११ ऑगस्ट, २०११

McCain won't apologize for calling Tea Partiers "hobbits" — "Why should I if it was a fact?"

It's a fact that Tea Partiers are hobbits?
Constituent: "Are you saying you're not apologizing?"

McCain: "I don't know what to apologize for."

Heard in the back: "For calling tea partiers hobbits!"

McCain: "What I said was true."
It's true that Tea Partiers are hobbits? You know, that's a real taunt. Let's say I call you a prick, and you say I should apologize, and I say, "Why should I apologize? It's true! You are a prick!" That's doubling down — a deliberate attempt to piss you off. And if you think that sounds as though I'm insinuating that McCain is a prick, I will not apologize. You know why?

Now, some people like to say hobbits were the good guys, so it wasn't even an insult in the first place. (Which makes me think of another answer to anyone who complains about my "prick" insult, above.) Anyway, yesterday, some guy called in to Rush Limbaugh's show to make the hobbits-are-good argument:
... I think conservatives should embrace being called hobbits by the establishment because in the movie the Lord of the Rings the hobbits are the heroes who succeed where the elites have failed in defeating a tyranny.  The movie is about power.  There's a ring of power, and all these elites are unable to give up the power.  Whenever they get the ring, they're corrupted, but the hobbits are the only characters in the entire movie who resist the power and are willing to relinquish the power and defeat the tyranny.  So, I mean it's... I mean, that's not what McCain was intending. He was intending to insult us, but actually hobbits are the heroes.
Rush was not buying this own-the-insult gambit:
That's a long thought process to trying to feel positive.  The bottom line is, people don't want to be insulted by losers!  McCain is a loser!
Rush said "Look, if you want to be called a hobbit, I mean, I'll be glad to call you a hobbit."
Frankly, sir, as a giant in the industry and in humanity, I could never be a hobbit and I could not be happy being a hobbit, but if you want to be one, and if you draw strength from it, have at it!  I myself will remain a giant, happily so, and they know it.  Don't call me a hobbit.
Who had the better argument? Rush or the caller? Remember the attempt by Tea Partiers to get the upper hand by embracing the insult "tea bagger"?

१९६ टिप्पण्या:

Scott म्हणाले...

McCain is part of the Washington political class that feels they are somehow elevated above the unwashed masses. We're "hobbits" or "goo goos" (believers in "good government" -- a sneer word in Washington).

Hey, if McCain wants to marginalize himself, more power to him. Time for him to be sent to retirement by the people of Arizona in the next election.

Rumpletweezer म्हणाले...

McCain reminds me of Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings. He did wonderful things when he was young, but now he's old, feeble, and useless. Let's put McCain on a boat and ship him off to fairyland to live out the rest of his life.

Scott M म्हणाले...

He can spin it all he wants now, as is his wont. But if you back and listen to the audio or, indeed, watch the video, he was NOT championing the scrappy little furfoots. He was deriding the Tea Party as living in a fantasy world.

He's a dinosaur. A relic. He needs to be chucked with the rest of the GOP establishment members of Congress.

WV - "hanatot" A hottentot named Hana

John henry म्हणाले...

I for one do not understand how the word "Hobbit" is insulting.

The only thing small about hobbits is their height.

I know that McCain meant it to be insulting but really. Has he ever read the books or seen the movie? What does he think a hobbit is?

Perhaps we should start going around using the word McCain as an insult.

"That Garage Mahal is such a McCain. What an incompetent tosser"

John Henry

I'm Full of Soup म्हणाले...

I have never seen one of their movies but don't Hobbits have short arms? Which would make it hard for them to do "all the reaching across the aisle" that McCain loves to do.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Yea, with his reelection under his belt he's a "maverick" tough guy again, eh?

Arizona, really, what were you thinking?

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Gee and Mr. Crankypants wonders why he lost to Obama…or why folks voted for Palin in 2008? John McCain is to extend the metaphor, an example of why I came to despise Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Tolkien and McCain believe in the Rule of the “Good and the Wise.” McCain sees himself as Gandalf, doing good even if we unwashed don’t see it, now. It’s like in 2000, he advocated no tax cuts, but leaving the money in DC, “to pay down the debt.” Like a bunch of DC politicians were going to use the money for THAT, rather than more domestic pork! It was OUR money, but John McCain “knew”, better than us poor “Hobbits” how to spend our money.

I tell you, I am not sad he lost.

Superdad म्हणाले...

In the words of our president, "Let's be clear." McCain as and always has been a dick. And, he has not done anything that could be called "good" at any point in his political career. The was a POW in Nam and for that we owe him a certain amount of respect. But as a politician he has never been anything other than an crass opportunist.

Lincolntf म्हणाले...

At least he didn't call us Bobbits.

narciso म्हणाले...

McCain is clearly King Theoden, misled by the Grima Wormtongues of
the World, has Salter rejoined his staff, Professor Althouse, 'Teabaggers' wasn't about Tea, that's the difference

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Arizona, really, what were you thinking
They were thinking that his opponent, Rep. J. D. Hayworth was a “tool” and no better than McCain…and they may well have been correct.

ricpic म्हणाले...

McCain is beyond RINO, he's aggressively progressive, which makes it a mystery to this day as to how he became the Republican nominee in '08.

Triangle Man म्हणाले...

I hope you people see now that Althouse was correct to vote against McCain. Also, I think she just called McCain a prick.

Martin L. Shoemaker म्हणाले...

Hobbits were simple, ordinary folk who just wanted to be left alone; but when called upon, the best of them did what was necessary to stop tyranny -- and what none of the elite could do.

I'm sorry if Rush can't see the metaphor there. I'm not surprised Senator McCain can't see it.

But "a fact"? Senator, if this is how you define "fact", it explains a lot about your career.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

I see McCain hatred the same way I saw Bush hatred - as some kind of twisted reflex of a cultish '60s mindset that despises the iconography of the American male.

Sorry folks, but you didn't kill or demoralize us all, and I'm glad.

Better them than what you replaced them with.

Upset over the word "hobbits" - and demanding an apology?

How can McCain be wrong when you're proving how small you really are,...

chickelit म्हणाले...

I'm neutral on the alleged hobbit slur, having never soaked in Tolkien.

Crusty McCain has never been apologetic. It's in the forward to his book.

Was Rush Limbaugh's vote for McCain just a negative vote against Obama?
_________________
wv = scarmi: Scarmi-mi fa brutto, mi fa sanguinare..

Curious George म्हणाले...

"Triangle Man said...
I hope you people see now that Althouse was correct to vote against McCain. Also, I think she just called McCain a prick."

Yes, because Obama and his administration have been so respectful of the Tea Party.

And Obama has done such a bang up job.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

The very idea - of demanding an apology - is laughable:

You ABANDONED HIM for a fucking socialist.

Not the liberals - you - including Ann. He was called a racist. he was called crazy for picking Palin.

Hobbits?

I'm surprised he doesn't call you worse than that,...

SomeoneHasToSayIt म्हणाले...

McCain's not all that bright, and that shows up frequently when he tries to express his thoughts, verbally.

When he said "It's true", I'm pretty sure he, in his inept way, was referring to the fact that one of the media sites/news orgs had used that term in an editorial.

This is not an excuse for his hackeyned behavior, just an explanation.

Tank म्हणाले...

The word "Hobbit" is not the important aspect of this. It's the utter disrespect this loser has for millions of Americans who simply want smaller gov't and responsible gov't finances.

Why is he trying to demonize or marginalize the very people his party generally look to for support.

Every time he opens his yap he gives AA another excuse for voting for Zero.

Peano म्हणाले...

Who had the better argument? Rush or the caller?

Another debate not worth having. Move on.

DADvocate म्हणाले...

McCain must be getting senile. Insisting that someone is a fictional character is rather absurd on its face.

McCain is more a part of the problem than the solution. He's more invested in maintaining the inside the beltway power structure than fixing things. This just reinforces how fucked we were the last presidential election. Chide him and deride him.

george म्हणाले...

The analogy is correct. It takes a big person to turn down the power to order the lives of millions as they see fit. That Tolkien made Hobbits small of stature is heartening in that it shows it is the content of our character that will allow us to prevail.

So let's complete the analogies.

Rahm - Grymma Wormtongue
Obama - Sauron (of course)
Michelle - Balrog
McCain - Saruman (supposedly good but ultimately takes Sauron's side because of his own lust for power)

The cast of characters on the side of evil is very easy to fill out. Alas we seem to be missing an Aragorn or a Gandalf. Palin seems to be Galadriel... eschewing power for herself when offered it so that she will not be corrupted and to continue using what power she has to work behind the scenes for good.

Yeah, McCain meant it as an insult but he is too stupid to get the analogy right. It is amazing how even the thought of a movement to limit the power of government and to restore even a hint of fiscal sanity is enough to drive all of these people over the edge. It is telling what lengths they are willing to go and what they are willing to say to try to preserve their own power.

