Election Turmoil Complicates U.S. Overture to Iran (VIDEO)

From the Los Angeles Times, "Iran Election Result Makes a U.S. Overture More Difficult:

The reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a stinging setback to the Obama administration's hopes of cultivating a better relationship with the Islamic Republic.

U.S. officials insisted Saturday that they intended to press forward with their effort to engage Iran, despite their misgivings about the outcome of the election. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said U.S. officials were "watching and waiting," and hoping that "the outcome reflects the will of the Iranian people."

Yet the disputed victory by Ahmadinejad was clearly a disappointment for the administration, coming one day after President Obama hailed the public debate in Iran as a sign that its people were open to "new possibilities."

Former U.S. officials and other experts said the outcome could make it even harder for the United States to work with Iran.

Bruce Riedel, a veteran U.S. intelligence official now at the Brookings Institution think tank, said that if the divisions from the election lingered, Iran would be less able to begin diplomacy.

"Iran in turmoil will not be ready to engage Obama," he said.

If the world comes to see Iran's government as illegitimate, diplomatic outreach and new incentives from the United States will come to look like a questionable idea.

More at the link.

Daniel Pipes has an updated analysis, "Assessing the Iranian Election." This is key:

Ahmadinejad symbolizes the rejection of Barack Obama's overtures to Iran and, as such, his selection represents a slap in the face of the American president's pro-Islamist policies.

Meanwhile, here's this from CNN, "Ahmadinejad to Hold Victory Rally Amid Protests." And from the Washington Post, "Ahmadinejad Vows New Start As Clashes Flare."

See also, "Reformists Arrested Following Street Clashes in Iran."

And check Memeorandum for updates.

Riots in Iran: Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy

Here's Borzou Daragahi's report from Tehran:

Huge swaths of the capital erupted in fiery riots that stretched into the early morning Sunday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in his quest for a second four-year term amid allegations of widespread fraud and a strident challenge of the vote results by his main challenger, who was reportedly placed under house arrest.

As Ahmadinejad promised a "bright and glorious future" for Iran in a televised address, supporters of his reformist rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi clashed with police and militiamen in riot gear and throughout Tehran in the most serious clashes in the capital since a student uprising 10 years ago.

Searing smoke and the smell of burning trash bins and tear gas filled the night sky. Protesters poured into key squares around the capital, burning tires, erecting banners and hurling stones at riot police on motorcycles, who responded with truncheons.

In the same streets and squares where young Iranians were dancing and waving green banners in support of Mousavi days ago, baton-wielding police chased and beat mobs of hundreds of demonstrators chanting, "Down with dictatorship!" and "Give me my vote back!

Official results released by the Interior Ministry, which is under the control of the incumbent president, showed Ahmadinejad with more than 63% of the vote, a surprise performance given turnout figures of 80% and city dwellers mostly opposed to Ahmadinejad massing in lines for hours. Mousavi received 35% of the vote, according to the results.

Both Mousavi and fellow reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi strongly disputed the results in public statements.

Karroubi, a former speaker of parliament, called the results "engineered" and "ridiculous."

Mousavi, after security forces prevented journalists from attending an early afternoon news conference he tried to hold, released a statement alleging a conspiracy to manipulate the vote results, which he claimed showed he was the winner. "I will not submit to this dangerous charade," he insisted.

He had submitted a long list of alleged irregularities, including thousands of his poll monitors being barred from the voting stations, the previous night. Iran allows no independent observers to monitor the vote.

As the day drew to a close, both campaigns reported that the candidates were under house arrest. The offices of Mousavi and Karroubi had been shuttered earlier, as were affiliated websites that had emerged as critical information tools in the face of the Ahmadinejad camp's sway over state-controlled broadcasting.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, ignored the dispute over Friday's vote and hailed the 80% turnout as a great victory for the nation against the plots of its enemies.

"Your epic Friday was a striking and unprecedented event, in which the political growth, determined political visage and the civic capability and potential of the Iranian nation were beautifully and splendidly displayed before the eyes of the world," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Even as the results were released and effusively praised, demonstrators allied with Mousavi defied Iran's restrictions on unauthorized public gatherings and began setting fire to garbage bins and assembling in rowdy protests.

