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?

Rich Lowry on Obama's hypocrisy:

Here are the Obama rules in detail: He can't be called a "liberal" ("the same names and labels they pin on everyone," as Obama puts it); his toughness on the war on terror can't be questioned ("attempts to play on our fears"); his extreme positions on social issues can't be exposed ("the same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives" and "turn us against each other"); and his Chicago background too is off-limits ("pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy"). Besides that, it should be a freewheeling and spirited campaign.Democrats always want cultural issues not to matter because they are on the least-popular side of many of them, and want patriotic symbols like the Pledge of Allegiance and flag pins to be irrelevant when they can't manage to nominate presidential candidates who wholeheartedly embrace them (which shouldn't be that difficult). As for "fear" and "division," they are vaporous pejoratives that can be applied to any warning of negative consequences of a given policy or any political position that doesn't command 100 percent assent. In his North Carolina speech, Obama said the Iraq War "has not made us safer," and that McCain's ideas are "out of touch" with "American values." How fearfully divisive.We could take Obama's rules in good faith if he never calls John McCain a "conservative" or labels him in any other way. If he never criticizes him for his association with George Bush. If he doesn't jump on his gaffes (like McCain's 100-years-in-Iraq comment that Obama distorted and harped on for weeks). And if he never says anything that would tend to make Americans fearful about the future or divide them (i.e., say things that some people agree with and others don't).

ישיבת הגר"ז שוב עוברת למודיעין עילית

ישיבת "רמת שלמה" שבראשותו של הגאון רבי זבולון שוב, עוברת למשכנה החדש בעיר מודיעין עילית. המעבר אמנם זמני ובעתיד תעבור הישיבה לגבעת זאב.
ירוםח שמואלביץ	כ"ד בניסן התשס"ח 15:53
ישיבת "רמת שלמה" שבראשותו של הגאון רבי זבולון שוב, עוברת למשכנה החדש בעיר מודיעין עילית. אמנם מדובר במעבר זמני, שכן מתחילה הייתה אמורה הישיבה להיות בגבעת זאב, אלא שהקפאת הבנייה במקום הביאה לכך שגם בניית הישיבה הוקפאה, אך כעת עם הפשרת הבנייה בגבעת זאב מקווים שהבנייה תואץ והישיבה תוכל לעבור למשכנה החדש בהקדם. כאמור באופן זמני תעבור הישיבה למודיעין עילית ברחוב 'נודע ביהודה', והדבר יתבצע כבר עם תחילת זמן הקיץ שייפתח בר"ח אייר. בימים האחרונים ביקר הגר"ז שוב בביתם של מרנן ורבנן שליט"א ובראשם בביתו של נשיא הישיבה מרן הגרמ"י ליפקוביץ שליט"א וקיבל את ברכתו. בתמונה: הגר"ז שוב בביתו של מרן הגרמ"י ליפקוביץ שליט"א

At least Huckabee tried to be subtle

שערי זבולון Part I

.או"ח א' סי' ב

Hey, it's better than "G-d Damn America"

can you guess which candidate this guy supports?

Obama and Waffles

Maureen Dowd:

He is frantic to get away from her because he can’t keep carbo-loading to relate to the common people.

In the final days in Pennsylvania, he dutifully logged time at diners and force-fed himself waffles, pancakes, sausage and a Philly cheese steak. He split the pancakes with Michelle, left some of the waffle and sausage behind, and gave away the French fries that came with the cheese steak.

But this is clearly a man who can’t wait to get back to his organic scrambled egg whites. That was made plain with his cri de coeur at the Glider Diner in Scranton when a reporter asked him about Jimmy Carter and Hamas.

“Why” he pleaded, sounding a bit, dare we say, bitter, “can’t I just eat my waffle?”

His subtext was obvious: Why can’t I just be president? Why do I have to keep eating these gooey waffles and answering these gotcha questions and debating this gonzo woman?

גדושה

Prediction: It's not even going to be close

where close means less than one percent of the popular vote, and less than 15 electoral votes.

But before Michelle Obama starts measuring the White House for new drapes, let's take a look at historical precedent.

The first Republican to win a presidential election was Abraham Lincoln. Since that initial success, the GOP has won 23 presidential elections compared to just 14 for the Democrats.

Since the Civil War only four Democrats -- Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt and Samuel Tilden -- have won a majority of the popular vote. (Tilden in 1876, lost the Electoral College vote and never became president.)

It has been 32 years since a Democrat won a majority of the popular vote. The last to do so was Carter, who won a whopping 50.1 percent of the votes in 1976. He defeated Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, the man who pardoned Richard Nixon and carried the burden of Watergate and the Vietnam War into the election.

Obviously, 1976 was not a good year to be a Republican. Nixon's disgraceful resignation and reputation for deceit and corruption fatally wounded the Republican presidential ticket. But even with such enormous advantages on his side, Carter barely eked out a majority. Carter's once sizeable lead in the polls dwindled as election day drew near, so much so that some observers believe that had the election taken place a couple of weeks later, Ford might have prevailed.

Like the 1976 contest, all conditions point toward an easy Democratic victory this November. George W. Bush, the Republican incumbent, suffers from abysmal approval ratings -- below 30 percent in some polls. The economy is weak and appears to be entering a recession. And the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, while certainly something of a maverick, is quite close to the president on the one issue causing him the most damage -- the war in Iraq.

