Former Clinton hack has it right . . .

Lanny Davis, a former Clinton hack, seems to have it right on the Plame/Wilson affair . . . which is refreshing (but demonstrates that he was simply a tool in the Clinton White House).

"The indictment against Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, by the special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald presents a challenge in
political-crisis management not just for the White House, but for the Democrats
as well. And based on recent evidence, both are falling into the same old
mistakes."

The only thing I disagree with is the notion that the MSM were equally "culpable" in the criminalization of politics then as they are now. Folks in the so-called Mainstream media clearly think that Conservative politics is nigh unto criminal, but smile upon Liberal pols.

Cool website

This website, called Truthmapping.com, advertises itself as "a tool to elevate debate," and I agree. It is an interactive site that uses rules of logic to arrive at sound conclusions. This quote on the site well states the efficacy of logic for arriving at truth in a debate:

"Truth will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; Nay, you may kick it around all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."-- Oliver W. Holmes, Sr.

Currently on the site: a "truthmapping" exercise for the Wilson/Plame affair.

Don't miss this point, folks . . .

From USAtty Patrick Fitzgerald's press conference announcing the indictment of Scooter Libby:

Q: Terry Moran…There are some who see this is vindication of their views on
the war. Is it?
A: This indictment is not about the war. Not about the
propriety of the war. This is stripped of that debate and focused on a narrow
transaction…they will be frustrated and not good for process and fairness of
trial.

A prosecutor's prosecutor, it seems

As I listened to the Fitzgerald press conference today I couldn't help but long for the days when I was a prosecutor. Fitzgerald's scrupulous refusal to divulge information from the grand jury investigation and his focused response to baited questions from the media demonstrated (to me at least) that he is above the politics of this situation.

The bottom line (and this is what will separate me from a Liberal, who only likes a prosecutor if the prosecution target is a Republican) is that it appears Scooter Libby lied during the investigation ,and even though this whole investigation is the result of disingenuous accusations of Dem partisans (particularly Joe Wilson), Libby was wrong to lie. And as has often been said since Watergate, it is generally the coverup--more than the purported offense, that gets an administration in trouble.

More about Rosa Parks

Here's a great op/ed about Rosa Parks who passed away this week. Great quote, "Her feet weren't tired. Her soul was exhausted."

Irony (and spinning) abounds

Just saw this press release from so-called "People for the American Way" (PFAW) bemoaning that the Miers' withdrawal demonstrates the "ultra right wing's" control over the GOP. I wish. What would these freaks be feeling if Kennedy and McCain weren't driving Bush's agenda on Capitol Hill?

Two ironies jump out to me: first, PFAW would surely not be saying the same thing if Dubya were taking his left wing advice on anything; second, the name of their spawned-just-for-the-judicial-nominations website is "savethecourt.org" . . . they--I assume inadvertently, left off the traditional first word of that well-known phrase--"God."

Thoughts on parenthood . . .

John Derbyshire (yes, he's originally from Britain) has written a great article on child-rearing in the age of Madonna as supernanny. I particularly was interested in the part contrasting the experiences of today's children with their much-less-unsupervised lives of yesteryear.

This a pretty good article, too.

Another attorney weighs in on the faux CIA "leak" scandal.

Definitive article on CIA "leak" story

The definitive article on this Faux Scandal is one by Mark Levin.

Inspiring announcement about Maryland Senate race

Lt. Gov. Michael Steele of Maryland has announced his GOP candidacy for U.S. Senate, and he quoted these inspiring words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?Vanity asks the question - is it
popular?Expediency asks the question - is it political?But conscience asks the
question - is it right?

Kick some donkey, Gov. Steele.

Roving for scandal

This article gives a fairly reasonable account of the Joseph Wilson/Valerie Plame affair; but you have to read the entire article, overlook look the characterizations and pay attention to the facts.

The bottom line is that, since early in Bush's first term, the Dems have been trying with all their might to characterize Dubya as a liar. When they stumbled upon a purported fabrication by the administration: the assertion in the State of the Union address that British intelligence had determined that Sadaam Hussein had attempted to buy yellow cake mat'l from Niger.

1. British intelligence stands by its report to us--the Bush admin. didn't lie in the state of the union speech.
2. Joe Wilson was asked by the CIA to take a boondoggle at least in part because his wife worked on the Anti-terrorism task force (or something along those lines) at the CIA--it's still not clear, even to Wilson, whether she was "covert." One thing that IS clear is that she is not a non-partisan civil servant.
3. Wilson said he found no indication that British intell was right or that Sadaam had sought yellow cake; he merely filed an oral report of such upon his return.
4. After the state of the union assertion, Wilson wrote a column in the NY Times claiming "BUSH LIED . . . blah, blah, blah"; subsequently he joined the Kerry for President campaign as an advisor.
5. As the buzz started--in the couple of months prior to the 2004 election, about Wilson's accusations in the NYT, the WH began to look into who this critic was and what was motivating him . . . they determined that he was sent to Niger because of his wife and had not WMD expertise nor intell expertise . . . they set out to discredit him and his attacks on the WH . . . Discrediting Wilson is not a complicated task, but it certainly is a scandalous one in the eyes of the so-called MSM.
6. Then Wilson pretends that the WH's noting that Wilson got the Niger assignment because of his wife's job amounted to trying to "get to him through exposing his wife's covertness" and that such references to how he got the assignment amounted to "exposing a covert agent" which violates a federal law.
7. Two years later, a special prosecutor is working his tail off to come up with something/someone to indict and I predict it will be for inconsistent statements made by Bush admin. people who have been fully cooperative and given multiple instances of testimony/statements to the prosecutor.