Many young protesters, some wearing surgical masks to guard against tear gas attacks, set fire to garbage bins and blocked traffic along several major streets as older Iranians stood along the sidelines cheering them on, occasionally joining in the chanting.

Passing drivers honked in support. A woman with her head scarf ripped off screamed defiantly at the stunned security officers who had just beaten her. Riot police chased demonstrators and some passersby down streets, beating and bloodying those who refused to move, and running off as the demonstrators fought back with rocks.

Shopkeepers urged panicked pedestrians into their stores for protection, in one instance locking the gate as a group of black-clad truncheon-wielding riot police approached menacingly.

The blogosphere has erupted in response to the news.

Check the New York Times, "Protests Roil Tehran After Disputed Vote." And especially, Fox News, "Iran's Controversial Election Results Raises Questions Over Its Relations to U.S."

John Podhoretz discusses the implications:

For more than a decade, we’ve been hearing about the real Iran—the one whose youth is Westernized, desirous of connection with the United States, and tired of living in a theocracy. It’s too soon to know whether the protests today in Iran represent the fruition of the ideas about popular sentiment and the possibility of an uprising. But it is clear that this is a time of testing for the idea that the mullahcracy can be shaken to its foundations by an aggrieved populace. If it can’t, then the regime will prove itself stronger than some of its most heated critics say it is, and the world will have to adjust accordingly. If this is Tienanmen II, and the regime crushes it, there will be no easy approach to regime change. And there will be no pretending any longer that Iran’s regime isn’t a unified, hardline, irridentist, and enormously dangerous one.

See also the Foreign Policy blogs, especially The Cable and Passport. Wayne White writes:

I question the prudence of simply plowing ahead on engagement as if nothing has changed the potential state of play between Tehran and Washington ...

Meanwhile, while American officials* are "shocked" at the results, the administration will continue full steam ahead, "Obama Administration Officials Say Efforts to Engage Iran Will Move Forward."

* Correction appended.

Understanding Ideology

James Joyner provides a very useful post for understanding the recent wave of ideologically-motivated murders, "Right Wing Extremists." Especially good are these diagrams, drawn from Conservative-Resources.com, "Right Wing vs. Left Wing":

I teach ideology, and most textbooks in comparative politics include some version of the graphs above.

That said, for various reasons I worry less about the extreme right wing in American politics. As I noted previously, "it's my personal belief that radical left-wing ideology is the greatest threat to the country today."

That said, we'd probably have less confusion over who's on the left or the right if folks better understood the various ways to graph the ideological continuum. James makes a good point below, although he needs to clarify this point about "racism is neither right-wing nor left-wing ..." Textbook definitions of Nazi ideology distinguish it from fascism with respect to theories of racial millenarianism. That said, it's true that anti-Semitic ideology today is found on both the extreme left and extreme right:

I prefer to think of ideology as a circle, rather than a line. Left and Right have meaning but, as one gets to the extremes on either side — depicted as anarchism in the top chart and “Everyone Against Everyone” in the second — the views diverge.

I actually prefer the bottom figure best in that it groups authoritarian states — Communism, Theocracy, and Fascism — very tightly and depicts, for example, Socialism and Libertarianism are near opposites. Additionally, it contrasts all governmental/ideological forms with Anarchy, or the absence of government. Those who murder to carry out their political agenda are in that category; their particular ideas otherwise don’t much matter.

Finally, I should note that racism is neither right-wing nor left-wing (nor, for that matter, is it centrist or anarchist). It exists at all points on the spectrum and isn’t a political ideology at all. Von Brunn’s hatred of Jews isn’t what makes him a right-winger but rather his views on politics.

It Takes a Village to Debate Bill O'Reilly?

Yep, according to Joan Walsh, " It takes a village to debate Bill O'Reilly!":

I was surprised when so many people I respect told me not to appear on "The O'Reilly Factor." I'd attacked Bill O'Reilly for his jihad against Dr. George Tiller, and he asked me on to discuss my "accusations." I thought that was fair. I could explain my point of view to his face; to say no felt like being a punk. But smart and supportive friends, family, co-workers, Twitterers and media stars all over the country reached out and suggested I skip it.

