posted July 25, 2008 06:18 PM            

He ventured forth to bring light to the world
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers
Gerard Baker

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

posted July 26, 2008 05:45 PM            

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted July 28, 2008 01:33 PM            

quote:

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When a dog bites a man it does not make the news when a man bites the dog it makes it to the front page - GB Shaw

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posted July 30, 2008 10:55 AM            

President Obama Continues Hectic Victory Tour

By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee.

Fresh from his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection, Obama settled down to some presidential-style business in Washington yesterday. He ordered up a teleconference with the (current president's) Treasury secretary, granted an audience to the Pakistani prime minister and had his staff arrange for the chairman of the Federal Reserve to give him a briefing. Then, he went up to Capitol Hill to be adored by House Democrats in a presidential-style pep rally.

Along the way, he traveled in a bubble more insulating than the actual president's. Traffic was shut down for him as he zoomed about town in a long, presidential-style motorcade, while the public and most of the press were kept in the dark about his activities, which included a fundraiser at the Mayflower where donors paid $10,000 or more to have photos taken with him. His schedule for the day, announced Monday night, would have made Dick Cheney envious:

11:00 a.m.: En route TBA.

12:05 p.m.: En route TBA.

1:45 p.m.: En route TBA.

2:55 p.m.: En route TBA.

5:20 p.m.: En route TBA.

The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls -- just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door -- just as they do for the actual president.

Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, "This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for," adding: "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."

As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama's biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris.

Some say the supremely confident Obama -- nearly 100 days from the election, he pronounces that "the odds of us winning are very good" -- has become a president-in-waiting. But in truth, he doesn't need to wait: He has already amassed the trappings of the office, without those pesky decisions.

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reported last week that Obama has directed his staff to begin planning for his transition to the White House, causing Republicans to howl about premature drape measuring. Obama was even feeling confident enough to give British Prime Minister Gordon Brown some management advice over the weekend. "If what you're trying to do is micromanage and solve everything, then you end up being a dilettante," he advised the prime minister, portraying his relative inexperience much as President Bush did in 2000.

On his presidential-style visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem last week, Obama left a written prayer, intercepted by an Israeli newspaper, asking God to "help me guard against pride and despair." He seems to have the despair part under control, but the pride could be a problem.

One source of the confidence is the polling, which shows him with a big lead over McCain. But polls are fickle allies: A USA Today-Gallup poll released Monday found McCain leading Obama by four percentage points among likely voters. Another reason for Obama's confidence -- the press -- is also an unfaithful partner. The Project for Excellence in Journalism reported yesterday that Obama dominated the news media's attention for a seventh straight week. But there are signs that the Obama campaign's arrogance has begun to anger reporters.

In the latest issue of the New Republic, Gabriel Sherman found reporters complaining that Obama's campaign was "acting like the Prom Queen" and being more secretive than Bush. The magazine quoted the New York Times' Adam Nagourney's reaction to the Obama campaign's memo attacking one of his stories: "I've never had an experience like this, with this campaign or others." Then came Obama's overseas trip and the campaign's selection of which news organizations could come aboard. Among those excluded: the New Yorker magazine, which had just published a satirical cover about Obama that offended the campaign.

Even Bush hasn't tried that. But then again, Obama has been outdoing the president in ruffles and flourishes lately. As Bush held quiet signing ceremonies in the White House yesterday morning, Obama was involved in a more visible display of executive authority a block away, when he met with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani at the Willard. A full block of F Street was shut down for the prime minister and the would-be president, and some 40 security and motorcade vehicles filled the street.

Later, Obama's aides issued an official-sounding statement, borrowing the language of White House communiques: "I had a productive and wide-ranging discussion. . . . I look forward to working with the democratically elected government of Pakistan."

It had been a long day of acting presidential, but Obama wasn't done. After a few hours huddling with advisers over his vice presidential choice, Obama made his way to the pep rally on the Hill. Moments after he entered the meeting with lawmakers, there was an extended cheer, followed by another, and another.

"I think this can be an incredible election," Obama said later. "I look forward to collaborating with everybody here to win the election."

posted August 02, 2008 10:17 PM            

quote:

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this Obama guy is starting to make me a little nervous. Do you know what I'm saying?

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Oh yes, yes I do

You arn`t hearing much from his supporters lately either............

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted August 03, 2008 11:19 PM            

Well TINK, when Chris Matthews hears O'Bomber speak he feels an electric tingle in/on his legs.