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Is this another Onion News Network piece? The entire news cycle has been hijacked by the Onion guys.

RimrockR म्हणाले...

I would like to first apologize on behalf of the Great State of Arizona for sending this tool back to Washington for yet another term. I don't know why, frankly, we keep doing so – I guess it's difficult for opponents to succeed against a double threat War Hero and the candidate from Budweiser. But given all that, I agree with the caller. Clearly the term hobbit doesn't have any meaning to McCain because he is a cultural illiterate and none of the sycophants that work for him dare to educate the “great man”. In real life when someone we know flubs a cultural reference like McCain has, we all snicker – sometimes in public to their face and often in the privacy of our homes behind their back. So in such cases the attempt at an insult ends up boomeranging back to the insulter. Sadly, McCain is inheriting the mantle of Robert Byrd and (unless he actually gets back his personal honor that he is squandering daily) will have a life of being wheeled in to the Senate Chamber to make votes that his staff has determined are in their best interest. So I quote the immortal Paul Rubens in response to McCain's hobbit insult by saying “I know you are, but what am I?”

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

McCain is insulting Hobbits. He should apologize to Bilto and Frodo.

Maybe he meant to say "hobbled" or "hobgoblins."

cubanbob म्हणाले...

McCain is past his sell by date. John, thanks for your service but now its time for you to go home and get out of the way.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

The caller had the better argument..

The tea party is not a mirror of the democrat party.. entrenched victim/interest groups with the common belief that government should run every aspect of our lives.

Fred4Pres म्हणाले...

John McCain is now completely dead to me. He is a foolish old man and should go away.

Fred4Pres म्हणाले...

And with that still a better pick than Barack Obama.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

So is Al Gore the giant tree?

Ultimately a good guy?

Triangle Man म्हणाले...

Yes, because Obama and his administration have been so respectful of the Tea Party.

And Obama has done such a bang up job.


You think the Tea Party would have accomplished more under McCain than when battling the "usurper"?

Bill म्हणाले...

It's not a matter of choosing to own the insult. It's mocking McCain for not seeing the irony in his own comment.

McCain meant to call us hobbits in that we were naive and foolish in our idealism. I'm wondering if he even read the books or saw the movie. He comes across more like Boromir, thinking he's got all the answers.

It would be like saying "Ha! You're like little insignificant farm boy Luke Skywalker in a little X-wing and I'm a massive, powerful Death Star! So there!" What do you say to that "um... okay"?

Triangle Man म्हणाले...

Plus Obama got Bin Laden.

अनामित म्हणाले...

McCain is a pretend-statesman that sanctimoniously helped preside over the cataclysm we are all facing.

He and his esteemed colleagues are all supposed to be leaders looking out of the front of the bus, seeing the potholes and cliffs and steering the nation around them.

And every problem we now face snuck up on the whole lot of them and knocked them right on their oft-kissed keisters.

These aren't guardians and protectors - these are complete charlatans.

Or worse, they are plunderers from inside the walls.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

McCain's got his problems - and I mean a LOT of 'em - but he still stands head-and-shoulders above the average American today. And if you guys don't know when to offer your own apologies to someone, then expecting them in return should get you nowhere.

You don't own him, and when it comes to personal fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds in defense of this country, you couldn't come up to his ankles - and now you dare to judge?

Put it to rest, you guys - you're not hobbits, you're snails:

Much, much, too s-l-o-w.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

McCain has been overlooked by evolution.

Rich B म्हणाले...

I notice that there has been a decline in the use of "tea bagger" as the left has shifted to the use of Tea Party so that the uninformed won't be confused as to the identity of the enemy.

Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...

Maverick McCain up to his old tricks..

Must be looking for some face time on the old tube.

Bill म्हणाले...

what do you say to that except "um... okay"?

sigh.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"Rahm - Grymma Wormtongue
Obama - Sauron (of course)
Michelle - Balrog
McCain - Saruman (supposedly good but ultimately takes Sauron's side because of his own lust for power)

"Palin seems to be Galadriel... eschewing power for herself when offered it so that she will not be corrupted and to continue using what power she has to work behind the scenes for good."


Hahahahahahahaha! OMFG!

George...dude...get a grip...come up out of the basement and breathe in the bitter fumes of reality.

The truth is virtually everyone in Washington is Gollum, but they all imagine themselves to be Sauron.

Sauron is a collective entity, a hive mind that populates the board rooms of Wall Street and the banks and ancillary financial institutions.

Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North.

Synova म्हणाले...

Who was trying to get people to accept Tea Bagger? Oh, I doubt anyone would have minded at first because so few had any notion at all what that meant (I only did because my kids play on-line shooters) but there really is no reformation of the term Tea Bagger.

Hobbit isn't a compliment, even if I still have no notion what it's supposed to mean, because it wasn't meant as a compliment. The thing is that it's just as meaningless either way. Trying to reform it really does take a lot of convoluted thinking.

OTOH, the notion that one can excuse insult by claiming fact seems to be going mainstream. McCain's opinion is not "fact" any more than that civility journalist lady's opinion becomes "fact". And then we turn around and apply a right to "opinion" and "agree to disagree" to things that actually are factual or factual errors.

Is "hobbit" a fact? Of course not. Nor is some statement about the desire of the Tea Party to destroy the nation and thus earn the label "terrorist" anything remotely objective.

Mutnodjmet म्हणाले...

Althouse: I discuss the positive aspects you hinted at during your "prick" analysis here during a discussion of a related term's use in a media debate:

http://templeofmut.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/actually-obama-is-more-like-an-appendix/

Elitist "civility" can kiss my Tea Party posterior.

chickelit म्हणाले...

John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was a big reason why I voted for him. I know that brings out howls of ridicule* from the Sullivanists and closet Sullivanists lurking here. The fact is that she would have tempered any Presidency he would have erected.

__________
*Ride bene chi ride ultimo

Jeff H म्हणाले...

Alas, my feet are not furry.

Synova म्हणाले...

Acting all offended is silly. Though I don't mind calling McCain out. But demanding apologies is so, so, progressive. Really! Was someone's feelings actually hurt? How can something so meaningless hurt feelings?

The excuse that it's a "fact" is idiotic, of course. And the notion that "fact" excuses incivility is self-serving rationalization.

But still.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Mutnodjmet,

Elitist "civility" can kiss my Tea Party posterior.

There's a start in the right direction. Chickenlittle's comment, too.

The rest of you better start developing some self-awareness or else, as reality continues it's march, you're gonna get left behind.

TOTWTYTR म्हणाले...

Worse than being a prick, McCain is irrelevant and desperate for attention. Only the MSM cares what he has to say, and only because he's a "tame" Republican.

Tyrone Slothrop म्हणाले...

There's no point in arguing whether being called a hobbit is an insult or not. The real point here is that McCain intended to insult the Tea Party by calling them hobbits. Rush is right. McCain snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. He's a loser.

It amuses me though that the man is not literate enough to know, as Rumpletweezer put it so well above, that hobbits defeated the supreme evil in spite of the corruption of their "betters".

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Synova,

Acting all offended is silly. Though I don't mind calling McCain out. But demanding apologies is so, so, progressive. Really!

I'm trying to tell them - "a cultish '60s mindset that despises the iconography of the American male" - they are the problem, not McCain. I see it in every "McCain would've been worse" comment that comes along, too.

A bunch of fucking hippies, now pretending to be men.

Men never would've let this shit happen.

Fen म्हणाले...

Racist hobbit terrorists! McCain beclowns himself.

Hey John, you spent 20 years postioning yourself as the Maverick Moderate. Compromise. Reconciliation. You threw our principles under the bus to gain traction as a "darling" of the MSM.

And when it came time to cash that chit in, the voters said "Meh".

How does it feel?

Chip S. म्हणाले...

The worst part of the McCain clip that made the rounds the other day was that he pulled the "sorry if you were offended" ploy.

Do you think he really knows what a hobbit is? I think he was just repeating something he heard on CNN or from Meghan and thought he was being clever. The tree is never far from the acorn.

The Dude म्हणाले...

McCain said something? Who cares? I voted for the old bastard because he was less bad than that cocksucker Obama, not because he was worth a shit. Even with the passage of time he still isn't worth a shit.

Joseph of FP म्हणाले...

My response to the issue -
a hobbitized Gadsden Flag! :)

Fen म्हणाले...

Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North.

I thought Bachmann was the witch?

Is she a hobbit witch?

Fen म्हणाले...

LOL Joseph!

Andrea म्हणाले...

"McCain reminds me of Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings. He did wonderful things when he was young, but now he's old, feeble, and useless."

Then you haven't read the book or even understood the movie version. Old he was (and in Tolkien's universe, unlike in ours, that was no crime) Bilbo certainly was not considered "feeble and useless" -- instead he was beloved of all his friends, considered an important person by the Elves, and he got to go into the West (basically, to Heaven) with Frodo at the end.