Yet right now in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up, McCain and Obama appear to be in a dead heat. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows Obama leading by 3 points; the latest Rasmussen tracking poll shows McCain up by 3. A McCain-Clinton match-up is also too close to call at this point. If this is a Democratic year, one wonders what a Republican year would look like.

He's Not Elite, He's Elitist

Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, after showing a montage of all of the media calling Obama an elitist:

"You know, I hear what you are all saying, but doesn't elite mean good?"

Poll: Preacher Calms Dem Fears of Obama's Faith by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace · 25 Comments(2008-03-19) —

The latest presidential poll shows that public exposure to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s racially-charged, anti-American preaching has allayed Democrat voter fears about Sen. Barack Obama’s evangelical Christianity.Sen. Obama’s long-time pastor and mentor has called on God to ‘damn America’, and he blames rich, white people for everything from the crucifixion of Jesus to the epidemic of HIV in the black community.“Until mainstream Democrats heard Rev. Wright’s remarks,” said an unnamed pollster, “many were troubled by Sen. Obama’s profession of faith in Jesus Christ and his regular church attendance, which are generally-accepted indicators of mental weakness and deep-seated bigotry.”However, the source said, now that Democrat voters know that Sen. Obama’s pastor essentially preaches mainstream progressive talking points, they seem more willing to tolerate the Democrat candidate’s Christianity.As one survey respondent said, “At least he’s not some kind of religious nut, like George Bush, trying to force his god delusions and twisted morality down our throats.”

What Jesus and Obama's Pastor Have In Common

From your favorite theologian, reviewing Jacob Neusner's book on Jesus:

As such, Neusner’s friendly dialogue with Jesus amounts to what Matthew Scully, in a 1993 review of the book in National Review, called a “polite hedge.” Faced with a man who insists he is the equivalent of the Lord, one cannot disagree “with respect and reverence,” one cannot challenge the man’s claim while remaining “moved” by his greatness. “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher,” C.S. Lewis famously wrote. “He would either be a lunatic—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. . . . But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Meanwhile, Mark Steyn on the messiah's mentor:

The Reverend Wright believes that AIDs was created by the government of the United States — and not as a cure for the common cold that went tragically awry and had to be covered up by Karl Rove, but for the explicit purpose of killing millions of its own citizens. The government has never come clean about this, but the Reverend Wright knows the truth. “The government lied,” he told his flock, “about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.”Does he really believe this? If so, he’s crazy, and no sane person would sit through his gibberish, certainly not for 20 years. Or is he just saying it? In which case, he’s profoundly wicked. If you understand that AIDs is spread by sexual promiscuity and drug use, you’ll know that it’s within your power to protect yourself from the disease. If you’re told that it’s just whitey’s latest cunning plot to stick it to you, well, hey, it’s out of your hands, nothing to do with you or your behavior.

But you can't really blame the guy, if god is his disciple.

what if obama doesn't pivot?

mickey kaus

What Obama Should Have Said

LA Times Blowback:

In my considered judgment as a race and civil rights specialist, I would
say that Barack Obama's "momentous" speech on race settled on merely
"explaining" so-called racial differences between blacks and whites -- and in so
doing amplified deep-seated racial tensions and divisions. Instead of giving us
a polarizing treatise on the "black experience," Obama should have reiterated
the theme that has brought so many to his campaign: That race ain't what it used
to be in America.He should have presented us a pathway out of our racial boxes
and a road map for new thinking about race. He should have depicted his
minister, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., as a symbol of the dysfunctional
angry men who are stuck in the past and who must yield to a new generation of
color-blind, hopeful Americans and to a new global economy in which we will look
on our neighbors' skin color no differently than how we look on their eye
color.In fact, I'd say that considering the nation's undivided attention to this
all-important speech, which gave him an unrivaled opportunity to lift us out of
racial and racist thinking, Obama blew it.

Media & Politics is back!

The Politico explaining why the media tried to cover up Wright's comments:

The minister’s controversial history has been written about countless times
throughout the campaign. Wright has ties to the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, the black
supremacist leader of the Nation of Islam — a fact that has been noted in more
than 100 news stories just in the past few months, according to the Nexis
database of news coverage. Opponents of Obama have constantly pushed reporters
to write about the minister, which these critics considered a ticking time bomb
for his campaign. On Feb. 20, after a fiery guest sermon by Wright in Little
Rock, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran an article that said: “On Tuesday,
Wright criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq and likened the insurgents to the
Israelites under Babylonian rule.” At 9:20 that morning, Obama opponents were
already trying to get Politico to link to the story. That’s why many news
outlets — including Politico — did not initially pile on with rehashes after
Ross’s story on “Good Morning America.”

One hundred stories which mentioned Obama's pastor in just the past few months! That's almost as much as the 4,351 stories about the woman who sat on the toilet for two years (in one week.) So I perfectly understand the media reaction: "G-d damn America? No news here."

Best Obama Speech Coverage Award (so far) goes to Mickey Kaus here

Andrew Sullivan on Obama:

As this campaign progresses, this man grows and grows. The same cannot be said for his two remaining opponents.

At this accelerated rate of growth, Obama will have like, four years of experience by the time he takes the white house!

Obama and the Bible

In light of Obama's posthumous conversion of Daniel to Christianity noted here, his "Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us" comment makes me wonder how often he really did attend church after all.