When I see or hear O'Bomber I just see red. Do you know what I'm saying?

You know Juni, you're right. Where are the O'Bomber supporters?

posted August 04, 2008 12:49 AM              

Here's Dick Morri's latest article:

Published on THEHill.com on July 29,2008

If soccer moms determined the outcome of the 1996 presidential race and security moms tipped the balance in 2004, it is beginning to look as if older moms are the key to the 2008 contest. Obama has a problem among women over 40 and a big problem among women over 50. These groups, normally the staunchest of Democratic supporters, are showing a propensity to back McCain and a disinclination to support Obama.

According to the latest Fox News survey, Obama is winning among women under 40 by 13 points, but McCain is winning among women aged 41-45 by four points. Among women 50 and over, McCain is three points ahead. Obama’s 48-35 lead among women under 40 is normal for a Democrat, but to trail among women in their 40s by 45-41 and by women over 50 by 38-35 is extraordinary.

The problem is that older women don’t like Obama as much as younger women do. While 70 percent of women under 40 have a favorable opinion of the Democratic candidate, only 58 percent of women in their 40s feel the same way, and only 52 percent of those over 50 see him favorably.

For a Democrat to be losing among women over 40 is without precedent in the past 20 years.

In fact, the gap between male and female voting preference in this election is far lower than it normally is. Among people under 40, men back Obama by eight points and women support him by 13. Among those in their 40s, men back McCain by 11 points and women support him by four. And for those over 50, men vote for the Republican by a nine-point margin while women prefer him by three points.

Usually, the gender gap runs at least 10 points in each age group and, more usually, averages a 15-point differential. The lower gap in this race does not indicate any special popularity for McCain or negatives on Obama among men. Men are voting the way they usually do. It’s women who are making the big difference and keeping this race tied.

Part of the problem may stem from Obama’s defeat of Hillary Clinton during the primaries. Hillary drew her strongest support from older women who still remembered the sexism of their youth and their struggles to pierce the glass ceiling. For younger women, sexism has much less personal relevance and they were less drawn to her candidacy.

But a bigger problem may be a cultural alienation older white women feel toward Obama. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright may linger as a worry in their increasingly gray heads as they contemplate an Obama presidency. This fear of the unknown and the gap they seem to feel with Obama is so strong that it is overcoming their normal proclivity to back Democrats.

Of course, McCain is a uniquely attractive candidate to the Democratic and independent base. Long regarded as a maverick Republican, he attracts these swing voters and is ideally positioned to exploit the estrangement between older women and Barack Obama.

Would choosing Hillary as a running mate assuage the concerns of older white women? It might.

They could get enthusiastic, one would think, about seeing a woman sitting a few feet away from the president in the Oval Office (again!).

But Hillary would bring with her a different set of problems. Her candidacy would invite scrutiny of Bill’s financial dealings, most recently exposed in The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the incredible corruption of his buddy the president of Kazakhstan.

The problem is Obama. And it can only be solved by Obama, not by his running mate. For his part, McCain should take dead aim at this demographic, perhaps by selecting a female running mate who would appeal to them.

posted August 04, 2008 11:28 AM            

If Rove was the architect of the Bush administration, Morris was the architect of the Clinton administration, without whom Clinton wouldn't have gotten elected...twice.

Morris has put forth the idea Condi Rice should have been the Republican nominee but she nixed that idea. I think he still harbors the hope McCain will choose her for VP but I doubt she would go for it.

Ever the opportunistic finagler, Morris asked himself; who could trump an articulate, learned black woman with all the academic and Executive Branch credentials for President? Answer, no one. But, Rice declined.

So, we got the maverick Republican whom the NY Times endorsed in the primary. McCain is the press idea of what a Republican should be...along with Chuck Hagel of course...and Olympia Snow among others. So called moderates and definitely not conservatives.

But one thing is clear. These same press organs would endorse and vote for Daffy Duck in the Presidential race...if Daffy had a D after his name.

Thusly, Sen. Daffy Duck, D, CA.

posted August 04, 2008 11:40 AM            

The more I observe the great illusionist Barack Obama, the more I am convinced that if he is able to dupe enough voters into putting him in charge it will be the most entertaining presidency in the history of the office. Is there really any sane person who believes this guy would make a good president?

Forget for a moment the people with whom he associates. Look past the bomber, mad preacher, angry wife and crooked slumlord. They are merely distractions. Forget the lack of experience or substantive legislation during his short stint in the Senate. Just focus on his current actions.