Where's the beef, Dems?

It's not against the law to be a Conservative or a Republican.

Pillar of pro-life movement dies

I just read that Wellington Mara, long-time owner of the N.Y. Giants and a pillar of the pro-life movement has died from cancer at age 89. Since I've been paying attention to the abortion holocaust I have often heard of his pro-life views and respected him for that alone, but I was encouraged to read that so many people in his life--from co-owners of NFL franchises to players on his teams, had unqualified respect for him. R.I.P. Mr. Mara.

How ironic . . . FEMA now accused of spendthriftyness

This article has a time-warpish feel to it . . . local officials (and the so-called MSM) are raising questions about use of taxpayer monies by FEMA to provide relief dollars following Katrina. It appears that boatloads of money have been given out to undeserving persons making exaggerated and fraudulent claims. Yeah, tell us about it. I wonder if Howie Dean will want hearings on this aspect of the Federal Gov't's response to Katrina.

Civil rights heroine dies

I am saddened to read that Rosa Parks has died, though she lived a long, full life. Her death reminds me of an account I've heard of her moment in history. In particular, I remember reading that she has said of her decision not to give her seat to a white man, she had done so because she was just tired . . . of course, it wasn't akin to laziness, but rather a resolve that is borne from being fed up. She made her mark in history (and paved the way for societal change) because she finally decided she wasn't going to take it anymore. And sometimes I think we have to get tired of doing things the easy or convenient or acceptable or popular way before we'll do what's best. I'm glad she made that choice, though it would have certainly been understandable for her to have chosen differently. Mrs. Parks, R.I.P.

Correction: I read this a.m. that Rosa Parks demurred from the general perception that she had not gotten up because her feet hurt. Here's a quote from the Melbourne Herald Sun,

Speaking in 1992, she said history too often maintained "that my feet were
hurting and I didn't know why I refused to stand up when they told me. But the
real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as
any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long.

Nonetheless, I admire her example and am glad she was willing to take a stand, so to speak.

"Young Singers Spread Racist Hate"

This disturbing article reports that a pair of beautiful young twins (a la the Olsen twins) are performing lyrics with White Nationalistic themes. I am glad they are being shunned by most people, but, of course, they probably don't mind the PR from ABC. I'm also glad they're being called out by the NAACP for their racist, hateful lyrics . . . now, if we can just get the NAACP to do the same with racist, hateful rap lyrics . . .

"Playing God" has gotten easier over the centuries . . .

This WashPost op/ed (hat tip Bobbie Patray) about abortion and Down's Syndrome children made me think about how advances in technology and medicine, in particular, have fed our hunger to control our lives . . . essentially, we feel more capable of scripting our lives; but the problem is that our desire to avert pain or discomfort at most any cost to others can delude us. Abortion for example, may not be as starkly cruel as throwing a less-than-perfect newborn in a trashcan, but is it substantively different?

I'm sorry, but the DeLay prosecution is almost laughable . . .

This article (hat tip, The Corner) states that Tom DeLay "could face up to life in prison if convicted" of "conspiracy and money laundering in a [purported] campaign finance scheme tied to his political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, or TRMPAC."

I am almost speechless (luckily, I am still able to type) upon reading that such a purported crime could merit a life sentence. But this is consistent with Liberalism: only first-degree murder is a greater offense than contributing money to a politically incorrect political cause.

Here's an op/ed on "the criminalization of Conservatism."

This is an intriguing story about a recipient of an ABC Extreme Makeover and how the folks at ABC were not aware that he had a conviction for armed robbery in 1982. What makes the story relevant is that the guy only served 60 days and the rest of his 1-year sentence (!) was suspended. And they are saying DeLay could get a life sentence?!?

By the way, this is a funny article about how DeLay's winsome smile in his mugshot (taken today) will make it difficult for the Dems to use it against him.

Leftist Media = Castro-philes

This article was music to a Conservative's ears--the secretary of homeland security is planning to end the "catch and release" model of dealing with people attempting to enter the country illegally, but it seems as if the journalist could not restrain himself from an absurd assertion at the end of the article. In particular, the writer proclaims that this policy of the Bush Administration would clash with our policy of not returning Cuban immigrants, who reach our soil safely, to Cuba. Only a flaming Liberal idiot could sincerely not appreciate the difference between a person caught leaving Mexico and a person caught fleeing Cuba.

Revealing article about Algore

I can't remember/determine if I have posted a link to this New Yorker article before, but it is fascinating reading if you're interested in Al Gore. The writer spends a day with Gore in Nashville, and it is interesting to see behind the image of Gore the candidate or elected official. Happy reading.

