November 20, 2019

A juxtaposition in the New York Post inspires me to think that we will survive.


(Click to enlarge and clarify.)

Links:
"Reporter spotted chugging her coffee is hero of impeachment hearings"

"120-year-old photo sparks Greta Thunberg conspiracy theories"

"Goodwin: Why Dems are so worried after latest round of impeachment hearings"

"Surgeons cut pounds of petroleum jelly out of ‘Popeye’ bodybuilder’s biceps"
ADDED: From the Goodman column:
Vindman was a strong witness, but a strange one, too. He presented himself as an Alexander Haig-like “I’m in charge here” figure, when he was actually far down the pecking order.

His inflated sense of self-importance seemed to be key to his alarm over the phone call. As he put it, he believed “that if Ukraine pursued an investigation in the 2016 elections, the Bidens and Burisma, it would be interpreted as a partisan play” and Ukraine would lose bipartisan support...

Adding to the surreal quality of the hearings is a crucial fact that gets too little attention: Trump’s policy toward Ukraine has been far stronger than President Barack Obama’s. Providing Ukraine with antitank weapons to counter Russian invasions is a direct slap at Vladimir Putin, a move Obama rejected because he feared it would provoke Putin.
IN THE COMMENTS: tim maguire asked (about the coffee drinker):
Why is that a thing? He testified for a long time. The people behind him are going to do stuff. I could see if she picked her nose or let loose a particularly large yawn, but drinking coffee? That’s pretty normal.
It's "a thing" because people get so bored and dull during long formal proceedings that something spontaneous gives joy. This is what I'm talking about when I say I am inspired. It means that we seemingly inert Americans are not sitting still and inertly receiving the program. We are thirsting for humanity — and when we feel we are down to the last drop, we invert the big cup onto our face with jaunty enthusiasm.

Speaking of "if she picked her nose or let loose a particularly large yawn"... just look at all the attention paid yesterday to the possibility that Eric Swalwell farted during a TV interview. The fart heard 'round the world means: We want to feel alive! We are human!!

60 comments:

tim maguire said...

Why is that a thing? He testified for a long time. The people behind him are going to do stuff. I could see if she picked her nose or let loose a particularly large yawn, but drinking coffee? That’s pretty normal.

mockturtle said...

The point--at least to me--is that the testimony is so mundane that even someone heartily enjoying her coffee is more interesting.

SeanF said...

[Vindman] believed “that if Ukraine pursued an investigation in the 2016 elections, the Bidens and Burisma, it would be interpreted as a partisan play” and Ukraine would lose bipartisan support...

In other words, he wasn't worried that Trump would pull support if Ukraine didn't investigate - he was worried that the Democrats would pull support if they did.

rehajm said...

I only glanced at the hearings through the pinhole in my cardboard box but this Venkman character struck me as authentic as those staffers Obama dressed in white coats to simulate doctors endorsing Obamacare.

rehajm said...

We do seem enamored with coffee cups- like finding Waldo in real life.

Ann Althouse said...

Click my tag "cups."

Cups are important!!!

stevew said...

Farting is human, and for many of us always funny. Much more so than the late night shows.

rehajm said...

We see someone familiar in the frame of these weird dramas forced upon us- the cup! It looks just like mine...

Doug said...

So much gas, just one of his orifices can't handle the load.

mockturtle said...

Swalwell would have been better served by admission than by denial. Most people could probably empathize with him. We were probably all delighted by Bush the Elder's comment to Barbara after being visibly sick at a dinner in Japan: "Just roll me under the table and let me sleep it off". Too many take themselves too seriously.

Temujin said...

With Swalwell it's just too easy to say that everytime he opens his mouth hot gas comes out. Hot, stinky, fluttery, garlicky gas.

It's Eric Swalwell. What did you expect you'd hear?

David Begley said...

Trump wins the House vote. There will be no impeachment trial. This thing is over.

Bob Boyd said...

This thing is over.

Over?!

tim maguire said...

Now Fartgate is something to feel good about. That's what brings me joy. It was Swalwell's most human moment.

My daughter and I share our biggest laughs over farts and she's 11 so I know the clock is ticking on her finding it funny. It will be a sad day when I laugh and she gets mad at me. I can't believe I forgot about Fartgate last night and didn't show her the video.

TrespassersW said...

Vindman was a "strong witness?" For whom?

ddh said...

Chris Matthews has had an on-camera flatulence problem of long standing. Or sitting. He's the stinker.

Hunter said...

The government has farts. Too many of them. But they're legit.

The Vault Dweller said...

And still no one refers to Eric Swalwell as the real DC leaker.

gilbar said...

“that if Ukraine pursued an investigation in the 2016 elections, the Bidens and Burisma, it would be interpreted as a partisan play” and Ukraine would lose bipartisan support...

and, by "lose bipartisan support", he meant:
investigate the Biden's and the DEMOCRATS will get mad!!