McCain, on the other hand, needs to be put on the retirement raft and floated into obscurity.

Quaestor म्हणाले...

And if you think that sounds as though I'm insinuating that McCain is a prick, I will not apologize.

Prick, loony, or typical bully sniping from a position of safety (he's not up for re-election until 2016, when he'll retire) -- take your pick.

Does the Arizona constitution permit recall?

Chip S. म्हणाले...

I thought Bachmann was the witch?

Here's the official media guide to winger women.

wv goarum. from the Taiwanese animated video of this "hobbit" kerfuffle.

Writ Small म्हणाले...

McCain's original speech called Tea Party House members who thought they could get massive deficit recution by threatening a default when Dems controled the Senate and the White House. That is Tea Party HOUSE MEMBERS - not Tea Partiers in general.

Calling them Hobbits meant they were well intentioned but were under-sized to meet the challenge they expected to fight and living in a freaking fantasy world if they thought they could win a total victory.

Face it. He was right.

He is making a mistake by not realizing his enemies are trying to conflate House members tea partiers and tea partiers in general. He does not need to aplogize for his speech, but he does need to make sure people like Rush aren't successful in blurring that distinction.

As for the caller to Rush's show: weak.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

No one tosses a hobbit.

Bill Dalasio म्हणाले...

Actually the context of McCain's comment is particularly noteworthy. McCain referenced the Tea Partiers as "hobbits who think they can vanquish Mordor and return to the Shire". That is particularly telling about McCain's mindset. The notion fits particularly with the longstanding republican (small-R) ethos of a citizenry interested in setting things right and returning to hearth and home to eschew the doings of court. That McCain finds such an ethos distasteful is quite telling.

Andrea म्हणाले...

"Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North."

Wrong book. Aslan wouldn't even eat you for breakfast -- the lukewarm get "spit out," don't you know.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Writ Small,

Face it. He was right.

There is a quality, in a large part of the American population, that will not only cause them to defend the wrong things, but attempt to portray a certitude when doing so, that's just breathtaking.

Look at these comments, so sure McCain is wrong and should be put out to pasture - by people who aren't even half the man he is and never will be.

Isn't he supposed to be dead by now, according to a lot of folks? What happened?

You're not only wrong, but you're losers, and can't admit it.

Grow the fuck up:

There's a man in the room.

O2BNAZ म्हणाले...

According to wikipedia it was the hobbits who destroyed the Ring of power created by the Dark Lord to gain dominion over the free people of middle earth…just sayin...maybe its not such a bad label...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Ring

Hagar म्हणाले...

McCain is the son and grandson of admirals. He did not grow up in our world.

Fen म्हणाले...

Grow the fuck up:

Oh go compromise yourself.

Again.

G Joubert म्हणाले...

But demanding apologies is so, so, progressive. Really! Was someone's feelings actually hurt? How can something so meaningless hurt feelings?

I don't think it was about hurt feelings. Instead, I'd say it was an effort at rapproachment, to see if McCain had it in him to acknowledge some merit in the Tea Party view, and to give him an opportunity to express it. But McCain was having none of that. McCain definitely has a flat spot in his thinking wheel. It shows itself in several ways. This is just one.

But, given the choices in the general election, I voted for him in '08 and I don't regret it.

Ross MacLochness म्हणाले...

OK, McCain, have it your way. Next time it won't be the Tea Party's boot in your bottom, it'll be a furry foot.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)


Get over your man-crush on McCain, Crack…..He’s a nasty publicity hound…being catapulted from an Attack Carrier and being shot down does NOT “make you a man.” He did nothing more or LESS than hundreds of other “men.” Only the vast majority of them didn’t go to DC.

Was he brave, sure…was he tortured sure…none of that means we need to deify the Old Coot.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Okay, the hobbits were the only peoples of Middle Earth who could not be corrupted instantly by the ring.
Bilbo was feeling it but if Gandalf had so much as put it on, he would have been campaigning for Barney Frank.
And Obama is not Sauron. Sauron is a planner, he has accomplishments and rejects racism as policy (only Sauron sees the Orcs as other than fodder)
I am surprised no one has proposed the real Sauron, George Soros.

Soros, Sauron, Sauron, Soros

Come on!

Tyrone Slothrop म्हणाले...

Typical Crack. LOTR isn't a "sixties cult", it was written in the thirties. The heroes in it are as manly as heroes come, but you wouldn't know that since you apparently never read it.

McCain deserves our respect as a warrior, but as a source of national policy the man is befuddled and inept.

Clyde म्हणाले...

If the Tea Partiers are hobbits, does that make McCain, who pretends to be on their side but isn't, Saruman?

Now, I'm not advocating that he should be attacked by Ents, but if it should happen, well, that would just be too bad. Better still, he should be primaried, thrown out of office and ridden out of Washington on rail. Tar and feathers are optional.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

G Joubert,

McCain definitely has a flat spot in his thinking wheel.

Really? He's been screaming about spending long before the Tea Party came along - what are we to him but late bloomers? And he picked Palin. And he didn't return fire when called a racist, or old, or watching the country run over him to become the patsy to a socialist - and then go Tea Party.

The 'flat spot" is when cultish thinking is unleashed in this country and everyone who's under it's spell decides to blame someone else for their insane acts.

This country owes McCain an apology, not the other way around.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

Well, he is a prick. That really pissed of the North Vietnamese too. Now in this conflict, he has a hard time figuring out which side he's on without the uniforms.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Lem,

Thanks for the Gore/Ent laugh.

1. McCain meant to be insulting, but asking for apology from him is idiotic. McCain is yesterday's trash, ignore him. Sure, he'll turn up the volume, and try to grab media attention in destructive ways, but he is otherwise irrelevant.

2. Rush is somewhat right, but

3. You should use all of the other side's errors against them. Therefore, I think it is healthy for the insulted to recognize that McCain didn't really understand how the use of "Hobbit" could be used by the Tea Partiers to their own advantage - by taking the analogy further. Recognizing that Hobbits were fighting evil, entrenched powers, that those around them could be coopted by the lust for power. Also, it could give them hope that no matter how dark it looks, the Hobbits won.

It would be funny at a tea party rally to have fake fur feet and a symoblic toppling of the tower of Mordor.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Acting all offended is silly. Though I don't mind calling McCain out. But demanding apologies is so, so, progressive. Really! Was someone's feelings actually hurt? How can something so meaningless hurt feelings?"

Demanding an apology is a rhetorical device. It works as a way of calling more attention to the offense and making the offender squirm. That's why just apologizing is often the best response.

The key point here is that it was an insult. It's an insult because it was intended as an insult, just like calling someone a prick. You can say "but pricks really are good!" It won't change the fact that you were insulted.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

Hobbits are good and cool. Thanks, John. That should be the response from the Tea Party. But being offended is just too irresistible. I've never had that. I don't care much what people say when I know I'm right.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

McCain was saying I am a big man (like Rush's giant) and the Tea Partiers are the little people.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Really? He's been screaming about spending long before the Tea Party came along - what are we to him but late bloomers? And he picked Palin. And he didn't return fire when called a racist, or old, or watching the country run over him to become the patsy to a socialist - and then go Tea Party
And he has advocated AGAINST tax cuts, and FOR keeping the money in DC, where he and his can spend it “better.” McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, the Gang of 14….McCain is Do-Gooder, he wants to “do-good”…he doesn’t really trust YOU to “do-good” it might not meet his definition of “going good.” Just let him make that call.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

An insult that is not received as one just sits there in the throwers hand like a hot potato.

roesch-voltaire म्हणाले...

Don't call Rush a hobbit, but black conservative D.R.Tucker has this to say about Rush:

Even after I stopped listening to Limbaugh, I still felt compelled to give him the benefit of the doubt on the question of race.

Until now.

I was repulsed when I learned that Limbaugh had depicted Obama as a burglar on the cover of the August 2011 issue of his publication, The Limbaugh Letter. Some images are politically incorrect but not bigoted. This image was bigoted.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

"the Tea Partiers are the little people."

Still not an insult. "We the little people still works." Anyone who announces that he is a big man, shrinks instantly

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

t-man,

It would be funny at a tea party rally to have fake fur feet and a symoblic toppling of the tower of Mordor.

Just take this as criticism - I'm not trying to insult you personally - but this IS the level I see you guys on. Like children, looking forward to fake furry feet as political expression, when there are real serious issues of right and wrong here to be discussed.

I could give a fuck what McCain meant by "hobbits," and I'm not going to start reading LOTR to find out - I know that in this battle, he is the giant and the Tea Party owes him as much of a debt of gratitude as anyone, but, like children - or, actually, hippies - they're expecting him to kiss their asses. Of course he said no - he's got no reason to say yes. He's the man in the room, not them. They're the Johnny-Come-Latelys. How dare they? It's like demanding your father bow down to you - not going to happen if he's really a man.

