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?

From Glenn McCoy.

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.

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

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?

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.

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?