That's THE WHOLE THING! Jo Biden's family has IMMUNITY... Among the Democrats; 'cause he's a democrat

William said...

That's a fine bit of investigative journalism by Trevor Noah. Based on evidence presented by him, I would think it's far more probable that Chris Matthews was the leaker. My level of cynicism is such that I doubt if Noah would go to that trouble if the Swallwell were a Republican....Remember the movie, Airplane. There's the scene where the person sitting next to the bore on the long flight repeatedly attempts suicide. I just hope nothing like that happens during these exquisitely boring hearings. During breaks the pundits have to pretend that we're hearing riveting testimony and shocking revelations. That adds another level of dullness to the boredom.

Danno said...

The colonel of the urinal was too boring for her, and that's part of her job. I pity all of the people stuck in the clusterfuck.

Clayton Hennesey said...

"My daughter and I share our biggest laughs over farts and she's 11 so I know the clock is ticking on her finding it funny. It will be a sad day when I laugh and she gets mad at me. I can't believe I forgot about Fartgate last night and didn't show her the video."

While you still can:

https://dailycaller.com/2019/11/19/swalwell-impeachment-farts/

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I laughed at the comment on the news article that Greta is a time traveler from the future come to save us.

Really, then why was she wasting her time sluicing for gold in 1898 in Alaska. Didn't she have something better to do? Maybe it was punishment for failing her previous time travel meddling assignment.

The time travel paradox. If Greta succeeds in her quest to Stop AGW then she wouldn't exist in the future and there would be no need for her to come back because in the future AGW didn't happen. If she fails I guess she gets to card wool or pick cotton for a while in the past.

Makes me think of this funny sci-fi story
Everybody Kills Hitler On Their First Trip

International Association of Time Travelers: Members’ Forum
Subforum: Europe – Twentieth Century – Second World War

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Surgeons cut pounds of petroleum jelly out of ‘Popeye’ bodybuilder’s biceps

I hope they then inserted it into his forearms. (Didn't anyone involved in this story bother to check what Popeye actually looks like?)

But sure, let's just take your word that it was coffee she was chugging.

traditionalguy said...

One shall not read a newspaper, gulp the last drop of coffee, or chew gum in the presence of A LT.COLONEL in the US Army, temporarily detached to serve as a spy for George Soros, and an honorary Defense Minister of the Ukraine.

The Crack Emcee said...

I find this embarrassing.

It's a moved chair.

Crank up the Propaganda Machine,...

tcrosse said...

Wait, what!? Althouse is reading the New York Post?!

Danno said...

Blogger tcrosse said...Wait, what!? Althouse is reading the New York Post?!

I've seen several NYP articles over several days. Please keep up.

tim maguire said...

Dust Bunny Queen said...The time travel paradox. If Greta succeeds in her quest to Stop AGW then she wouldn't exist in the future and there would be no need for her to come back because in the future AGW didn't happen.

I look at that and think, if her purpose is to stop global warming, then wouldn't she have better come back as a scientist with hard evidence, instead of an autistic teenager? I prefer to think she came back to sabotage the alarmist movement and expose them as the charlatans and fools they are.

narciso said...

Colonel Beaker was not impressive in the least, if he is the repository of knowledge on the Ukraine, detailed from the joint staff, after serving as attache in Moscow, where he had helped arrange the Flynn trip to Moscow, god help us,

Levi Starks said...

I guarantee that anyone who’s been in the military can take one look at that guy and instantly know what kind of an officer he is. He’s the one you don’t want to either be in command, or be under his command.
Which is precisely how he got promoted to his current rank.
I’d put money on it that every time he was promoted it was in order to send him somewhere else.

narciso said...

alexander haig, not in the least, he was more like sgt Schultz, 'I know nothin' and I told no one of significance about my concern, not my immediate superior tim morrison, just the nsc counsel, his brother and Voldemort,

Nonapod said...

I have to admit that Eric Swalwell letting loose an epic fart on camara has given me more joy than seems justified.

rcocean said...

Yeah, farting and coffee drinking. That's when you know your impeachment inquiry will fail.

rcocean said...

I could barely pay attention to it while half listening while working. Imagine being Trapped in a small room, in a cramped seat, while these guys droned on and on, about nothing. I need a vat of coffee, not just one cup.

Michael K said...

If I was his editor, I would have told him to use a different word.


Ace has a clip of Swallwell's whole question period with fart noises all through it so you can't miss them.

alanc709 said...

"Levi Starks said...
I guarantee that anyone who’s been in the military can take one look at that guy and instantly know what kind of an officer he is. He’s the one you don’t want to either be in command, or be under his command.
Which is precisely how he got promoted to his current rank.
I’d put money on it that every time he was promoted it was in order to send him somewhere else."

Look at his ribbons- his highest ranking is the Purple Heart. No Silver Star, Bronze Star, nothing else. His greatest military recognition is for getting wounded. Massive fraud John Kerry was more decorated than Vindman. But the Dems paint him as a war hero. He's not.

rcocean said...

