Bill's Bites -- 2006.10.02
Contributed by Bill Faith
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Bill's Bites -- 2006.10.03
Murtha’s role in Abscam
Bryan Preston
Just caught a blurb on Hannity & Colmes intro–they’re going to run tape of John Murtha’s role in Abscam. It’s a tape that hasn’t been released before. It sounds like it will be highly entertaining.
Yeah, yeah, question the timing.
Update (AP): AmSpec posted the full hour-long video online a few days ago. I almost linked it, but is anyone going to watch an hour of Jack Murtha playing bribe footsie with the feds? ...
New UN Secretary-General chosen, sort of
Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea. The Security Council’s signed off on him; all that’s left is for the General Assembly to kiss the bride. The formal SC vote is next Monday. Not sure about the GA.
Hard to say how having Ban in charge will affect the UN’s wrangling with Kim Jong-Il. I’d like to think it’ll help: rationally, having a fellow Korean to deal with should make Kim more open to negotiation.
But rational’s got nothing to do with it, does it? ...
Video: Michelle discusses Foleygate on O’Reilly;
Update: WashTimes calls for Hastert’s head
Allahpundit
The stars align as Michelle, Bill, and KP agree that Mark Foley is a predator for whom no one should be making excuses. I didn’t think anyone had been, and in all candor I find it somewhat offensive that wanting the same standards to apply to both sides should be considered tantamount to apologizing for what he did. No one’s letting Foley off the hook. The fact is, if someone knew what he was up to and didn’t act to stop it immediately, they’re complicit in child abuse. Period. Republican, Democrat, politician, civilian, what have you. Makes no difference.
But people can disagree about these things, I guess. ...
Frist Didn't Surrender To The Taliban
Ed Morrissey
An earlier AP report on Bill Frist and comments he made on the status of Afghanistan had some Republicans reaching for their hemlock, but as it turns out, Frist claims that the report misquotes his remarks. Here's what the AP reported:
[...]
Frist, however, calls foul at his VOLPAC blog after I contacted his office this afternoon to get a confirmation of his remarks:
[...]
So what happened? I think that someone confused "Taliban" with "Taliban supporters" at some point, and whether that was Frist or the reporter will probably remain a point of contention between the two. At any rate, Bill Frist is not calling for the return of the Taliban and an end to democracy in Afghanistan. ...
See also Allahpundits updates to his post here, which I linked earlier.
... the means to resist.
Contributed by Bill Faith
Havin' a hell of a day emotionally. Part of me wants to just give up. The Lord (whose name sure as Hell ain't "Allah") knows how tired I am; I try not to let on to anyone else. ... A big part of me wants to just hide under the porch, maybe forever. But there's another part of me that won't let it. A little something I memorized about 36 years ago: ..
Frist says U.S. can’t win,
should bring Taliban into Afghan government
The Commissar has decided to vote Democratic this fall.
Why not? What’s the difference? U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday that the Afghan guerrilla war can never be won militarily and called for efforts to bring the Taliban and their supporters into the Afghan government.
The Tennessee Republican said he had learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated by military means…
Source of Foley e-mails identified?
Allahpundit
Maybe. Maybe. Keep scrolling until you reach Update II.
Gateway Pundit has good stuff on this too, particularly the 2004 article from the Washington Blade that he dug up. It’s a small world after all.
Update: The boss thinks this whole line of inquiry is foolish:
The Foley mess: deal with it
Michelle Malkin
I've been absorbing as much commentary on the 'net and radio about the Foley mess as I can stand today.
What I am hearing from some conservatives inclined to pooh-pooh Foley's behavior and carry on about Barney Frank instead does not sit well with me. You can't possibly read Foley's communications with minors that have been disclosed so far--including his attempts to rendezvous with one--and dismiss them as merely "naughty e-mails." Yet, that's how White House press secretary Tony Snow described some of them this morning. Though he admitted to being too "glib" and "clarified" those remarks with tougher words this afternoon, the damage has been done. Fair or not, it makes the White House look flippant about sexual predation. Parents of all political persuasions are not going to be receptive to that. ...
Video: Tony Snow clarifies Foley comments
He told Soledad O’Brien this morning that the scandal had to do with, and I quote, “simply naughty e-mails.” Lefty bloggers instantly seized upon it as evidence that Snow has no big problem with child predators, I guess. Which brings us to this clip from today’s briefing.
Amazing how quickly memes travel from Think Progress to the White House press corps, isn’t it? ...
Video: Hastert wants to know who had the Foley IMs;
Update: Capito says she wasn’t told of e-mails
He says the House leadership didn’t know about the sexually explicit instant messages ABC published Friday.