He didn't let us down - we let him down - and that's all there is to it.

And now you're just pouring on more of the same, while wishing you were wearing furry plastic feet.

How mature.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

I was repulsed when I learned that Limbaugh had depicted Obama as a burglar on the cover of the August 2011 issue of his publication, The Limbaugh Letter. Some images are politically incorrect but not bigoted. This image was bigoted
REALLY, I’m sure you or Mr Tucker can explain the “racism.” Aren’t you and/or Mr Tucker being racists? Are ALL burglars, Black, or all Blacks Burglars? That seems to be your interpretation and belief….R-V you fail again…stick to the class room.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"...I hope you people see now that Althouse was correct to vote against McCain..."

Why? She just voted for the guy who thinks I'm a bitter clinger. Both candidates were a shit sandwich just with different toppings.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

So is a photo of a black burglar bigoted? It's the same old shit: you can't make fun of this president, or it's racist. Of course technically only 50% bigoted.

Haven't you guys ever had an original thought since the 60s?

Fen म्हणाले...

I was repulsed when I learned that Limbaugh had depicted Obama as a burglar on the cover of the August 2011 issue of his publication, The Limbaugh Letter. Some images are politically incorrect but not bigoted. This image was bigoted.

Sure. If you are black, we can't compare you to a burglar. Because that would be bigoted...

R.C. म्हणाले...

In Tolkien, to be a hobbit is a good thing. In The Lord of the Rings the hobbits are a bunch of formerly not-politically-involved everyday folk who get involved in a time of crisis in order that everyday folk can continue living in everyday freedom and prosperity...and who, through courage and virtue, against all odds, win a decisive victory against dehumanizing oppression and preserve the freedom of millions.

A person who knows anything about the topic would use "hobbits" as an accurate descriptor, and a complimentary one, for the Tea Party.

But McCain used the term as an insult.

What does that tell us?

1. He doesn't know jack about Tolkien (which is a bit sad for him...but there's no shame in being ignorant of a particular author's work);

2. He's willing to make, and even to double-down on, comments using terms he doesn't know jack about (which shows he's a fool);

3. He viscerally dislikes the Tea Party influence on American Politics (that is to say, the influence of principled conservatism);

4. He has an inclination, habit, and perhaps a need, to draw the favorable attention of the media by backstabbing his fellow Republicans or potential political allies (which is to say: he's a treacherous attention whore).

So, to sum up:

The Tea Partiers are hobbits, and thank God for that;

McCain has never read a particular popular author;

McCain is a fool and a blowhard;

McCain is not a principled conservative and shows animosity towards principled conservatives;

McCain is a backstabbing attention whore.

So...little that we didn't already know.

The Dude म्हणाले...

He might have been a man, once, but he is a broken down old loser now. Go away, McCain, you are a useful idiot now.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Tea Party owes him as much of a debt of gratitude as anyone, but, like children - or, actually, hippies - they're expecting him to kiss their asses
Wow, Crack you must be McCain’s long-lost Love Child, the TEA Party owes McCain their gratitude, hey I’m sure HE feels that way…would you care to point out where McCain actually DID anything, rather than talked about doing something? Hey I guess TALKING about the deficit/debt is the same thing as holding the line in 2011, and ergo the TEA Party ought to stroke the Great Man’s Ego, even IF he does insult them. Again get over the man-crush…plus he stood up to Obama so well in the 2008 Campaign…I believe he explained that there was nothing to fear from an Obama Presidency.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North."

"Wrong book. Aslan wouldn't even eat you for breakfast -- the lukewarm get "spit out," don't you know."

FAIL.

I wasn't making a mistaken reference to LOTR and I didn't mean the Narnia books; I was making an allusion to the various witches of the Oz books...(or, actually, of The Wizard of Oz--the movie--as I've never read the books and don't know if the witches are there).

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

"I know that in this battle, he is the giant and the Tea Party owes him as much of a debt of gratitude as anyone..."

The people of this country who are being drained by D.C. don't owe any politician a dammed thing. McCain is part of what got us here. He's confused at best, not as bad as Obama, but still not part of the solution. If he got his way, we would keep going to hell. He's not the one being bankrupted. He'll be just fine noi matter what happens. Give me break. We don't need any more hero worship. We got a comic book hero in the White House now.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North."

"I thought Bachmann was the witch?

"Is she a hobbit witch?"


Bachmann is the Zealot Witch of the Frozen Midwest.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Joe said...
(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew),

And he has advocated AGAINST tax cuts, and FOR keeping the money in DC, where he and his can spend it “better.” McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, the Gang of 14….McCain is Do-Gooder, he wants to “do-good”…he doesn’t really trust YOU to “do-good” it might not meet his definition of “going good.” Just let him make that call.

And there's also the "green" thing and so much more - I told you I know - but what do you guys acknowledge as well? About yourselves - not him? Nothing. Because you're too interested in toppling the "old man" and pretending he's got no juice compared to your dumb asses.

Well, by not apologizing, he's still proving he's got more going on than you do. You can't make him do shit. Why? Because you're still wrong and he knows it. That bastard in the White House PROVES how silly you are.

roesch-voltaire,

Don't call Rush a hobbit, but black conservative D.R.Tucker has this to say about Rush:

Even after I stopped listening to Limbaugh, I still felt compelled to give him the benefit of the doubt on the question of race.

Until now.


Oh, who gives a fuck what D.R.Tucker says? Rush has been selling homeopathic concoctions for years, you don't see me abandoning him over it, do you?

These phony conservatives make me sick.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"..."Palin is the Phony Witch of the Frozen North.".."

I will hand it to Mr. Cook in that he isn't afraid to display hid sexism and hatred. Such honesty is refreshing among leftists.

edutcher म्हणाले...

Since most people neither know (or care) what a hobbit is, the whole thing is pretty much meaningless.

And what Fred said.

Triangle Man said...

Plus Obama got Bin Laden.

No, Leon Panetta did.

They had to pull Little Zero off the golf course for the group picture.

PS Cook shows what he really does when he's supposed to doing something at the Daily Worker. He slacks even while he's a slacker.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

bagoh20,

McCain is part of what got us here.

You guys must take me for as big an idiot as you want to portray yourselves as:

McCain's 2006 Fannie Letter.

You embarrass yourselves. (Bush spoke about it in 2005, BTW,...)

You let the real "pricks" rob us blind and you do nothing - NOTHING - but attack the messenger. ALWAYS. Kids, you can't fool me:

I'm Mr. Reality, remember?

You can't escape the shame you've covered yourselves with.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Crack-

No offense taken. I'm not saying that theatrics is all that TP's should do. Organization, beginning at the local, county and state level is going on and that is where things will be decided.

I was just saying that people can also use their opponents' errors to build comradery and keep spirits up when things look bad, and keeping spirits up is not something to shrug off as childish.

McCain is not a giant, except in his own mind. He would sell out a colleague for a favorable NYT editorial and his "maverick" style did more to hinder a unified GOP position on any important topic.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

I'm sorry - that should've been:

You can't escape the shame you've covered yourselves with by calling out somebody else.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

About yourselves - not him? Nothing. Because you're too interested in toppling the "old man" and pretending he's got no juice compared to your dumb asses.

Well, by not apologizing, he's still proving he's got more going on than you do. You can't make him do shit

What an incoherent SCREED that was…McCain can’t make me do anything either! SEE!!! So I’ve got the juice on HIM….Make me mow my yard John McCain! Make me cook dinner tonight…see he can’t so ergo McCain has no power over me and I am very powerful! At least as powerful as John McCain…you’re losing it dood.

So McCain has talked about debt, but believes in Cap n’Trade, and has done lotsa of other silly and dangerous things, BUT he gets a “pass?” Why? The TEA Party didn’t insult HM, he insulted THEM! But because he was shot down and talked about DC’s over-spending he’s sacrosanct? Don’t think so.

Cooke you blew it…Frozen North and Witch is mostly likely Narnia…IF you’re going to use “Pop Culture” please use it right, that seems to be McCain’s problem, he doesn’t grasp who or what the Hobbits were and did…that and his arrogant refusal to own up to being clueless.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

RC @ 10:08:

Just how I see it. He's just wrong again, and he rarely learns from it. That stubbornness is great when you know what your talking about or being tortured for info, but it's double edge sword, and he keeps cutting himself.

TOF म्हणाले...

McCain lost me when it became known that he was one of the "Keating Five."

Carol_Herman म्हणाले...

I won't apologize for calling McCain, McPain. A gigolo. And, a moron.

Vote for whom you like.

Though I do remember the republicans who selected McCain to the presidential slot ... kept saying they didn't like him much. But he was going to attract Hillary's voters. HA. HA.

McCain's not only stupid. He was racist enough to believe White People Wouldn't Vote For Black People.

Oh, and his best friend in the senate is Jon Carey.

