:

The Drill SGT said...

In reading the NYT piece I was struck by their story line:

- lobbyist is attractive and female. Is that a surprise that lobbyist's are attractive? or maybe we shouldn't let women do that kind of dirty work?

- lobbyist attempts to get close to a Senator. Isn't that the job of a lobbyist? I know they send monthly status reports to customers saying things like: Met with Senator x on date y and made our pitch. If they didn't, why pay them

- McCain is a free market, deregulation guy. He made some votes taht are consistent. Those votes happen to help some of Iseman's clients, and BTW: perhaps hurt others, but we don't know that. (not part of the story meme).

- Show me a vote where McCain swtiched his position from one where he had a long standing position to one that favored Iseman? that would be more newsworthy.

- I loved the part about the Keating 5. talk about overblown. No mention that the other 4 Keatings were Dems and that McCain was put into the list to make it a bi-partisan scandal.

- my WaPo paper this AM had its own story. Little sex scandal however. their best giggle thread was that the firm Iseman works for has a heavy list of clients who are cities, and cities are often in the business of getting those evil earmarks. Now the fact that McCain doesn't do earmarks wasn't mentioned, just that evilness was rampant somewhere there.

The Drill SGT said...

yep, The sheet indicates that McCain's campaign is low on cash, on the other hand:

1. he's the nominee
2. his big expensive campaigns are over
3. his chances of winning are a lot higher today tahn they were on 1 Jan.
4. people love a winner
5. cash flow has got to be getting a lot better.

rhhardin said...

Aphasia, John and Ken (KABC) have a regular caller Sept 17, 1999.

mythusmage said...

I was a celebrity once. It was for a tiny sub-community of a small community, but I was a celebrity. :) (Was even paid to translate Gary Gygax into English.)

rhhardin said...

The nose-blowing proves that Obama is not only a god but also a man.

Next he will turn wine into water!

Peter V. Bella said...

Michelle Obama should just use a Hillary Clinton quote:

"You should read what I say."

It worked for her.


As to McCain, Bob Bennet, a Democratic Lawyer who investigated McCain is calling the NYT story a smear job. He claims that McCain is one of the most honest and ethical men he knows.

MadisonMan said...

a ... Lawyer ... claims that McCain is one of the most honest and ethical men he knows.

Creative use of ellipses to go for a cheap snicker.

The NYTimes story is an eye-roll for me. As in Oh brother, what a non-story.

ricpic said...

The paper of record is a partisan rag.

chuck b. said...

[I urge you to] use your time over there to put up some interesting pictures. Visually, his blog is oddly dull.

I like to use semi-colons, but I don't think it would have been appropriate to use one above.

Too many jims said...

Middle Class Guy,

Sure Bennett is a democratic lawyer, but he has also been hired by McCain. I am sure that if someone has access to a good database they can find similar things he said about some of his prior clients.

garage mahal said...

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "being in bed with lobbyists".

Not St. McCain!

Roger J. said...

I don't know many folks who claim McCain is a saint--He was one of the Keating 5, and he seems to have an awfully quick temper and says some very intemperate things. Had the NYT piece made those points they might have had a story. And if this story had any element of truth to it, they would have waited to publish it on the Thursday before the general election. Page six of the Post is far more interesting and much better written!

The Drill SGT said...

I don't know many folks who claim McCain is a saint"

OMG: he was Naval Aviator. one of the few groups that consistently out drink and out wench (old term, don't have a unisex equiv) your average cavalryman.

however, their peacetime and wartime casualty rates are higher too. I don't begrudge them a little fun between night carrier landings on a stormy deck with a damaged bird.

then there was McCain's Forrestal experuence, which had to be a bit exciting

Richard Fagin said...

Several weeks ago in these comments I predicted that the Keating Five scandal would be dragged out by the MSM to bash McCain after the MSM promoted him as their favorite Republican candidate.

The "set up" was as predictable as what time the sun rises.

Roger J. said...

hem, Drill Sergeant: As a member of the Second Dragoons, and a member of the 1/69th Armor, the only battalion that fought as a Battalion in Viet Nam, I take exception to comparisons of airedales with "average" cavalrymen. Unless you define yourself as as an above average cavalryman I will ask you to turn in your spurs forthwith!

Peter V. Bella said...

I just saw a clip of Bill Clinton addressing a group of Texas, pointing his finger and begging them to vote for Hillary.