But someone out there did. Someone gave them to ABC. He’s asked the DOJ to find out who that was — and how long they knew about it and said nothing. ,,,
Godspeed, Canadian Army Private Josh Klukie
Here's a tough but true story that you need to read about the Canadian troops slugging it out with the Taliban in Afghanistan: The sad smile of a dying soldier
After watching Pte. Josh Klukie die, the members of 4 Platoon, Bravo Company, vow to finish their ugly little war ...
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — On the evening they said goodbye to Private Josh Klukie, there was clarity in the eyes of the men who fought beside him.
They watched his casket hoisted into a cargo plane in the warm afternoon light, snapped to attention and marched off the tarmac to prepare for another mission. ...
Care at Christmas
Now is the time to start getting ready to send our troops some Holiday cheer. The Operation: Love From Home is being sponsored by Soldiers' Angel Kat at Yikes: OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME
During this holiday season, let's show our troops we love and support them!!!! From September 30 to November 30, I will be collecting holiday cards for troops stationed in high-combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Being away from home and living in harsh conditions during the holiday season is especially difficult ~ they need to know we have not forgotten them!!! Mail from home helps to keep our troops' morale strong, making a very real difference in their lives.
Send your signed, unsealed holiday cards to:
Mrs. Kathy Orr
OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, Georgia, 30052
The cards can be handmade or store-bought ...
US and North Korea morally equivalent?
Uncle Jimbo
From today’s Washington Post comes this heartbreaking story of the horrible treatment by the North Koreans of 36 US airmen which ought to remind us of the enemies we fight, instead Northwestern law prof Joseph Margulies uses it to try and create a false moral equivalence between the North Koreans and us. “During the Korean War, thousands of American POWs were forced to endure grotesque and sadistic physical torture. But the downed airmen were treated differently. The senior officer among them was Col. Frank Schwable, the highest-ranking Marine captured in the conflict. “I want to emphasize,” Schwable said later, “that I did not undergo physical torture. Perhaps I would have been more fortunate if I had, because people nowadays seem to understand that better. Mine was the more subtle kind of torment.”
He goes on to detail the treatment of these prisoners ...
First Female Thunderbird
Blackfive
Tony in Boulder sends the link to this story via CNN of Major Nicole Malachowski who landed her dream job on the USAF Thunderbirds: Thunderbirds fulfill her lifelong need for speed ...
Zawhiri Speaks...
Blackfive
...and who does he sound like?
From CENTCOM: Ayman Al-Zawahiri Reacts to Bush, Pope; Urges Muslims to Support Mujahidin ...
Support Dunkin Donuts and Applebees
Open-borders extremists are starting a boycott of the donut franchises and the restaurant chain. Why? Because they won't hire aliens whose bogus Social Security numbers don't check out: A local group fighting for immigrant rights is calling for a boycott of two nationally known companies. Dunkin Donuts and Applebee's are accused of discriminating against immigrant workers whose names don't match their social security numbers.
The families of the Pendleton 8
Euphoric Reality is raising money to support the families of the Pendleton 8. Kit Jarrell writes: Behind the news articles and interviews and drama are the families. The financial burden of these hearings and upcoming courts-martial have drained them completely. None of them were financially well off; they refinanced homes, took second, third, and even fourth jobs, and pulled other children from college to pay for the defense. Three of these men have very small children who need things like formula and diapers. But the question is inevitable: If every penny goes to defending their sons from being wrongfully convicted and having their lives ruined, what is left over for groceries? How do their everyday bills get paid? And why are they even in the position of having to choose between a defense and a package of diapers?
That’s where we come in. ...
The saviors of Air America
Michelle Malkin
My friend and frequent investigative partner Brian Maloney at The Radio Equalizer has an exclusive report on how shady couple Sheldon and Anita Drobny are riding to Air America's rescue: Poised to announce their takeover imminently, the Drobnys are said to be acquiring the long- suffering operation for mere pennies on the dollar, the Radio Equalizer has learned.
Other buyout efforts by parties close to the network were said to have failed because of difficulties in putting together the necessary funds. Accepting this bid was seen as a last- ditch way to avoid a complete collapse, which appeared to be just days away.
The takeover looks to be as messy as all of Air America's past financial dealings: ...
American cops sued for not speaking Spanish
Bryan Preston
Why we need an official language (English): An attorney for a Hispanic man who was allegedly knocked to the ground and kicked by a police officer is seeking over $1 million dollars for his client, arguing that the city’s failure to teach law enforcement officers “fundamental Spanish” is the reason excessive force was used. ...
Angry Muslim confronts British soldier … in his hospital bed
Basra? Baghdad?
Try Birmingham: Seriously wounded soldiers have complained that they are worried about their safety after being left on wards that are open to the public at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.
On one occasion a member of the Parachute Regiment, still dressed in his combat uniform after being evacuated from Afghanistan, was accosted by a Muslim over the British involvement in the country.