They should strut with plumes of feathers in their hair. And, do the turkey trot.

And, Mitch McConnell is still, to me, the chinless wonder.

Do the Tea Party People scare republicans? You bet!

At least Nancy had the guts to carry a gavel ... and bring her attitude into the street.

Of course, if you say you heard the "N" word ... and then ... with all the cameras that surrounded that place ... So Breitbart kept his $100,000 ... which he would have paid to hear the "N" word said out loud ...

Just proves all the stinking politicians live in their own world.

All voted into office before Americans got as distressed as they are, today.

McCain, to me, is a picture of profanity.

I laugh. Because he is a joke. And, a gigolo.

Jim म्हणाले...

The name-calling by McCain is unfortunate because it distracts everyone from his point, which is true: holding the debt ceiling hostage to the approval of the fiscally ruinous Balanced Budget Amendment would have been insane. The people who thought that was a good idea were reckless and living in a fantasyland.

Jean म्हणाले...

Ann's new metonymy: McCain=dick!

ndspinelli म्हणाले...

I don't have any strong opinions on this. However, if I am ever in a battle, I want Sgt. Crack @ my side! He's got some Joe Frazier in him.

Jean म्हणाले...

Ann's new metonymy. McCain=dick.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

holding the debt ceiling hostage to the approval of the fiscally ruinous Balanced Budget Amendment would have been insane
Really explain, be thorough, show all your work, support all arguments, to wit…fiscally ruinous amendment, the politics of the decision to link the two issues.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

Crack, of course he's has his conservatism, and has voted very well on occasion, but he's incoherent politically - McCain-Feigngold?, Amnesty?, and many more. This was another error for him. You just can't count on him to see straight. He's got lots of kills, but a high friendly fire percentage.

Fen म्हणाले...

Jim, why do you think we have a debt ceiling?

roesch-voltaire म्हणाले...

A black conservative Jew is a phony conservative; I wonder who does that leave who is a "real" conservative and by what historical tradition do you define them?

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Jim, why do you think we have a debt ceiling
It, like the Electoral College, is OBVIOUSLY a hold-over from a bygone era, that has long-since outlived its usefulness.

G Joubert म्हणाले...

Crack Emcee

Really? He's been screaming about spending long before the Tea Party came along

Yeah, I know. McCain does have his redemptive qualities, and being a fiscal conservative is one of them. His flat spot shows itself here with this hobbit label, and in other things like the McCain-Feingold monstrosity (his own little personal healing journey for his Keating Five involvement), and his position on border control. He generally just cherishes his affected maverick persona way too much. It's his thumb to the eye of true conservatives, which he does to curry favor with the MSM. Like you, I'm also a navy veteran, and his navy service carries some weight with me, but some of the things he has said and done in his political career are just unacceptable.

El Presidente म्हणाले...

If we are going all LOTR then McCain would be Isildur. Isildur refused to destroy the One Ring because of greed and a thirst for power. Temptations that the Hobbits resisted.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

A black conservative Jew is a phony conservative; I wonder who does that leave who is a "real" conservative and by what historical tradition do you define them
I was defeated by facts.
It wasn’t all that long ago when I joined others on the right in dismissing concerns about climate change. It was my firm belief that the science was unsettled, that any movement associated with Al Gore and Van Jones couldn’t possibly be trusted, that environmentalists were simply left-wing, anti-capitalist kooks.


D. R> Tucker at the Frum Forum…it’s kind of prima facie evidence you aren’t a REAL conservative…..

ic म्हणाले...

Me think he is still mad at being humiliated by the hobbits in 2010. He was saved by the Hobbit Queen in the last minute and has 5 1/2 years to take his revenge.

Real man would be grateful for the help, little man was humiliated by the hobbit challenge.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

t-man,

No offense taken.

Good. Too many confuse my speaking style for hostility. I'm glad you know better.

I'm not saying that theatrics is all that TP's should do. Organization, beginning at the local, county and state level is going on and that is where things will be decided.

The Tea Party is brilliant, but it also has it's problems. I saw the danger during the debt ceiling debate. The TP was definitely veering into delusional territory and giving us a taste of what could go wrong.

I was just saying that people can also use their opponents' errors to build comradery and keep spirits up when things look bad, and keeping spirits up is not something to shrug off as childish.

But this wasn't McCain's error - and it's becoming the TPs. I, for one, will not be part of a force for wrong. I can see where power is already going to the TP's head, making them do things that's going to make me (and others) peel off.

I'm not a McCain-Or-Else guy, just as I'm not a TP-Or-Else guy, but I do think, under the circumstances, the proper respect (to both) should be shown. The truth is we owe McCain - even more now - not the other way around.

McCain is not a giant, except in his own mind.

That is about as big a lie as can be told today. McCain is an imperfect man, as are we all, but, in a feminist society, such a man stands taller than the pipsqueaks that pass for men now. I'm looking, right now, at a picture of John Wayne on my wall, what are you guys looking up to? Something featuring spandex, probably. There's just no comparison.

He would sell out a colleague for a favorable NYT editorial and his "maverick" style did more to hinder a unified GOP position on any important topic.

No - Republican immaturity did that. See? It's still HIS FAULT the rest of you won't grow up. Rush said we'd have to pull McCain over the line and then, once he's in the White House, talk to him about the issues. (This is correct because, then, McCain would've owed us.) But y'all acted like children, pretending you had a choice - right, Ann? - and the rest is this fucked-up history.

Grow up.

Squid म्हणाले...

You can promote his bravery all day long, Crack, but no man who cuts the legs out from under the First Amendment is fit to represent me in Congress, nor to preside over the Republic's bureaucracy.

Squash my political speech? You're disqualified. You can call that immaturity on my part if you'd like; your name-calling will affect me even less than McCain's.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"...holding the debt ceiling hostage to the approval of the fiscally ruinous Balanced Budget Amendment would have been insane...'

Indeed. Raising taxes and increasing spending is exactly what we need. I mean confiscatory taxes and massive spending have worked so well for Europe.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

BTW - you can hear it, still, in Ann's pronouncements already about the upcoming election:

No matter how awful we now know Obama to be, we have NO IDEA if she'll vote against him.

Now, if we lose the next election, will that be the R's candidate's fault - or the rest of you bastards not being determined to get rid of the evil we know?

The same metrics applied with McCain/Obama because we knew - KNEW - Obama offered nothing, and McCain, a lifetime of service above and beyond the call of duty.

The problem is y'all.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"Cooke you blew it…Frozen North and Witch is mostly likely Narnia...."

No.

I've never read the Narnia books and know nothing about them.

"Phony Witch" is play on "Good Witch" or "Wicked Witch," while "Frozen North" is a play on "West" or "East" (as in "Wicked Witch of the East") and refers to fricking Alaska, where Palin was governor!

I know you people are thick, but sheesh!

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Hoosier Daddy,

Raising taxes and increasing spending is exactly what we need. I mean confiscatory taxes and massive spending have worked so well for Europe.

We need to take the White House. That's the goal - not winning a stupid skirmish.

The Tea Party almost put everything in jeopardy.

richard mcenroe म्हणाले...

I really don't care what that senile lawn dart's opinion of me is.

I DO care that he will screw over his party, his constituents and his nation everytime someone points a camera or microphone at him.

He learned nothing from his Presidential campaign.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Squid,

You can promote his bravery all day long, Crack,...

I'm making many more arguments than that. If you want to ficus on that one, and call it deficient, then it says more about you than me.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"...A black conservative Jew is a phony conservative; I wonder who does that leave who is a "real" conservative and by what historical tradition do you define them?..."

Honestly RC, the racism card just doesn't fly anymore. Your side pretty much made a joke out of it during President Downgrade's campaign. When you guys labeled Bill Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro as racists that pretty much killed that excuse.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

The same metrics applied with McCain/Obama because we knew - KNEW - Obama offered nothing, and McCain, a lifetime of service above and beyond the call of duty

Yeah McCain offered us Amnesty, Cap and Trade and Romneycare, not as bad as Obamacare but no great shakes, plus higher taxes, as a part of a Grand Compromise between himself, Reid, and Pelosi…you know all about working together and reaching across the aisle to “get things done.”
I say it again, I’m not sorry he lost.

Just because Otto Hugenburg wasn’t Hitler, doesn’t mean you should have voted for him in 1932…

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

We need to take the White House. That's the goal - not winning a stupid skirmish.

The Tea Party almost put everything in jeopardy


Uh NO…part of winning in 2012 is DOING SOMETHING in 2011. Had we done nothing in 2011, the base and the TEA Party would not turn out in 2012. PLUS, we elect people to do what we elected them to do….not simply decide this is a skirmish and focus on 2012…

अनामित म्हणाले...

roesch-voltaire --

"Some images are politically incorrect but not bigoted. This image was bigoted."

Because you believe burglars are black?