One would think when millions of Americans campaign for and contribute to a virtually unknown commodity like Obama, it would create within the candidate a sense of awe: A humility that would overwhelm the average person, an outpouring of love and support which might bring a mere mortal to tears, a heart so filled with gratitude the candidate would thank the American people for the vote of confidence.

Not Obama – quite the opposite.

When he takes the stage, there is an air of arrogance I have never sensed from anyone else in a similar situation. There is a tone of pompousness and entitlement. One gets the sense that Obama feels he is doing his attendees a favor for allowing them in his presence. His body language screams, "I am better than you." His confidence is not quiet. His soaring rhetoric is accompanied by the dropping of the final syllable or vowel. His almost preacher-like twang is devoid of even the slightest shred of modesty.

He fills stadiums at the mere mention of his coming. He is the source of neurological shutdowns as women faint at his utterances. Words flow like the healing waters of Fatima to the parched plebes yearning for the one with the answer to all of their problems. His audiences whisper to one another, "He is the one."

But make no mistake about it. He is not the one. He is ever the illusionist.

All good magicians make their audience's eyes and minds play tricks on them. They can make them believe in something that does not exist outside of the imagination. They see a rabbit disappear or a woman sawed in half, but both are an illusion. And when the show is over, the audience leaves entertained, but the world they left for a few brief moments to enjoy the show remains just as it was.

And so it will be with the presidency of Barack Obama. It will be entertaining. He will have us believe the world is perfect now that he is here. He will tell us that there is no war or rumors of war. Starvation and disease will have ceased to exist. Every man and woman from every nation and tongue will appear to be living in perfect harmony, helping each other in perfect love.

But it will be an illusion. For the world is far more complex than Barack has come to understand in the few short years he has been on Earth. And since his election to the Senate, he has yet to perform even a hint of a miracle, no less the miracles he promises for all those who dare believe.

I rest rather well knowing that whether it is voting for mayor, congressman, senator, president or even American Idol contestants, Americans always get it right. They are not easily deceived. They know a trick when they see one. They can smell a phony a mile away. And while the illusionist assistants in the media are working overtime to convince America their man, Barack, can lead the country to a new world, they know better. Americans are far more intelligent than the media understands, and this November they are going to get a huge lesson on that intelligence.

America wants a leader with humility, honesty, integrity and experience, not smoke and mirrors. It wants a leader who has been tested by the fires of life – a leader who will not promise the world and deliver Hoboken, but one who will under-promise and over-deliver. America understands that the only free lunch in the world is found in the fantasy of socialist thinking. America wants a leader to tell the truth about where we are and what we have to do to get to where we want to be.

Many of the challenges we face as a nation have no easy fix. We can't just raise taxes and pay all the obligations that are on the way in the years to come. Properly inflating our tires and keeping our cars tuned are not the answer to the energy crunch. Sending a $1,000 check to every American and sending the bill to Exxon is not an energy policy. Printing money to bail out banks and stop foreclosures is not the answer to bad decisions.

Government is not the answer to our problems; government is the problem. The sooner an honest politician declares so and puts forth legislation to shrink government, the better off we will all be.

America has a lot of bad, but far more good. This is, and will always be, a great country because of the American people. Most are hardworking, honest, loyal and dedicated people who love their families, country and God. They know the future will not be easy but also realize greatness never comes easily. They just want a president who will tell the truth and work hard on their behalves to do what is right – not what is easy. "Easy-way-out" thinking is half the problem.

So if you have watched the great Obami's master illusion show and now fear that illusion could destroy your country ... relax. The media can claim him the president, but that doesn't make it so. As we get closer to November, expect to see Obama either grow in his arrogance and lose, or humble himself and still have a chance.

posted August 04, 2008 04:17 PM            

CBS News highlights the interior of the renovated Obama campaign plane, features a picture of the rather startling large seat labeled "President" reserved for the candidate.

His chair has his name and campaign logo embroidered on the back top -- "Obama ‘08" on one line and "President" underneath.

Mockingly calling the plane "O Force One", reporter Allison O'Keefe quotes Politico's Mike Allen,

"Typically the candidate's cabin is like business class -- roomier and less chaotic than the staff and press areas, but still short of the accoutrements of a pro team's charter," says Politico's Mike Allen, a frequent campaign flier.

posted August 05, 2008 09:40 AM            

quote:

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Government is not the answer to our problems; government is the problem. The sooner an honest politician declares so and puts forth legislation to shrink government, the better off we will all be.

