Silence of the Ham

From Rachel Sklar: Why Won’t The Media Cover Edwards? Because They Don’t Have To Yet.

Good lord. Lieberman?

I know time discussing VP rumors is time wasted, but Lieberman? I mean, he’s a nice guy, but I get his drift maybe 1% of the time (albeit a big 1%). I feel a little manipulated here.

Message to John McCain: just focus on preventing your ass getting handed to you in DA  RED  STATES. The Freepers are gettin’ a little nervous.

Winehouse alert-

Singer Amy Winehouse hospitalized — this time for a reaction to a medication.

I call bullshit.

Is John Edwards truly busted?

Daily Kos thinks so

Anbar Awakening successful because of local tribal leadership and American troops, but mostly American troops.

This chicken & egg argument about the Surge vs the Anbar Awakening, and how this is a major McCain gaffe is truly bizarre. No matter how desperately the Obama camp wants to steal this issue from McCain–and no matter how screechy the Obama fanboi sounds in the MSNBC message board–it is simply not factual to say the Awakening happened without American involvement! Technically, it may have happened before the first Surge brigades set foot in Anbar, but guess what? The tribal sheiks that provided momentum in the early, dark days of the Awakening were already working with American troops.

Always trust content from Kausfiles

Could this story be true? It’s been under the radar for months, and Mickey has not relented. This may set a new MSM record in avoiding topics too disruptive to their own delicate sensibilities.

Update: Alternate Headline:  “the Copulatin’ Populist”?

Batman sequal raises $100 million more than Barack Obama - will the media notice?

Batman sequel breaks box office records:

The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s gritty Batman sequel, raked in $155 million between Friday and Sunday, outselling the previous top weekend grosser, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, by more than $4 million and driving the movie business to a record $253 million weekend.

By comparison, Obama only raised $54 million in June  (revised downward here).

But both still BOMB compared to the million 3G iPhones Apple sold within the first three days of their release last month (estimated $200-$300 million)

I’ll have to ask the New York Times first, but is it OK to ask how we can afford to drop a half a billion bucks on ephemeral bullshit if our economy is in such dire shape?

No horse in this race, mind you

From Glenn McCoy.

Self-fulfilling prophecies - How to claim all success as yours

One of the best political strategies is to co-opt your opponent by adopting his position.  Senator Bayh, on behalf of the Obama machine:

Bayh said President Bush’s announcement Friday that the United States and Iraq were discussing a “time horizon” for the withdrawal of American troops suggests that the White House is coming around to Obama’s point of view.

Obama has said the United States can withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months while leaving a residual force to engage in counterterrorism activities and protect diplomats.

“Clearly, they want a more definitive timeline,” Bayh said. “And even President Bush now is coming up with a variety of euphemisms: aspirational goals, time horizons. I mean, it’s starting to sound pretty much like a timeline to me.“

Who’s sounding like who, Senator?  Obama has called for a withdrawal, well, ever since the secretive International Soros Foundation mainstream media first elevated him to the national spotlight as the avatar of hope.  Or, at least since early 2007, when he suggested all troops come home by March 31, 2008.

The nerve.

Foolish European scientists blame “wind” for climate change

According to some Spanish and German fascists scientists, changes in global wind patterns could have caused abrupt glacial climatic change.

Philippines wants to create MILF haven

. . .Heh. . . Get your mind out of the gutter–it’s another kind of haven.  One destined to attract a lot of tourists seeking MILFs

Philippines eyes plebiscite to okay Muslim homeland
MANILA, July 17 (Reuters) - The Philippines will hold a plebiscite early next year in more than 700 southern villages to set up an ancestral homeland for Muslims, part of a deal with the country’s biggest rebel group, officials said on Thursday.

Hermogenes Esperon, the president’s peace adviser, told reporters the proposed Muslim homeland would also be empowered to collect about 75 percent of taxes from oil, mines and fisheries in the area.

He was speaking in Manila a day after government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) negotiators hammered out a deal in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.

“The government has agreed to grant broader political, social and economic power to the Muslims based on a deal we have reached with the rebels in Malaysia,” Esperon said, adding everything that was agreed was within the country’s constitution.

I don’t have a lot of data here, but I’m guessing this will work out great!