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Joe said...
(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew),

Just because Otto Hugenburg wasn’t Hitler, doesn’t mean you should have voted for him in 1932…

That. Is. Just. Insane.

Especially coming from a Jew. Simply insane.

I've got to cut out - job interview - but I think that, as a final comment before I return, is as plain a statement for what you guys are fighting for as we can get:

Hugenburg Vs. Hitler.

It's Hugenburg's fault what followed,...

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"...The Tea Party almost put everything in jeopardy.."

How so? If Obama wanted higher taxes he shouldn't have let the Bush cuts expire. Instead he did and hailed it as a victory for the middle class.

He decried the raising if the debt limit under Bush calling it reckless then whined about hostage taking when he wanted it.

We are in this economic shitter because of reckless spending by everyone, govt and consumer alike yet this fool just wants more and more and more spending. Oh and more of my money too.

A lot of responsible people are getting their financial house in order and the expectation is the government do the same and the liberals think that's an extremist position.

Morons, the lot of them.

gerry म्हणाले...

the Tea Party owes him as much of a debt of gratitude as anyone

McCain was a brave man, a strong man, for a long time, long ago.

His politics do not deserve our respect when he holds us in contempt.

He is not our better in all things now simply for deeds done long ago. His recent deeds dishonor our liberties.

Carol_Herman म्हणाले...

First of all, first credit goes to Glenn Reynolds. He identified us all, early. We Are An Army of Davids.

Then, before Santelli's rant. And, the Tea Party being an April 15, 2009 (2010?) tax revolt ... where a "tea party" ... meant what the people of Boston did to the British Tea. That got tossed overboard in revolt to Parliamentarian set taxes ...

We all knew what Glenn Reynolds meant when he said: PORK BUSTERS!

Then? There were rallies.

The turds in congress hate all the people who congregate in rallies. And, also who dare, if they're visiting DC, to come by their offices "to chat."

But the game is played.

Politicians practice hugs and handshakes. HOWEVER, when they learn your name, they want your telephone and address. And, from then on in ... all you were good for was answering the phone when they went on their daily calls ... DIALING FOR DOLLARS.

I think the politicians are set to deal with people who dare hold them accountable. Or worse: "Put them on the carpet." They don't want to be beaten like puppies that poop on the rug.

And, they are afraid. They see the public as only one of their voters. (And, they see them only in the single digits.)

If they make fun of people ... then people won't go and congregate. Won't show up for their public meetings. And, won't be allowed to use their cameras!

Ah. But cameras are so ubiquitous.

Just look at Madison.

On recall night, whom did you watch? Ed Schultz? Or our own Ann?

I know I was here. Wasn't there. Don't tune in TV. And, get to decide about politicians because I go to the Internet and snoop around.

Plenty of magpies like me, too.

And, I'm a PORK BUSTER!

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



Good Luck on the interview, Crack.

Carol_Herman म्हणाले...

Oh, Crack, 1932 is so passay now. Back then? People could'a been voting for the mustache.

When hitler got through ringing out germany, so many lay dead. And, the heroes burned their medals.

And, Eisenhower wouldn't waste one American life on Berlin. hitler went down into his bunker, preparing to surrender to Ike. Then?

Hitler swallowed the bullet when it dawned on him the Americans stayed put to the West ... but the savage russians were knocking on his door.

The russians, as fighters, were so incompetent, that stalin got all his 6 generals to compete with each other ... meaning there was no coordination. The troops were lucky to have shoes. For guns, they waiting for a comrade to be killed, so they could strip off "the valuables." Which included ammunition and guns.

All the tanks got mired in mud. So the troops walked on alone. But there were a million of them. And, they did what they wanted to do. Raping a pillaging. Since what kind of orders can you give troops in russian? NEYT?

I just wish people look at hitler's results. It would tell you more than the cartoon fear you're supposed to feel at all the death he caused.

Then we dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to end the savagery. The Japanese High Command thought they'd fight to every last Japanese person.

I think I'm trying to point out that you can have an Eisenhower. Who wouldn't waste an extra American life. And, you can have "leadership" as stinko as the Japanese got. Where they were just fodder.

God watches. And, laughs. He also teaches lessons. But his lessons are OVER TIME. And, they're supposed to register on generations to come.

(In 500 years will people even identify a skin color? No. I'm not kidding. I think everything that makes us see strangers will be genetically tossed over the boat.) But we are not there, yet.

Meanwhile, I think Israel is a testing ground for God. It is not a picnic. Never about picnics.

I love your stuff. Kisses for the top of your head.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

"...The russians, as fighters, were so incompetent,.."

I've read my share of German accounts of the Eastern front and when it came to describing Russians combat skills, the word incompetence didn't show up.

By 1945, Red Army troops had plenty of guns that they didn't have to pick up the dead comrades.

chickelit म्हणाले...

Jean said...
Ann's new metonymy: McCain=dick!

McCain's a dick has been her schtick since she first tried to justify her vote for Obama.

Since she won't own her vote for Obama, it's really all she's got.

Sometimes I think we should go back to the good ol' days of civility when we didn't tout and shout our choices.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

"...The russians, as fighters, were so incompetent,.."

I've read my share of German accounts of the Eastern front and when it came to describing Russians combat skills, the word incompetence didn't show up


Germans like(d) that approach to the Eastern Front, because it made them feel better. Probably man-for-man, the Wehrmacht was better thru out the Great Patriotic War, but the gap narrowed from 1943-on….It was at the Operational/Strategic/Grand Strategic/Production level the Soviets really excelled, and the Germans were poor at. Germans just like to say, “hordes of semi-literate Cossacks” because it makes their defeat at the hands of the Soviets more palatable. The reality is that the Krasniy Armiya soundly defeated the Heere at any meaningful level of warfare.

Peg C. म्हणाले...

First of all, McGollum is a senile idiot. As to hobbits, they WERE the heroes in LOTR. My FB name has had "Hobbit" as my middle name since the WSJ and McGollum insulted me. I'm a reliable Rush 24/7 listener and subscriber but Rush was wrong on this one. The strength of the TP is we consistently make lemonade out of lemons. We are IMPERVIOUS to slurs and insults. What was intended as an insult has been embraced by my fellow TP'ers and me as first, ignorance, and second, a compliment.

cbinflux म्हणाले...

RINOs must be voted out at every opportunity. Support local -- and distant -- pols who challenge them in the primaries. In some cases, support the Democrat who runs against long-term RINOs; it's that important!

garage mahal म्हणाले...

I wonder who does that leave who is a "real" conservative and by what historical tradition do you define them?

Read (and weep) the Republican platform from 1956. It reads like the current Democratic platform. A pretty hilarious read when contrasted with the reactionary lunatics who run the party today.

J म्हणाले...

It's true that Tea Partiers are hobbits?

More Orc-like really. Like McCaint hisself.

That said the old guard GOP (Ike...of which MCaint was a part...Reagan...Buckley) may have been hawkish and at times corrupt yet was superior to these simpering little dolts aka TEABUGGERS. No apology needed.

NotClauswitz म्हणाले...

Sheesh, get it right McCain, it's about LIBERTY - like Wookies not hobbits. Get your wookie-suit on!

ricpic म्हणाले...

Carol Herman, race mixer.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Read (and weep) the Republican platform from 1956. It reads like the current Democratic platform. A pretty hilarious read when contrasted with the reactionary lunatics who run the party today

And ain’t it funny how it wasn’t UNTIL the GOP stopped being the Democratic-lite Party that it won in 1994? Reactionary, seems better applied to YOUR party, doesn’t it Garage? Have you guyz had a new idea in 30 years? Oh and who won the recall elections, Garage, I haven’t heard did your side win?

cbinflux म्हणाले...

ricpic: "Carol Herman, race mixer."

WTH??

ricpic म्हणाले...

Hey garage, should we give everything to the state so the state can make everything good for us? That's a rhetorical question, schmuck.

ricpic म्हणाले...

cbinflux - read her 11:14 screed.

Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...

Republican platform from 1956. It reads like the current Democratic platform..."

Really? The current Democratic platform just says more taxes, spend more money, even more taxes, etc.

Too bad for you enough people have realized that your failed policies are what got us here and are putting the adults back in charge.

Thanks but we'll take it from here. You guys have done enough damage.

J म्हणाले...

Whoa, Joe the Crypto-y*d on WWII:


The reality is that the Krasniy Armiya soundly defeated the Heere at any meaningful level of warfare.

Incredibly superficial reading of the Battle of Stalingrad, joejo.
The Heere had the city for 8-9 months. The only victories for the stalinists were due to pure guerilla tactics--street fighting more or less (not to say materiel from the USA, in like 8/43). The reds could do nothing about the panzer divisons or the Luftflot--except take advantage of weak points in the line--usually the rumanians or italians (Il Duce had promised a few thousand more men who never arrived). They aimed at them, not at the Wehrmacht. Winter approached, and the soviets took advantage of some harsh weather--but they rarely engaged--just . ..ratkrieg. And due to Hitler's..recklessness and...blunders (ie, not pulling back the infantry, and tanks and planes) --the soviets eventually surrounded the germans--also some defections of nazi officers (possibly Paulus himself). Hardly a convincing victory--though the comrades were tenacious (and mistreated the german POWs for years).