The man is an embarassment. He looks and sounds like an uncle Festus settin in the rocker on the creaky front porch of a backwoods shack, wearin Osh Kosh overalls and spoutin an spittin, while pointin his finger at the chillren.

John Kindley said...

This seems like small potatoes compared to the story that while a POW in Vietnam McCain was so helpful to the Vietnamese that he was set up with an apartment in town replete with hookers. See http://www.tothepointnews.com/content/view/3068/2/

Then you have the old story about why Ross Perot distrusts and dislikes the guy profoundly. See http://www.newsweek.com/id/94827

Seems like John McCain might have more in common with John Kerry than he'd care to admit.

Peter Hoh said...

That one is "considered a celebrity" by some demographic does not make one a celebrity. And it's double bad if one actually did something to gain that status.

A true celebrity is famous for being famous.

Crimso said...

Well if you're going to be filling in over there, any chance you could get Sir Archy to cover for you here?

former law student said...

Is there some deeper lever of genuine celebrity that I just don't understand?

Well, in terms of local celebrity, Lessig is no Jim Barksdale, much less a Steve Jobs. However, he's famous among the group of people who know about him.

Lessig recently announced he was sick of thinking about the internet, and was going to delve into political corruption -- I guess now from the inside.

People understandably think that a John McCain might let his little head do the thinking for his big head.

Regarding McCain's alleged high life as a POW: I was long ago persuaded that the real war hero was George W. Bush -- he kept the Viet Cong from invading Corpus Christi while simultaneously never missing a tee time, in the proud tradition of Dan Quayle.

Trooper York said...

I think that the current rumors about Senator McCain and Sacagawea are a bald faced smear by the main stream media. That was a long time ago. She only offered to show him her northwest passage, and there is no proof that he ever took her up on it. Can’t the press just let it go. After all she did teach him about maize (we call it corn). Jeeez.

former law student said...

"for the first time in my adult life I am really proud of my country"

I think it would be interesting to poll the readership to find out at what other times in Michelle's adult life, they were "really proud of their country." I mean, you actually have to have said to yourself at the time, "Damn I am proud of my country!" I'm going to say when we kicked Saddam out of Kuwait in the first Gulf War.

knox said...

Not St. McCain!

In the rush to be clever, you have made one of the most lame attempts at a *score* I've seen on this blog--I can't think of anyone who loves McCain, much less thinks he's perfect. And this is about the last place you'll find people who revere politicians.

If you're going to make "St." comments make them about Barack. That'd be a lot more relevant.

Der Hahn said...

If you're going to make "St." comments make them about Barack.

Obama's been demoted????

MadisonMan said...

I think that the current rumors about Senator McCain and Sacagawea are a bald faced smear by the main stream media.

If it's a lie, how come he carries her around in his pants pocket?

The Drill SGT said...

and here I thought all along that Obama was either Prophet or an Arch-Angel.

only a Saint? bummer man :(

Trooper York said...

"If it's a lie, how come he carries her around in his pants pocket?"

Because Susan B. Anthony wouldn't go for it. I think she is a thespian. You know how touchy they can be.

Trooper York said...

Plus the allegation is that he was in her pants not that she was in his pants. Sharpen up.

tituscookie said...

Good afternoon fellow republicans.

I have to admit, as someone who is quite often horny, this story makes me not horny.

I am more interested in policy papers. I don't want to hear about anyones personal sex life.

tituscookie said...

I believe in privacy and discretion.

Newspapers as well as US citizens should not air any of their sexual dalliances.

It is wrong and offensive to me.

Trooper York said...

titus cookie said.....
"I am more interested in policy papers. I don't want to hear about anyone’s personal sex life."

I hereby nominate this as the funniest thing ever said on the Althouse blog.

bill said...

Never works out well when Gods are revealed to be mortal men:

“‘She’ll do,’ said Dan, looking her over. ‘What’s to be afraid of, lass? Come and kiss me.’ He puts his arm round her. She shuts her eyes, gives a bit of a squeak, and down goes her face in the side of Dan’s flaming red beard.

“‘The slut’s bitten me!’ says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and, sure enough, his hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and two of his matchlock-men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into the Bashkai lot, while the priests howls in their lingo, — ‘Neither god nor devil but a man!’ I was all taken aback, for a priest cut at me in front, and the Army behind began firing into the Bashkai men.