I thought about it, but not for long. I like doing TV. I'm not terrible at it. I criticized him, I should have the guts to repeat it to his face. I also need to say that when I announced I'd said yes, every one of the doubters, and more, sent me great advice and good wishes. (Thanks to Media Matters who, unbidden, just had staff start sending me clips to watch, about O'Reilly's lies. And if you're not on Twitter, well, Twitter rocked for me.) My daughter coached me; so did my litigator ex-husband, so did my friend and Salon co-conspirator Kerry Lauerman. It takes a village to debate Bill O'Reilly!

His producers also helped by doing that thing they do: "Hey, Bill really respects you for coming on the show! He wants to have a conversation! It'll be fine!"

More at the link. (Also, Digby calls O'Reilly a monster ... but really, for wanting to prevent late-term abortions, and being willing to stand up for his views? Kind of like how Carrie Prejean was treated, no?)

I've already said O'Reilly's pretty much a bully (see, "O'Reilly Hammers Pro-Choice Extremist Joan Walsh!"). But Walsh is as much an "extremist" as O'Reilly. She says he's "driven by demons. God bless him and save him." But really, if she believes in God, why does she think the unborn have no right to life?

This is a strange, even awful woman ...

Care of Memeorandum.

George H.W. Bush and the Bucket List

Anyone up for some skydiving:

Analyzing the Iranian Election?

Call me cynical, but I never thought the outcome of Iran's (disputed) presidential election was in doubt. Persian authoritarianism is alive and well, and no doubt Iran's ruling mullahs would do the old PRI in Mexico proud.

Dave Schuler pretty much sums up my thinking at Below the Beltway:

The election was illegitimate from the get-go. The “irregularities” didn’t begin yesterday. The Iranian system is one in which the elected officials have little or no real power, only candidates that have been approved by Iran’s actual rulers appear on ballots, and the mullahs, Iran’s real rulers, control the election process and the media from stem to stern.

All we can say now is than in Iran the people have spoken. The people that matter, anyway.

There's a huge buzz on the election, naturally, given the long-running hostilities between the U.S. and Iran. A particularly interesting take is found at Duck of Minerva, for what it's worth, "Estimating the Degree of Election Fraud in Iran: Nate Silver, Are You Out There?"

But see Daniel Drezner's related post, "Just Repeat to Yourself, "Obama is Not God," And You Will Feel Much, Much Better [UPDATED]."

What's Up With David Weigel?

You have to really shake your head at the ideological alliances of today.

Take David Weigel, who's got a piece up today on the GOP, "‘Right-Wing’ Rhetoric on Hold After Museum Shooting." It's a pretty strong attack on those who take exception to the left's smear against the conservative movement as a bunch of "Christian fascist eliminationists."

Weigel's a reporter at The Washington Independent, but previously he was a contributing editor at the libertarian Reason Magazine. In the latter position he'd be expected to advocate small government and the protection of liberties from the expansion of state power. On the whole, Reason would appear to support the libertarian wing of the GOP. But often the ideological lines get blurred, and some hardline libertarian activists are essentially "unpatriotic paleoconservatives" who veer over into hardline leftist territory - and, of course, some of that activity includes not just opposition to robust national defense, but even things like 9/11 trutherism and tin-foil hats.

So it's interesting that Weigel's moved from the Reason bench over to the hard-left Washington Independent, where such Bush-bashing nihilists as Spencer Ackerman also hold court. Such "libertarians" also include the America- and Israel-hating Daniel Larison, and the "liberaltarian" posse at Ordinary Gentlemen. These guys riff on (pothead) Will Wilkinson quite a bit. And they also gain sustenance from the likes of Andrew Sullivan. "Sully," of course, is a deranged Obamaton who feeds on the writings of Charles Johson at Little Green Footballs.

The respectable Matt Welch put the kibosh on these strange dalliances in a recent post. He notes:

The focus on political teams blurs one central, overriding truth: When it comes to bailout/stimulus/econ, there is no significant break in policy between George W. Bush and Barack Obama, no matter how much it benefits enthusiasts and detractors from pretending there's a sharp break between the two.

