He will save us from the hate tapes

Here are the results of their policy. Osama bin Laden and his top leadership – the people who murdered 3000 Americans – have a safe-haven in northwest Pakistan, where they operate with such freedom of action that they can still put out hate-filled audiotapes to the outside world. That’s the result of the Bush-McCain approach to the war on terrorism," - Barack Obama, yesterday.

Oh no, not another hate filled tape! Presumably, under an Obama administration, Osama bin Laden would be tried for hate speech and sentenced to community service, thus denying Osama his coveted martyrdom.

Goodnight Bush

The New York Times reports on a profitable trend in children's books:

The cover of “Goodnight Bush” looks almost exactly like “Goodnight Moon — green and orange, with an image of a window and fireplace — and uses a similar rhyme scheme. But there the thematic similarities end.The authors, Erich Origen and Gan Golan, set their story in “a situation room.” There is no bunny snuggling into bed, but rather George W. Bush, grinning and wearing a “Mission Accomplished” flight suit. Instead of three little bears sitting on chairs, there are “war profiteers giving three cheers.” Subsequent pages tell of “A grand old party to war in a rush/And a quiet Dick Cheney whispering hush.” The vice president is illustrated seated in a rocking chair — with a shotgun in his lap and bunny slippers on his feet.

That's funny, I don't remember any children's books attacking Clinton. I wonder why.

Obama and the Jews

One Hillary Supporter Switches
Jennifer Rubin - 06.17.2008 - 1:00 PM

Barack Obama and his supporters deny that they have anything to worry about when it comes to Jewish voters. Still, evidence is mounting that some Jews, even traditional Democratic supporters and activists, can’t bring themselves to support Obama.The pundits pooh-pooh the notion that Jewish Democrats would ever support McCain. But some are not just voting for him but working for his campaign.I interviewed by phone today Rabbi Cheryl Jacobs, who was listed by Citizens for McCain as one of the prominent Democrats and Independents now supporting McCain. Rabbi Jacobs is an unlikely McCain supporter. She described her years of work on pro-choice issues and her longtime support for Hillary Clinton going back to her work as First Lady, through her Senate campaign and during her tenure as Senator. Rabbi Jacobs and her husband were likewise very active in John Kerry’s campaign. She says that when she heard the final returns in 2004, “I sat in my car and cried. I thought ‘What will become of us?’”I asked how she made the transition from Clinton to McCain. She said “I’ve always been confident of Hillary’s support for Israel.” She says she recalls the Lebanon war when Israel was receiving criticism and McCain said “Look, if someone came into your house, into the U.S. and started shooting what would you do?” Rabbi Jacobs continued that she lived in an apartment overlooking the Hudson River and on September 11th saw a low-flying plane go past her window as she was tending to a colicky baby and heard the resulting “boom.” She says “I live through it. I saw what can happen. I lost friends in bombings in Israel. My priorities have changed. I’m a mother. I’m concerned about security and the security of Israel.”

What would she say to other Democrats who have never voted Republican and have policy differences with McCain? Rabbi Jacobs responded, “The hardest thing is to prioritize.” She listed the numerous issues–from the economy to education–and acknowledged that voters are “worried about all these different things.” She continued, “But Israel is a no-brainer. The safety and existence of Israel is uppermost.” She explains, “My husband and I sat done and thoroughly reviewed the issues.” She continued, “This is the fight of my life.” She bluntly states, “Someone with no experience, no background, and someone with no test of his ability–and he is in charge of the red phone? It terrifies me.”She acknowledges that McCain is not a perfect candidate from her perspective. She says, “Is any candidate going to be #1 on every issue? No.” But at bottom she has decided that “Israel should be what is important, and the safety of our country.” And as for McCain personally she says that he is an “honorable human being.”Not every Jewish Democrat will make the same choice and many Democrats insist that Obama’s speech to AIPAC demonstrates his commitment to Israel. Nevertheless, if Rabbi Jacobs is representative of at least some American Jews, Obama may still have a lot of work to do.

Marc Stern Takes the Side of the Jews!

here

David Brooks' latest column opens with a question:
Is Barack Obama really a force for change, or is he just a traditional Democrat with a patina of postpartisan rhetoric? That question is surprisingly hard to answer.

Which raised the question. Does David Brooks really believe what he writes, or does he pretend to believe certain things for the benefit of the audience he is writing for. Call me skeptic, but I don't think that question is so hard to answer.

Idiocy Watch

immanent eschaton has decided to start a new feature to point out idiotic statements in the blogosphere. Today's example comes from the New Republic, but this is a non-partisan venture. The goal is to respond to idiotic statements, and since the New Republic only allows comments from subscribers, the pool of non-idiots to respond to their idiotic statements is statistically insignificant. Anyhow, here it is:
Dept. of Pots and Kettles

"ICYMI: Okla. Dem Calls Obama Liberal, Declines To Endorse"--McCain campaign press release touting Oklahoma Rep. Dan Boren's decision not to endorse Barack Obama, June 10"At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator.... Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.)." -- The Hill, June 12--Christopher Orr

Did it ever occur to our author that Republicans are not endorsing McCain because he is too moderate, something Obama would probably not look to highlight?