I'd need a tankard of coffee. I should buy one, since I love saying the word. Tankard has a nice "woody sound".

alanc709 said...

Forgot to mention, that since Vietnam, the military, especially the army, has given out medals and ribbons like candy. It makes soldiers feel good, and look good on camera. Real soldiers hold that in disdain, but there you are.

dbp said...

I knew I'd seen Vindman before and I finally realized where.

Maillard Reactionary said...

So all that petroleum jelly was a bad idea?

Uh oh.

Bob Boyd said...

Those surgeons could probably come up with another 4 pounds of petroleum jelly by scraping out of the back of Adam Schiff's eye sockets...if they wanted to add to their collection.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

no odious bathroom humor lyrics!!

Stay classy with Mason Williams' instrumental for Swalwell

Classical Gas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mREi_Bb85Sk

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

I almost feel sorry for Swalwell. Imagine a presumed fart becoming the defining moment of your public life.
It was inevitable that the Internet would trivialize the important and make the trivial important. I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

wildswan said...

Vindman's testimony seems to be that if you investigate a Democrat for taking bribes, then the that party won't support your policies. Hence if you have a important geo-political strategic objective you ignore corruption by Democrats, their children, their campaign managers.

Trump didn't seem to know this rule so Vindman went to the Democrats to tell them that Trump was investigating 2015-2016 efforts to use a Ukraine company to cheat in the 2016 election but the National Security Council did not support this investigation because the Council knew the investigation would reach a Biden. (Trump at that point was merely saying - "The US President says investigate, whether ex-Vice President Biden likes it or not.") Vindman's objective was that the Dems would continue to support National Security Council geo-strategic objectives if they saw the NSC would help impeach the President. Rolling, rolling, rolling, Deep Blue Deep State, just rolling along. But suddenly. "Knock, knock." "Who's there." "Orange." Noises off stage, running feet. "Hey, hey, no worries, it's just a smiling fellow named Barr."

narciso said...

he was being lobbied by naftogaz, which is burismas puppet, which funds the atlantic council, there was another party from Libya, that was shipping fuel through Odessa, that also lobbied the good colonel,

YoungHegelian said...

To chug is human; to fart, divine.

narciso said...

barron trump was also written about in a book 120 years ago, fwiw,

Greg the class traitor said...

His inflated sense of self-importance seemed to be key to his alarm over the phone call. As he put it, he believed “that if Ukraine pursued an investigation in the 2016 elections, the Bidens and Burisma, it would be interpreted as a partisan play” and Ukraine would lose bipartisan support...

More honest Vindman: Democrats expect to get payoffs in exchange for doing anything for American security, or the security of our allies. If Biden gets prosecuted for his real corruption, Democrats won't have any reason to support Ukraine.

It's a rather damning admission, especially since it appears to be true.

Greg the class traitor said...

David Begley said...
Trump wins the House vote. There will be no impeachment trial. This thing is over.

I disagree. Trump wins the House vote if they vote to impeach.

In . Senate trial, his defense team gets to call hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Adam Schiff, and put them all under oath.

They get to call Vindman, and make him tell everyone he passed the information on to. They get to call everyone he passed the information to, and everyone they passed it to. They get to call Schiff's staff.

They get to call every single one of the cockroaches, and expose them to the light of day.

They get to do it on National TV, during the election year.

By the time they're done, the Democrats and the Deep State will both be radioactive with the American voters.

Please, Democrats, please impeach Trump

Rabel said...

"His greatest military recognition is for getting wounded."

Vindman's a weasel, but that is a truly stupid argument against him.

pacwest said...

To paraphrase firesign theater:

Sciff: If you answer that question we will have to gag you.

Morrison: I ...

Schiff: Gag him!


JaimeRoberto said...

I doubt that Swalwell dealt it, because I don't think his mic would have picked it up so clearly. However, I dislike him so much I want to believe it's true, and that's all we need in order to impeach.

mockturtle said...

Jaime, if you note carefully in the video, there is a slight hesitation in his speech at the time of the fart. Not after, but during. Since it is pretty much impossible to fart effectively while speaking, this may account for the hesitation. Just my theory of course but it seems likely.

Francisco D said...

I doubt that Swalwell dealt it, because I don't think his mic would have picked it up so clearly.

It's a gas that we can tease Swallwell because he is such a pompous jerk, whether he farted or not.

Pun intended.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

maybe there was a second farter on the grassy knoll

mockturtle said...

LOL, ICTA!

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

maybe Swalwell was adopted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW4sfzdTmSY

alanc709 said...

"Rabel said...
"His greatest military recognition is for getting wounded."

Vindman's a weasel, but that is a truly stupid argument against him"

Plus, it's a fact.

Bunkypotatohead said...

At least nobody queefed. That would have been gross.