But whats this--a conservative defending the USSR?? maybe it's Joe the crypto-bolshevik.

Carol_Herman म्हणाले...

1956's republican platform ... was during Eisenhower's second term. It would be a weak election for republicans, anyway.

Eisenhower, by the way, wasn't a real republican! He just wanted to be president. Both parties offered him their top slot.

Eisenhower picked the GOP because he said the democraps would have treated him like a puppet, after someone with real power just shoved their hand up his ass.

And, Eisenhower was all about "consensus." Good at that schtick.

While after Eisenhower won in 1952 ... to make sure everything out of the White House passed in Congress ... Eisenhower had a standard luncheon appointment with LBJ.

Lyndon Baines Johnson was Majority Leader. In the days a man could get his balls ripped off in the cloakroom if he defied Johnson's "touch." (Always an embrace. One arm around your shoulders. One hand, underneath.) Kapish?

At the Friday luncheons LBJ always brought THE VOTE COUNT! "Pick,your topic, and I'll tell you in advance if you've got the votes.)

That's how government worked back then. And, that's how Eisenhower grew the Executive Branch. Order up, wholesale, new cabinet chairs for his table.) BINGO! It cost all taxpayers MORE. Satisfying all the interests of the insiders.

Today? It smells like there's less cooperation between branches.

And, platforms? Don't make me laugh. They're designed to keep the rabble away from the "stars" ... who are center stage. Anyway.

"Limelight." If you had more than one of them, you could burn down the whole theater.

After applying makeup ... being on stage ... and not being in the limelight ... meant you wouldn't be seen.

Heard? On cue, please.

garage mahal म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
JorgXMcKie म्हणाले...

McCain is Denethor.

I.e. one who owes his high place to his heritage [navy service and second wife's money]. "was widely considered a man of great will, foresight, and strength. However, he failed to reach out to his people, . . ."

"knowledge of Sauron's [the Left's] overwhelming force depressed him greatly, mostly due to deliberately biased visions from the palantír [MSM] on the part of Sauron. . . and he became ever more grim .. . until the forces of Mordor arrived at the gates of the White City, at which point he lost all hope." [Wikepedia]

Sure as hell sounds like McCain to me.

Paul म्हणाले...

McCain is just a twisted old man who might have been President. Not as embittered as Jimmy Carter yet but he is getting there.

Carol_Herman म्हणाले...

All you have to read is HITLER'S BUNKER. To know that Eisenhower held back.

The russians had 6 generals with troops & tanks. All EAST of Berlin.

Eisenhower to the WEST held firm.

Some germans who tried to run WEST, got shot on the orders of hitler. And, their bodies were hung on lampposts.

Only the russians moved against Berlin. And, at first, the tanks got stuck in the mud.

The russians kept coming because there were a million soldiers, trudging. Raping. And, pillaging.

You know, everyone knows Berlin was surrounded. Not everyone knows that Eisenhower held back.

Why did hitler stay in his bunker hole for more than a month, and only swallow the bullet when the russians arrived?

Do you know what the russians did as they slogged toward Berlin? And, then, into it?

You never heard this about American troops. Just NEVER!

But believe what you want.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



Ah the Small Pathetic Voice remains as ignorant as ever…so the Heere held Stalingrad for 8-9 months I guess the fight in the Tractor Factory, requiring 250 ARMOURED VEHICLES just to make an entrance, was nothing…and then the collapse…Yeah it was just LUCK that the pesky Reds attacked the Hungarians and Italians…Hey SPV that’s called, “strategy”…it’s one of the reasons the Red Amy triumphed over the Wehrmacht.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

Do you know what the russians did as they slogged toward Berlin? And, then, into it?

You never heard this about American troops. Just NEVER!

But believe what you want


Well considering the Aryan Race’s “Human Rights” Record in the USSR, from 1941-on I’m not sure what you should have expected from the Soviets…

njoriole म्हणाले...

Just remember, McCain is the one who foisted campaign finance "reform" on us. In doing so, he stated that, given the choice between "Clean government" and "First Amendment rights" McCain chose "Clean Government." Really,doesn't that tell you all you need to know about that tool?

ricpic म्हणाले...

Actually, contrary to Carol's invented history Ike spent three quarters of his time and energy holding the fort against the lobbyists pleading to grow every last sector of gummint, which is why the 50's were the last golden era in America. The whole thing started coming apart with JFK's bear any burden crappola.

J म्हणाले...

Joe the Crypto-stalinist--little is you, hypocrite trash. Small, with a stupid greedy little mind. And defending USSR, atheist-marxists and Zhukov--how predictable--why even TP heroine Aynnie Rand hated Stalin and the soviets (at least the leaders). We're not defending nazis either --just pointing out what the stalinists did (as with the march to Berlin. Your kind of fun eh Joe Joe. Kissingeresque--power, etc).

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



Having exhausted its stock (meager though it was) of history and logic, the Small Pathetic Voice returns to its usual fare of personal insults. How’s the blog going SPV, anyone bother to comment yet? I hadn’t “seen” you for a while I thought mayhap someone had finally bothered to write something on your blog and you were out celebrating.

Or is it just a busy time at the McDonalds/Jack-in-the-Box?

Greg म्हणाले...

Let's think about this.

ONLY A HOBBIT had the purity of heart to not abuse the One Ring.

ONLY A HOBBIT was prepared to put it all on the line to destroy the One Ring.

ONLY A HOBBIT could resist the temptation to rule over all.

ONLY A HOBBIT could destroy the evil that had corrupted the good.

You know what? I don't think that being called a hobbit was much of an insult after all. Thank's for the compliment, Senator.

Oclarki म्हणाले...

Carol -

You are an idiot. Why let American boys die taking Berlin, when a million Soviet boys are happy to oblige.

The postwar division of Germany was already set, why sacrifice American lives?

J म्हणाले...

Wow, must have touched a nerve, eh JoeJoe the Leetle Crypto-stalinist and atheist. Don't like to hear someone insulting your heroes, Joeski--ie, Uncle Joe, Zhukov and the red Army--the bloodiest thugs on earth (the Wehrmacht took prisoners, and ...didn't kill and rape at will. The SS may have-- but the German Army, no).


You're exhausted little man. Perhaps go back to your queer Bloomberg gold trading site or something, hijo de puta

mariner म्हणाले...

What if you insult someone, who refuses to be insulted?

What do you do then?


wv: arest -- "Give it arest, you old coot!"

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

(the Wehrmacht took prisoners, and ...didn't kill and rape at will. The SS may have-- but the German Army, no

SPV’s historical illiteracy knows no bounds, sadly for your Fascist, Anti-Semitic dreams, yes the Wehrmacht collaborated in the atrocities…you might actually READ some history. How do you think ~20 million Soviet Civilians died, during the occupation, suicide? Yes, the Wehrmacht DID take Soviet prisoners, MILLIONS of them, of which only hundreds of thousands survived their captivity. And then there’s Lidice and then there’s the “Das Reich” actions in France….

g म्हणाले...

I still wonder why the Republicans didn't put up a candidate for President in 2008.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

I still wonder why the Republicans didn't put up a candidate for President in 2008

They DID, remember, he won because he was “Electable.”

J म्हणाले...

little Joeski the Stalchek, you obviously don't know fuck about the real history of WWII.--and IM not defending Hitler and never have--a typical ad hominem slur from know-nothing Trotskyites such as yourself, dreck. Actually I don't think you're smart enough to be a Trotskyite. More like...Twatskyite. Heh heh. One of Eric Cuntor's gang

Scott M म्हणाले...

I still wonder why the Republicans didn't put up a candidate for President in 2008.

Oh, they did. You know how skin gets more translucent? You just couldn't see him very well.

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



SPV, demonstrating his/her major skill, incoherent ranting….well it’s periods of lucidity seldom last longer than one or two posts.

Scott M म्हणाले...

More accurately, you could see right through him.

J म्हणाले...

You're incoherent, Joejo swine, like your book of irrational talmudic-BS itself.
Some of us don't give a fuck about the pathos which you mistake for history, nor for your sentimental defense of the likes of Zhukov and his pigs. Or your Kissingerism in general.

this isn't your blog, psychopath

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



SPV, makes one laugh, discussing how it’s not “my blog.” That’s pretty rich coming from someone who has a blog with no comments….if the Little Voice didn’t come here, no one would know it existed at all. But thanks for defending the sanctity of Althouse’s Blog SPV. Flame on Small Pathetic Voice….

J म्हणाले...