“You have been killing my Muslim brothers in Afghanistan,” the man said during a tirade. ..
Video: Wafa Sultan on the Mohammed cartoons;
Update: Interview with Bassam Tibi
Allahpundit
We still get e-mails from people linking to the MEMRI video of her now world famous appearance on Al Jazeera last year saying, “YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS.”
We’ve seen it.
But we hadn’t seen this yet, and odds are neither have you. Nine minutes of Sultan, in English, on Islam and the cartoon jihad. Is it really “the crack in the wall”?
Click the image to watch.
Ashton Kutcher: Clinton hit on Demi Moore at party
Allahpundit
Might as well clear out all the crap items from the weekend.
Apparently he said this Thursday on the Tonight Show, which I always, always tape — except for that particular night, when I had something more important to record.
Rasmussen calls Senate a dead heat,
TradeSports favors Dems to take House
It was 45-44 for Corker in Tennessee as of a month ago. Today it’s 48-43 Ford.
Which means the Senate is now 49-49, with New Jersey and Missouri toss-ups.
On TradeSports, GOP retention of the House was trading at 58 on Friday. Last price as of this moment?
46.2.
It’s been awhile since I got drunk in the middle day. The last time was … yesterday, I think.
It’s hard to keep track, what with all the blackouts.
An Old War Dog Review The Blog of War
Blackfive
George Mellinger reviews The Blog of War at Old War Dogs. [...]
Go check out the entire piece. I disagree with the conclusion.
Customers give the nod to Marine’s Bobble Mohammad
By Jules Crittenden
Move over, Jesus. Make room on the dashboard for Mohammad . . . Bobblehead Mohammad.
A former Marine is hawking the nodding Mohammad doll at his Web site, www.dashboardmohammed.com at $22.99 a pop . . . expect two to four weeks’ delay in shipping due to high demand, 10 percent of all sales to go to Tim Ames’ beer fund.
“We’ve sold 200 in the last six hours,” said Ames, 28, of Hawaii. He acknowledges he is risking a fatwa, although he hasn’t received a death threat yet. ...
Were Foley’s e-mails altered?
Allahpundit
Check this out. There seems to be no question that he’s guilty — if he wasn’t, one assumes, he’d be fighting this tooth and nail instead of checking himself into rehab — but I’m at a loss to explain the discrepancies in the messages. I can think of two possibilities: ...
Predators in the House
Michelle Malkin
Disgraced GOP Rep. Mark Foley's instant messages with an underage page are absolutely appalling. He was a 54-year-old man abusing his position of power with a 16-year-old boy. Based on all the reporting so far, and there may yet be more to come, Rep. Foley was exactly the kind of sexual predator--"sicko," in his own words--he crusaded against in Congress. Alcoholism seems the least of his problems.
The Democrats are in full feeding frenzy, of course. Now, many blogs on the right are questioning the provenance of the story and doing good investigative work on the mysterious blog that started it all. See Clarice Feldman, Tom Maguire, Rick Moran, Blog P-I, and Allah's round-up.
But amidst all the "who-knew-what-when" posturing and "hypocrisy" jockeying and media coverage dissecting, I hope we don't lose sight of the core scandal here. There are simply too many adults in Washington who cannot be trusted to ensure the safety of young people under their wing.
Not in the White House (go re-read the Starr Report, if you have the stomach).
Not in their districts ...
Guantanamo Bay: The Inside Story
John Hinderaker
An Army Major who worked with detainees at Guantanamo Bay as a nurse has given Patterico an exclusive series of interviews on his experiences at that facility. In the opening segment, Patterico describes how he came to know this person, and how he verified his bona fides. Posts to come will include the following topics: Part Two: Stashiu arrives at GTMO, and tells us what the terrorists are like.
Part Three: Hunger strikes, suicides and suicide attempts, and mental illness.
Part Four: Treatment of the detainees
Part Five: Stashiu reacts to Big Media pieces about GTMO.
It should be interesting, especially because the series will be exclusive to Patterico. ...
PressPlay Debuts
On the Waterfront--Still (H/T)
Why did Congress kill a measure to keep felons out of U.S. ports?
John Fund
Congress is patting itself on the back for passing the Port Security Act last Saturday. But the day before, a House-Senate conference committee stripped out a provision that would have barred serious felons from working in sensitive dock security jobs. Port security isn't just about checking the contents of cargo containers, it also means checking the background of the 400,000 workers on our docks.
U.S. harbors are filled with workers convicted of serious crimes. Just last year the Justice Department filed a RICO suit charging that the 65,000-member East Coast-based International Longshoremen's Association is a "vehicle for organized crime." ...
Bush Fires Rumsfeld, Nominates Bob Woodward
(2006-10-02) -- White House sources today said that President George Bush, under increasing pressure to 'win the peace' in Iraq, will fire embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and nominate Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as his replacement. ...