Welch, of course, is no fan of neoconservative foreign policy, so he naturally opposes the forward role of the U.S. in conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq. But he's good to distance himself from all the crazed left-liberal hoochy-kootchy.

Anyway, I mention all this just as hardline leftist Steve Benen is citing David Weigel in support of his attacks on the conservative movement.

Folks need to be careful about their allegiances.

I don't know David Weigel personally (although my blog-buddy Robert Stacy McCain calls him a good friend). No matter. Connecting the dots here - even with an admittedly broad brush - gives you some idea of what's really going on with the left-libertarian coalitions today: It's all anti-(neo)conservatism, all the time.

Thank goodness Sarah Palin's a neocon!

Politicizing Gun Murders

I was thinking about the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, when Collective Soul's, "Shine," came on the radio yesterday. Why didn't leftists call for a boycott of the band, or rock-and-roll altogether, in light of the killings? The band released a statement?

Well, Matt Lewis, in discussing the smearing of conservatives in light of George Tiller and James von Brunn, raises the Virgina Tech shootings in his post, "The Left Politicizes Gun Murders":

If we're going to look at using these events as a catalyst to change policy, perhaps we should consider talking about the issue of mental health. For example, the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, was declared mentally ill in Virginia but was still free to attend classes, and ultimately kill his fellow students. Clearly, the failure here was a mental health issue - not a "gun" issue. If we are going to begin looking to pass legislation to curb these violent incidents, why don't we consider doing something that might actually work - like looking at changing laws regarding mental health issues?

Because taking up the cause of mental health does not advance the cause of liberalism.

Or changing the laws rergarding listenting to rock-and-roll?

See also, Dan Riehl, "The Hate Was of Bush and The Right."

Related: See also, "When Desperation Gets Ugly," and "‘Right-Wing’ Rhetoric on Hold After Museum Shooting," via Memeorandum.

Gay Radicals Pissed After Obama Defends DOMA

I just love the picture below, from CBS's, "Gay Rights Groups Irate After Obama Administration Lauds Defense of Marriage Act." If anyone finds a larger copy, e-mail it to me.

I wrote previously on Barack Obama's utter fear of the Gay Rights Third Rail of American Politics: "Obama's Stunning Failure on Gays in the Military."

Basically, the president's a pussy when it comes to REALLY pushing for change - and hey, wasn't he supposed to be all about change?

This is good for conservatives. Go ahead, Obama, lose the far-left wing base. Right now leftists have constantly ridiculed the GOP for becoming a rump party of hicks and yahoos, but then the same folks who demonize the right can't even get the attention of their own "Lightworker"?

But don't take if from me. Check out all the commentary at Memeorandum, especially John Aravosis' post, "Obama defends DOMA in federal court. Says banning gay marriage is good for the federal budget. Invokes incest and marrying children." All of these blogs are on the case:

Political Punch, Ben Smith's Blog, Daily Kos, The Daily Dish, skippy the bush kangaroo, #gay, Hot Air, Polimom, Too, QandO, Pam's House Blend, The Bilerico Project, Pharyngula, The Atlantic Politics Channel, WyBlog, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Instapundit, The Impolitic, Runnin' Scared, MyDD and Stinque

Apparently, the administration is interpreting DOMA narrowly; and most explosively, the president has rejected the claim that gay rights are in the same class as interracial marriage (e.g., Loving v. Virgina). That's got to hurt (take that Pam Spaulding and Andrew Sullivan!). But frankly, I've made that very argument many times here. See, in particular, "Gay Marriage is Not a Civil Right."

O'Reilly Hammers Pro-Choice Extremist Joan Walsh!

Bill O'Reilly hammered Joan Walsh today. It was great television, but does O'Reilly come off as a bully? Walsh was pathetic when pinned down on the right to life for late-term unborn babies, but liberals probably hate O'Reilly so much not just for his views, but for his in your face finger-pointing!

I love it:

It's Not in the Way That Your Love Set Me Free...