“‘God A-mighty!’ says Dan. ‘What is the meaning o’ this?’

“‘Come back! Come away!’ says Billy Fish. ‘Ruin and Mutiny is the matter. We’ll break for Bashkai if we can.’

“I tried to give some sort of orders to my men — the men o’ the regular Army — but it was no use, so I fired into the brown of ’em with an English Martini and drilled three beggars in a line. The valley was full of shouting, howling creatures, and every soul was shrieking, ‘Not a god nor a devil but only a man!’ The Bashkai troops stuck to Billy Fish all they were worth, but their matchlocks wasn’t half as good as the Kabul breech-loaders, and four of them dropped. Dan was bellowing like a bull, for he was very wrathy; and Billy Fish had a hard job to prevent him running out at the crowd.

“‘We can’t stand,’ says Billy Fish. ‘Make a run for it down the valley! The whole place is against us.’ The matchlock-men ran, and we went down the valley in spite of Dravot’s protestations. He was swearing horribly and crying out that he was a King. The priests rolled great stones on us, and the regular Army fired hard, and there wasn’t more than six men, not counting Dan, Billy Fish, and Me, that came down to the bottom of the valley alive.

Bissage said...

Rumor has it St. Obama's hung like a black dude.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Is anyone seriously surprised about the NYT publishing this story. Geeewiz do you think there is an agenda here??

I believe that I predicted just this on this blog.

1. The media squeezes out any other viable Republican candidates, (the more conservative candidates that the party actually wanted.) By publishing only negative articles about Romney, Thompson, Guiliani, Hunter etc. Or by not giving them any air/face time, while stressing the least attractive candidates Huckabuck and McCain.

2. They endorse McCain all the while knowing that they have this hatchet job on the back burner.

3. The NYT waits until all the other choices have been completely taken away from the Republican Party, by their own machinations. No point in breaking this story until after the primaries are mostly done otherwise we might have had the opportunity to vote in different candidate.

4. Now that it their chosen candidate for the Republicans is all but locked in.....Pounce, Smear, Innuendo, Lie, Distort and do anything they can to throw a National Election.

Given that this has been their pattern for the last 8 years in regards to the Bush administration. Really.... are we all shocked, Shocked, SHOCKED???

BTW: Is anyone in the media at all interested in Bush's Africa visit and how well he is being received? If it were a Democrat doing the same tour (as Clinton did) or just imagine Obama making this historic visit... don't you think the media coverage would be orgasmic? Instead most people don't even know about it.

But they will make sure we know about a 10 year old non story that can throw the election their way.

Sorry Michelle O....my cynicism remains firmly ensconced in my world view.

MadisonMan said...

BTW: Is anyone in the media at all interested in Bush's Africa visit and how well he is being received?

It has been noticeable that the trip is not covered, IMO. I do know he was giving out mosquito netting somewhere. The five countries visited - Benin, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana, Liberia - aren't exactly international players, though. I'm wondering why he didn't send Cheney -- doesn't this sound more like a vice-Presidential type trip to you?

Anonymous said...

Mormens came to my door and I honestly exchanged a few kind words with them being people and took their card.It wasn't bad. Really. I now collect holy cards that mean something, because it is amazing: the faith that a little card can represent, not about religion, but about people.
And I am not being sarcastic here.
My St. Christopher laminated card I put in the glove compartment of my car and sharpeed over

the phrase:


I am a Catholic - In case of an accident please call a priest


it now reads

I was a Catholic -In case of an accident pray anyway!

Also:

I am voting for Hillary when she divorces Bill (which would say much more about honesty and character) and when she takes Mike Gravel as her VP. Yea, like that will happen.

Otherwise my vote don't matter at all in any state as I vote third party or for the underdog.

Note:
I already got the thrill of seeing the number 12 in the newspaper after the guy I voted for. It made me feel special, almost as if they had printed my name in the newspaper. I am not famous like Ann Althouse or Glenn Reynolds and haven't had my name in the paper since the birth of my last son. Or maybe when I was admitted to the hospital that other time. So you know that 12 was special for me. But now the specialty of voting has worn off: about being counted.

all from Hoosierland, the forgotten lake state, except for Lake County, the national poster child for absentee ballot fraud, or so I read.

Elliott A said...