Defeat can't be an option
By Carol Platt Liebau
News on the national security front last week provided reason for some cautious optimism. Although a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) notes that the Iraq war may have increased the terrorist threat in the short term, the document likewise points out that a victory in the war would deal a blow to terrorist recruitment in the long run. What’s more, an intercepted Al Qaeda communication revealed that the terrorists themselves believe that they are losing ground in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Taken together, the documents prove definitively that great deal is riding on the outcome of the war in Iraq – and that a defeat for Al Qaeda isn’t only desirable, it’s achievable. But just as there’s more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes, there’s also more than one way to lose a war. ...
Speechless In Seattle
What has happened in Seattle prefigures what a national Democratic administration might try to do to stifle conservative talk radio.
By George F. Will
Oct. 9, 2006 issue - SEATTLE—As the comprehensive and sustained attack on Americans' freedom of political speech intensifies, this city has become a battleground. Campaign-finance "reformers," who advocate ever-increasing government regulation of the quantity, timing and content of political speech, always argue that they want to regulate "only" money, which, they say, leaves speech unaffected. But here they argue that political speech is money, and hence must be regulated. By demanding that the speech of two talk-radio hosts be monetized and strictly limited, reformers reveal the next stage in their stealthy repeal of the First Amendment. ...
New Iran Policy Toughens Sanctions
Condoleezza Rice will have a new tool in her pocket in the showdown with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. The Senate quietly passed a new Iran policy on Saturday, one which President Bush is expected to sign, that allows for sanctions on any business that supports Iran's nuclear or advanced weapons programs. When she travels to Cairo tomorrow, Rice intends on unveiling the implications of the new policy in an attempt to further isolate Teheran: ...
Behold The Power Of Pork
The power of appropriators to shape legislation in all other areas of policy gets amplified through the use of pork-barrel politics, and John Murtha in particular has mastered this technique. The New York Times profiles Murtha and gets him on the record, bragging about his effectiveness in using pork to gain power: Members have watched with envy as Mr. Murtha has used earmarks to remake Johnstown, Pa., an impoverished former steel town that now includes a Murtha highway, a Murtha airport and Murtha health centers. He has steered billions of dollars to his district over the years, including more than $80 million in the defense spending bill passed Friday, according to a preliminary tally. ...
Iran Sending Jihadists Into Afghanistan?
Knock-kneed with fear, the young prisoner perched on the edge of his chair in the windowless Afghan intelligence office. Eyes bloodshot and hands trembling, he blurted out his story.
Abdullah had reached the end of a pitifully short career as a Taliban fighter. He had been arrested hours earlier, just 10 days after signing up to the insurgency. But the 25-year-old with a soft face and a neat beard had something unusual that aroused the intelligence agents' curiosity.
"I come from Iran," he said in a quavering voice, ...
In A Word -- Yes!
Ed Morrissey
The London Times asks if Kofi Annan has blood on his hands as he prepares to end his term as United Nations Secretary-General. Apparently the Times does not consider this a rhetorical question, as it provides a rather lengthy answer: Srebrenica is rarely mentioned nowadays in Annan’s offices on the 38th floor of the UN secretariat building in New York. He steps down in December after a decade as secretary-general. His retirement will be marked by plaudits. But behind the honorifics and the accolades lies a darker story: of incompetence, mismanagement and worse. ...
It's hard to improve on this essay by the Times. Read the whole thing, and shake your head in wonder that anyone considers this organization the least bit credible.
Boot Murtha Rally Wrap-Up
By pennconservative
UPDATE: Scroll down for photos of the event.
I attended the Boot Murtha rally against Congressman John P. Murtha in Johstown, PA today, and wanted to give a wrap-up for those of you that could not make it. If I had to guess, I would say that there were around 1,000 people there, although pictures may not reflect this because it was held at the War Memorial, which is a pretty large venue (it’s where President Bush came when he visited Johnstown during the 2004 campaign, if that tells you anything).
First, let me say that I did not hear one person question Murtha’s prior military service. In fact, Dave Beamer actually thanked the Congressman for his service, although he did follow that up by stating that prior service does not automatically forgive his statements and actions that he’s making today. The calls from the left that people are trying to ’swift boat’ Murtha are patently false. Murtha is being held accountable for the statements that he’s making as a public servant regarding the war in Iraq and our soldiers that are fighting. Many find these statements particularly egregious given the fact that Murtha is a former Marine and should know better. However, noone has questioned Murtha’s prior service, so the comparisons to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are false and a red herring designed to take the focus off of where it should be: what Murtha is saying and doing now.
As for the rally itself, most notable was the line-up of speakers. ...
Bill's Bites -- 2006.10.01
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