Via JWF

Next up: Fighting world hunger and long walks on the beach

Alternate headline: “Indiana - where respected politicians like Evan Bayh and Sam Nunn mumble“WTF did I just sign up for?”

Obama wants to rid world of nuclear weapons at a speech at Purdue University.  (woot!).

The scene of Obama’s remarks was no accident — Indiana is a state that has long voted Republican in presidential elections but one the Democrat’s campaign is hoping to make competitive this cycle. Taking part in the roundtable discussion with Obama was Indiana’s Democratic U.S. senator, Evan Bayh, a popular figure from a powerful political family.

Choose a political significant location to make politically naive campaign promises. . . Just what them red staters want!  Is this the kind of strategery $500 million can buy?

How much on Bayh and Nunn being among the Supers giving Hillary a second look?

A heroic stand

Read combat reporter Jeff Emanuel’s followup to the recent battle in Afghanistan that killed 9 Americans. 

Legal scholars find spare time, invent controversy

Colombian military used Red Cross emblem in rescue attempt, and likely violated several principles of the Geneva Convention.

Two things:

1. What part of the Geneva Convention did FARC break in taking the hostages?
2. Terrorist organizations apparently can count on the goodwill (and discreet nature) of international NGOs.

Make that three: Why does anybody care?

** update:  Uribe apologizes for use of symbol.

Don’t worry. . .The dummies won’t even notice

Obama’s previous stances on the Surge flushed down the memory hole.

This man betted loudly and arrogantly against our military, and lost big time. Now he wants to blend into the crowd, and maybe even take some credit?

Is Obama’s Truth Squad also writing iPhone publicity material?

With so much money and creative marketing talent sitting on the bench of the Obama campaign, it’s inevitable that some of their restless energy would spill over to other areas.  Witness the 3G iPhone publicity EXPLOSION at top tech blogs like Gizmodo and Engadget. It is an absolute firestorm of publicity. Like last year’s initial iPhone launch, you have Apple fanboys camping out, filming the unboxing of their shiny new device, and adopting “Apple” as their middle name.

Ok, I made up that last part, but the level of idolatry is eerily familiar.

The “Statesman” with a Skullet

Jesse Ventura decides to run against Coleman and Stuart Smalley for Senator.

Differences summed

Iran’s missile tests divide Obama and McCain

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that Iran’s missile tests highlight the need for direct diplomacy as well as tougher threats of economic sanctions and strong incentives to persuade Tehran to change its behavior.

John McCain, the Republican seeking the presidency, said the tests demonstrate a need for effective missile defense, including missile defense in Europe and the defense system the U.S. plans with the Czech Republic and Poland.

That’s right, fighting missiles with carrots.  This Messiah of yours could very well get us all killed.

Interesting, this soft approach from one Messiah to another (Mahdi).

NYT Climber lucky not to be sniped

Climbs to 11th floor of the NYT tower and unfurls a bin Laden banner, which turns out to be a promotion for his manifesto.

A Kausian polemic

Iraq “flipping point”?

More than two weeks ago the New York Times mentioned that the Iraqi city of Mosul was ” in the midst of a major security operation” against one of the last bastions of Al Qaeda in Iraq. So how’s that going? Should we have to read the London Times (or Belmont Club) to learn about its success or failure? (It looks like relative success, Juan Cole notwithstanding.) … If the NYT has reported the outcome, I missed it. (A June 1 story only went so far as to say that “hopes” had been “raised” and that the “Iraqi Army may soon have tenuous control.” ) … P.S.: Sorry to be crude, but does the NYT realize that we may be at the point where reports of military success in Iraq help Obama (because stability enables the rapid pullout he seeks) while reports of contiuing turmoil and difficulty help McCain (by raising doubts that U.S. forces can be safely withdrawn in the next few years)?

Very interesting. . .

Turning the screws on Chavez

U.S. ties Hugo Chavez to Hezbollah aid.

Witness the pivot–Obama rewrites his Iraq plan

Obama throws old self under bus, promises new self.

Behold the spinning. . .

Waterboring

Christopher Hitchens willfully submitted himself to the waterboard TWICE but somehow emerges physically, mentally, and physiologically unharmed enough to write an introspective article