One of the happier consequences of our wide open society is that most people recognize that indiscretions of various sorts are an annoying but all too human trait to which none of us are immune.Anyone who sees the 63 year old guy with the pretty 32 year old would know the dance they are sharing. Where once deadly to candidates, these indiscretions just act to humanize them. The MSM dinosaurs haven't figured out yet that most of us don't care. We know that we'll hear that someone didn't buy girl scout cookies, got kicked out of a little league game as coach, etc. A person that went through life with no "what the hell did I just do?" moments is far less worthy of public office thatn a human with one or two wrong turns.

Peter V. Bella said...

Trooper York said...
titus cookie said.....
"I am more interested in policy papers. I don't want to hear about anyone’s personal sex life."

I hereby nominate this as the funniest thing ever said on the Althouse blog.



I second the nomination.

Roger J. said...

titus's discretion about his sex life is a wonderful example to us all--we are forever in his debt.

ricpic said...

Titus is such a prude.

Anonymous said...

A person that went through life with no "what the hell did I just do?" moments is far less worthy of public office thatn a human with one or two wrong turns.

c'mon that depends on who you are too. Checking into places like the Betty Ford clinic is a positive rather than checking into the every persons county health clinic might get you on the unemployed list 4ever. Would public josephine's own lawyer give her a lead for work or just tell her to see another psychologist? That is, if you never before held down employment for more than nine months in your adult life.

All saints not being equal or even existing at all.

former law student said...

Why go after McCain now? Why not? Readers love reading political scandals. I recently read that Obama is the half-black Muslim product of an international Jewish Communist conspiracy, who endorses the racist anti-Semitic platform of the United Church of Christ, and further that Michelle Obama hates America.

This is a good chance to quote from my favorite book on politics, All the King's Men. "The Boss" is the Huey Long character, Willie Stark: The Boss knew all about the so-called fallacy of the Argumentum ad hominem. "It may be a fallacy," he said, "but it is shore-God useful. If you use the right kind of argumentum you can always scare the hominem into a laundry bill he didn't expect."

The book is written from the perspective of Jack, Willie's staffer. Jack had a mentor growing up called The Judge. The Judge endorsed a candidate whose opponent was favored by The Boss. As an excuse, he claimed some dirt on the Boss's candidate had been called to his attention. In retaliation, The Boss tells Jack to dig up dirt on The Judge:

I said, "But suppose there isn't anything to find?"

And the Boss said, "There is always something."

And he said, "Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something."

Two miles more, and he said, "And make it stick."

Little Jackie made it stick, all right.

former law student said...

I see no contradiction here: Titus wants to see Ann's "tits" and Obama's "hog," not hear about them.

Ricardo said...

Althouse: "OKAY, I'M TAKING OVER."

Why does this remind me of Alexander Haig ("I'm in charge, here")?

ricpic said...

"...Obama is the half-black Muslim product of an international Jewish conspiracy, who endorses the racist anti-semitic platform of the United Church of Christ..."

For once, an accurate assessment! Even the Jewish anti-semitism rings true.

ricpic said...

Rumor has it St. Obama's hung like a black dude.

My guess is his schlong (whatever the length) is freckled.

Hoosier Daddy said...

What is the big deal? McCain is a Navy guy, those guys are any port in a storm. I mean its expected isn't it? And Cindy McCain is a major babe. All that talk about zoomies being the shiznit is crap. Bomber pilots don't just make history, they get all the hot chicks too!

MadisonMan said...

And Cindy McCain is a major babe.

Was.

blake said...

Finding something and making it stick is epitomozed by last year's foreign-language Oscar winner The Lives of Others (Das Leben der anderen).

Watch out, though, Titus, there's some fairly graphic sex in there. You might be offended.

Trooper York said...

Madison Man, I hope you believe in age appropriate dating. Cindy is still very hot. I do admit to missing Jeri Thompson though. I can't seem to get behind Mrs. Obama. What's her first name by the way, Omarosa?

Peter V. Bella said...

MadisonMan said...
And Cindy McCain is a major babe.



It's those form fitting leather jackets she wears.

Hoosier Daddy said...

And Cindy McCain is a major babe.

MadisonMan said Was.

Nah. Still a babe. Unless of course you aren't into older women. I prefer experience.

MadisonMan said...

Middle Class guy, I did not say Cindy was hot. She looks harsh to me.

Mrs. Obama's first name is Michelle.

mythusmage said...

Peter hoh,

You're the one who didn't have Gary's mailing address back in 1992.