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posted August 05, 2008 10:48 AM            

One of many sayings I remember from my grandmother is, "If the hiss doesn't tell you it's a snake, then the fact that it slithers on its belly in the dirt should." And to that point, if the company Barack Obama has kept (read the dirt he has aligned himself with) doesn't tell you he is a Marxist reparationist, then the words from his mouth, i.e., his hiss, certainly should.

Obama repeatedly told the NAACP, "I've been working my entire adult life to help build an America where 'economic justice' is being served. And as president, we'll ensure that 'economic justice' is served. That's what this election is about." ("Barack Obama's Stealth Socialism," Investor's Business Daily, July 28, 2008.)

"Economic justice" is just an oblique euphemism for wealth redistribution, i.e., Marxism – "from each according to their ability, to each according to their need." IBD theorizes Obama's intent is a massive transfer of wealth from those who have money to those whom he defines as poor. Worse, he views it as a global obligation.

John Furman, Obama's director of economic policy, explains that Obama is advocating for "bottom-up economic growth." He contends, "If we invest in our families and in ordinary Americans, by helping them go to college, with tax cuts for 95 percent of families to reward them for hard work, and give tax cuts to help them save for retirement – such are the ways everyone can have a stake in our economy." He argues that said actions will result in stronger economic growth.

This is a specious construct steeped in Marxism. Eighty-six percent of all federal income taxes are paid by the top 25 percent of income earners, up from 84 percent in 2000. The top 50 percent of income earners pay 97 percent of all income taxes. The top 1 percent of income earners pay 39 percent of all income taxes, up 2 percent from 2000, when President Bush took office. (Data from IRS for years 1986-2005.) Exactly how much more are we expected to pay?

When President Reagan cut the highest personal tax rate from the confiscatory 70 percent rate to 28 percent, it resulted in federal tax receipts nearly doubling from $517 billion to $1,032 billion. The Bush tax cuts resulted in a $187 billion increase in federal tax revenues during the first eight months of fiscal year 2005, a rise of 15.4 percent in federal tax receipts. Federal tax receipts in the first two years of Bush's tax cuts increased 30 percent. "They resulted in a chain reaction of economic growth, more jobs, higher corporate profits and more tax receipts." (See: "Real Tax Cuts Have Curves" by Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2005.)

All of that notwithstanding, Obama purposes to penalize people of all industries, from landscapers to administrators, for daring to be even moderately successful. And by his economic policy adviser's own admission, it is because we take advantage of "tax cuts and deductions" available to every working person industrious enough to reap the rewards of their labors.

It's not about people being left out; for Obama, it's about American wealth, which he views as being in the hands of white capitalists and, therefore, wrongly obtained. His veiled racist and Marxist leanings blind him to the reality that, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out, in 1980, when the top income rate was 70 percent, the richest 1 percent paid only 19 percent of all income taxes – today they pay 39 percent of all income taxes. ("Taxes and Income," Wall Street Journal, Dec. 17, 2007.)

Obama is on record as saying, "We [Americans] can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to be OK. That's not leadership. That's not going to happen." ("Obama's Global Tax," Investor's Business Daily, July 29, 2008.)

Exactly why can't, or more specifically, why shouldn't, Americans enjoy the fruits of our prosperity? Why should we be penalized or be ashamed that we live in a country where we can keep most of what we earn? Why should we feel ashamed that foreign governments keep the billions of dollars in foreign aid for themselves, while their people go hungry in the streets? Shouldn't Obama be advocating that those governments step up instead of advocating that we give more money? Are the oil-producing countries doing anything to reduce global poverty (jihad and solid silver Audis don't count)? Why isn't he sending this message to the Saudis?

We should have great concern pursuant to Obama's position on reparations, regardless of his recent claims of being opposed to reparations for blacks. That position will change as soon as he gets elected. As I have written before, we need to give critical attention to Obama's relationships prior to his current public incarnation. He is not just a "stealth socialist"; he is a "stealth reparationist and black liberationist."

Consider Obama's relationships with the African World Reparations and Repatriation Truth Commission, a group demanding $777 trillion in black reparations, with Frank Marshall Davis, who fled Chicago after Congress and the FBI began to close in on him for his "subversive and un-American activities," with the maniacal group ACORN and with Gerald Kellman and Saul "The Red" Alinsky.