McCain's like a prince, perhaps an evil prince compared to the likes of fat boy Limbaugh,a pauper (not to say civilian) like his followers, not to say the Teabugs and Romneyites. The one who needs to be shut up is Limbozo.

Whoop. Like dem apples Lil Joejo the Stalchek

J म्हणाले...

what's that Little Joe jo, the queer soviet pedo, trying to squeak again?.

Go back to Tel aviv, human shit fore I have you arrested

Joe म्हणाले...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)



“Rage, Rage against the dying of the light….”

Scott M म्हणाले...

Arrested for what, Jolly? For clicking on your blog link? You should be thanking him and the other person that have done so.

J म्हणाले...

What's that Scottt yid, defending yr pedo pal Joejo? Don't understand your language, Dreck.
Comes from the Book of Mormon or Talmud, or some wicca book, probably.
My blog's none of your business-but at least I link to one. Like your buttboy joejo, yr too scared to.

crypticguise म्हणाले...

McCain is a "Rinosaur"; he is extinct but just doesn't realize it yet. Biggest mistake of Republican voters in 2010 was the reelection of this guy.

I'm tired of this BS about honoring his service; I'm a vet from a family of vets. Go away, McCain. You're exactly what the Republican Party does not need.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Joe (The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew),

Good Luck on the interview, Crack.

Thanks, got three in, actually.

I'd comment further here, but I can see the likes of J have set up shop, so I don't think so.

Have fun, kiddies.

Mark म्हणाले...

Of course McCain meant it to be insulting, and as such he was being a prick. No argument that he deserved both barrels from Rush.

But Hobbits saved the world from the overpowering forces of evil which would otherwise have enslaved (or worse) everyone.

The heart and soul of "Lord of the Rings" is that you don't have to be a giant to make the world a better place. Rush should riff on that.

J म्हणाले...

What's that Crack grrl--back to defrauding the govt eh ., you little bag of caca?

Yeah you hang with klan boys, Amazing Kracki

yr nothin', atheist chump.

MarkD म्हणाले...

He gets his charm from his daughter.

He gets the money he's wasting from me.

Thanks for your service, but can't you go run the family business or something harmless?

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Someone should ask him what a hobbit is. Does McCain even know?

Does Sarah Palin have hairy feet?

(I'm back in Madison!)

Heart_Collector म्हणाले...

Obama continues to stuff his nuts in the ass of America everyday and this is the shit people are wasting time with... gg.

wv-inals- Buy her the lobsta, better chance for inalsex later.

Nate Whilk म्हणाले...

george said, The analogy is correct. [...]So let's complete the analogies.

Rahm - Grymma Wormtongue
Obama - Sauron (of course)
Michelle - Balrog
McCain - Saruman (supposedly good but ultimately takes Sauron's side because of his own lust for power)


No, that's wrong. You have to read the books to find the true analogy.

Marx/Lenin/Stalin/the USSR were Mordor. They were defeated by a previous generation of hobbits.

Obama was heavily influenced by Marxism, the evil product of the USSR. That makes him Saruman, and DC is currently Isengard.

Like Saruman, Obama's chief power is his voice, casting a spell over us. Partially, we're like the Ents: we're on the path of reducing him to complete powerlessness in 2012.

But mostly we ARE like the hobbits. Obama's still in Isengard and like LOTR he's sending his "gatherers" and "sharers" to enforce lots of new rules and redistribute our hard-earned gains. They're "going round counting and measuring and taking off to storage. They do more gathering than sharing, and we never see most of the stuff again." ("Return of the King", "The Scouring of the Shire") Like the hobbits, we're fighting to stop all of that.

(Saruman:) "Still I have already done much that you will find it hard to mend or undo in your lives." ("Return of the King, "The Scouring of the Shire")

"[Hobbits] were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill...[They] could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well..." ( "Fellowship of the Ring", "Concerning Hobbits")

And the final quote which Tolkien said was the real theme of LOTR: "Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." ("Fellowship of the Ring", "The Council of Elrond")

(I can't find a good analogy for McCain.)

Gene म्हणाले...

McCain is a monumentally inept thinker who never saw a war he didn't like. Remember when Russia and Georgia went to war. His incredibly loony response was "We are all Georgians now."

He thought he was Kennedy in Berlin. The man couldn't wait to start a land war with Russia right in Russia's back yard. Putin could put 10,000 tanks in Georgia by the time we found Georgia on a map in the situation room.

Brenda म्हणाले...

I was surfing comments on the whole McCain thing when I came across the best campaign slogan EVER:

November 6, 2012….”For the Shire!”

Focko Smitherman म्हणाले...

Nate Whilk: Yup. The Scouring of the Shire was the crux of the nougat, which is why it was unforgivable that the otherwise better-than-decent movie trilogy ignored it. Here are the hobbits, coming home in triumph after saving the world, and the evil, really only slightly weakened (since all men are sinners), has insinuated itself into their very homeland.

Of course, being seasoned warriors (and pure in heart) by now, the hobbits make short work of it.

Milwaukee म्हणाले...

The quote McCain was reading from the Wall Street Journal was “The Republican House that failed to raise the debt ceiling would somehow escape all blame. Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced-budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the tea-party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.

This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell into GOP Senate nominees.”

I'm surprised the WSJ got it wrong: just two hobbits destroyed the Ring of Power, an Army with Gandolf at it's head destroyed the Dark Lord. Mordor is a place in Middle Earth, and so they couldn't return from Mordor to Middle Earth. Geographically that doesn't make sense.

Yes, McCain was a war hero. As a politician he has made a career out of being a back-stabbing "maverick". If almost everybody goes with the flow, a few individuals can get traction and attention by bucking the trend. Clearly McCain is not a conservative. While he meant hobbit as an insult, those who have read the story seem to think the hobbits were the heroes.


This morning I figured out why is alright Althouse voted for Obama. As abhorrent as Obama's principals are, at least he has some progressive, socialist stupid agenda he seems to be sticking to. McCain is, like Clinton before him, interested in reading the polls and trying to get in front and claim leadership. As bad a Obama has been, I think McCain would have been a Republican selling out to progressives in the name of "consensus".

While some claim "leading from behind" of Obama, his attempts are rather half-hearted, and seem to be genuine imitation lip-service, and not to be taken seriously. He might say, "oh yes, we've heard the American people", but then he goes ahead and does what he wanted to do along.

Milwaukee म्हणाले...

Can we correct the spelling already? It is "TEA Party" where "TEA" is the acronym for "Taxed Enough Already". The reason we need to cut taxes, and borrowing, is because the spending is out of control.

At least drunken sailors spend their own money. Comparisons of Congress's spending habits to drunken sailors is way unfair to drunken sailors. (I'm sure, that on more than one occasion, Senator McCain was a drunken sailor.)

Andrea म्हणाले...

"FAIL.

I wasn't making a mistaken reference to LOTR and I didn't mean the Narnia books; I was making an allusion to the various witches of the Oz books...(or, actually, of The Wizard of Oz--the movie--as I've never read the books and don't know if the witches are there)."

Since the subject was hobbits, a creature from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, I'm not sure why my pointing out your using a character from another book (or in this instance, movie) made no sense was "FAIL." If anything, using an Oz character makes even less sense. At least C.S. Lewis knew Tolkien, and was from the same part of the world.

Gulistan म्हणाले...

The context of the comment has not been made clear. McCain was talking about hobbits as creatures who minded their own business in Hobbiton, but then got pulled into this massive battle (some of them anyway) against a huge evil. Then, when the battle was finished, they went back to their happy lives in Hobbiton.

The analogy is that Tea Party congresspeople and activists were living happy lives, minding their own business, but then saw this great evil (the federal government and its economic policies) that had to be fought (as much as they'd like to stay in Hobbiton). And like hobbits, the tea party activists intend to finish the job and go back to their happy lives in Hobbiton (or wherever).

McCain's complaint, I took it, (though I suppose he could've meant it as a compliment) was that this attitude makes the tea partiers too unwilling to compromise -- since they're only in the game to defeat Sauron and so don't care about the traditional things that Washington elites care about (power, money, reelection, earmarks, etc.).

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"Since the subject was hobbits, a creature from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, I'm not sure why my pointing out your using a character from another book (or in this instance, movie) made no sense was "FAIL." If anything, using an Oz character makes even less sense. At least C.S. Lewis knew Tolkien, and was from the same part of the world."

It may have made no sense to you because you're apparently rigidly literal-minded and fail to see that once one begins comparing real-life persons to ficitional creatures, the whole world of fantasy is wide open and ripe for plucking for other, similar comparisons.

It's play.

To repurpose an old truism of Emerson's: " A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of humorless minds."

SDN म्हणाले...

"McCain sees himself as Gandalf, doing good even if we unwashed don’t see it, now."

Joe, you have never read the Lord of the Rings. Gandalf turned down the Ring precisely because it is always a temptation of power to "do Good to others"... and he didn't want it.