Bush's live chat with troops in Iraq "carefully scripted"? I don't think so.

I've heard a lot in the so-called MSM the past couple of days about how a live videoconference between the President and troops in Iraq was "carefully scripted"; however, if you read details (or FACTS rather than characterization of facts) about what happened, you see that this is yet another example of the Left's obsession with hating Dubya. It is a freaking interaction between the Commander-in-Chief and soldiers in the field, of course there needs to be some coordination about who will speak, when they will get to speak and what subjects the big guy is interested in. This is more of a morale booster than a "listening tour" for Pete's sake.

Seems like there's no "there" there . . .

This report of Judy Miller's testimony that she "can't recall" who told her Valerie Plame's name is pretty fishy. It bolsters the speculation from Clifford D. May that the source of the "leak" was actually Joe Wilson, as he tried to parlay his embarrassing situation into a smear on the Bush administration.

200 reasons Clinton stunk

This NRO "re-print" provides a succinct look back in time to why Clinton was not, as Algore claimed, "one of America's greatest presidents."

Teaching the Bible in public schools

Interesting report of an initiative to teach the Bible in the public schools which is--brace yourself, endorsed by a number of groups to include the so-called People for the American Way Foundation. The Left in America is so intent on denying God--of removing any trace of His existence, I am skeptical of this program. That being said, there's some value in acknowledging that Judeo-Christian scriptural principles were central to the development of the greatest civilizations in Earth's history.

Bankruptcy binge

This story reports that the number of bankruptcies being filed is shattering prior records in the face of a tightening up of current law on Monday. I think that bankruptcy has its place in a society, but only if the law/system is not so lax that irresponsible or spendthrift persons can declare themselves bankrupt and then return to irresponsible or spendthrift habits.

Disturbing story about attempt to steal baby from womb

This story is disturbing in so many respects. The objectification of children/babies (that is, treating them like possessions) has got to contribute to this evil . . . It's scary to think about what kind of parent this perpetrator would make.

Here's an article with a picture of the evil mother-wannabe.

Another article quoting the man who discovered the crime:
The suspect, seemed "spaced out, like she was hollow. She barely said a word," Silvas said.

Indeed, the suspect is hollow . . .

GWOT, Part II

This article further illustrates the task before us in the Iraqi phase of the GWOT. The Dems fail to understand the Global aspect of our task.

Homeschooling by hook or by crook . . .

This is an interesting article about how some parents in the hurricane-ravaged gulf coast region are having to turn to homeschooling until public schools re-open. The most interesting quote in the article is one mother's statement that her biggest challenge will be to get her children to sit down and listen to her. Reminds me of the new book, It Takes a Parent: How the Culture of Pushover Parenting Is Hurting our Kids and What to Do About It. I hope that this parenting experience--even though involuntary, will change parents (and their children) forever and for the best.

Unconnected for the past week or so . . .

Wow, what a frustrating week as we waited to have cable internet connected at our new house and then waited a week for it to work properly. It's like buttah, though, as I work online this evening. The folks at Comcast have redeemed themselves in my eyes in the homestretch.

I believe the beating victim . . .

I believe the beating victim, and I do believe that he should receive some compensation for what he endured. I am encouraged by his refusal to raise the issue of race (indeed, here the victim pointed out that one of the officers--the one on the horse, was black); however, I do believe that more people need to realize that resisting an arrest--no matter the basis, is foolish. For obvious reasons, fighting with a police officer is not treated like standing up to the playground bully and it is frowned upon by society. I perceive that the officers escalated the force (aside from a punch or shove by an initial officer) because Mr. Jackson would not submit. From what I've heard, one of the officers in this incident was very rude and unprofessional (well before any serious violence occurred), but I don't think that this event would have been as serious if Mr. Jackson had not refused to handcuffed. Then he could have filed his complaint against the rude/abusive officer and in time (if not immediately) the officer's bad actions/attitude would have caught up with him.

"Bold" move for N.O.?

From a Reuters story, "New Orleans' mayor on Friday proposed building a casino zone near the historic French Quarter to jump start the hurricane-ravaged city's economy, saying a bold move was needed to restore lost tax revenue."

What's "bold" about a Liberal promoting gambling?

Bush's GWOT speech and Democrat demands of "exit strategy"

This story reflects the importance of Dubya's message in his Thursday speech . . . it is not wise to make withdrawal (or "an exit strategy") from Iraq a priority. It disturbs me that the Dems and our enemies, like Islamofascists, are so often on the same sheet.

The Miers nomination

My family and I have been (and still are) living in a maze of boxes after moving this past week, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Remind me next time to get cable and telephone service ordered well in advance of the move.

This op/ed (from Pat Buchanan, with whom I've become somewhat disillusioned over the past years) sounds just about right on the Miers nomination.

A money quote from the article:

Why is a judicial cipher like Harriet Miers to be preferred to a judicial conservative like Edith Jones? One reason: Because the White House fears nominees "with a paper trail" will be rejected by the Senate, and this White House fears, above all else, losing. So, it has chosen not to fight.