Some songs bring back very specific memories. Toto's "Hold the Line" reminds me of a partying buddy in high school. His name was John. He was a kind of hippy geek, but I loved him (and I was a skater geek, of course). We'd practically stop the car to play air guitar to this song ... Enjoy Toto:

TOTO - Hold the Line @ Yahoo! Video

Thoughts on Our Civil War

As regular readers well know, it's my personal belief that radical left-wing ideology is the greatest threat to the country today. Leftist radicalism and demonology is manifested not just in the corrosive political discourse of the online fever swamps, but on television with the likes of David Letterman and Keith Olbermann. Most importantly, radical postmodernism has reached the apex of power, with President Barack Obama's post-structural presidency. In general, the present danger from the left isn't the potential for violence or rebellion, it's the slow erosion of right and wrong in politics, and the steady weakening of America's exceptionalism and moral resolve in the face of domestic and international crises. The United States will be just another nation, if the leftists have their way. Excellence will be prohibited. Everyone will be "equal." No foreign nations will threaten us, and in time the U.S. will go the way of all other great hegemonic powers.

That said, I do not discount the immediate crisis of violent political extremism. People are being killed. It's not good, obviously. But what's especially dangerous is the political opportunism that comes even before the blood is dry and the facts are known, and in recent weeks that despicable opportunism's been the bailiwick of the left.

I know what folks will say: "Both sides do it ... [insert extremist right-wing counter-example here]." Thus all of us are left to retreat back into the insular comfort-zone of our own partisan cocoon.

It's understandable. But in my opinion, in the context of the Holocaust Museum shooting, leftist commentators have refused to look at the facts. The most important essay written this last few days is Ben Johnson's, "Holocaust Museum Shooter: Christian-Hating Socialist." James von Brunn is in no way representative of today's conservative right, and blaming Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and other conservative talking heads for the violence only feeds the divisiveness.

But readers can hash it out for themselves. Leftists are so invested in finding evil in the conservative movement that no amount of factual analysis will dislodge them from their "eliminationist" mindset. And I'll make no bones about it: Some of those mucking in the hate are generally evil in my estimation.

With that, let's look at a few recent commentaries trying to provide some perspective on all of this.

Here's Jeffrey Goldberg, via Memeorandum, writing on Judith Warner's idiocy. Goldberg campares the Holocaust Memorial attack to the killing of Private William Long:

The attacks in Arkansas and Washington are both manifestations of a radical type of intolerance, and they are linked in very deep ways. The left, generally speaking, doesn't want to acknowledge Muslim intolerance, and the right, generally speaking, doesn't want to acknowledge white, Christian intolerance. But they both exist, and they should both be acknowledged.

Okay, here's John Hinderaker's effort at calmness:

Various media sources are referring to von Brunn as a "right wing" murderer, more or less as they refer to people like us as "right wingers." This is a dubious characterization, to say the least: anti-Semitism is overwhelmingly a phenomenon of the Left in today's world, and Leon Wolf, at RedState, points out that Mr. von Brunn's political views are typical of those commonly expressed at the Daily Kos. No surprise there.

So is the Daily Kos to blame for von Brunn's insane murder? Earlier today I got an email with a link to an article claiming that Barack Obama is to blame, since Obama has legitimized hatred of Israel. Is that fair?

I don't think so. As hateful and misguided as many liberals may be, if they aren't actually advocating violence (like Randi Rhodes, say) they shouldn't be blamed if a lone nut takes their ideology to the extreme. Vigorous political debate is legal--as is bigotry, for that matter; murder is not. That's a very bright line, and all that needs to be said on the subject. Who is to blame for murder? The murderer.

Also, here's my friend Daniel Nexon's post, "Some Thoughts on the American Politics Topic du Jour":

There's no substantive difference between the attempts by right-wingers to define Nazism as a phenomena of the left and Marxist attempts to define Soviet Socialism as "state capitalism."

Anyway, I think the speed with which the right-wing blogsphere has circled the wagons over the shooting at the Holocaust museum speaks for itself.

It should be patently obvious that any disagreements your typical conservatives have with someone like Von Brunn are far more important than relative location on a one-dimensional political spectrum.

You see, everyone's got their spin, even if they're in roughly the same neighborhood.

But one more point: No matter how one situates themselves on this debate (the left's more awful than the right, blah, blah ...), I don't think there should be much debate that the mass media and the Democratic establishment are working in tandem with the fever-swamp radicals to exploit the violence for sheer partisan advantage. Explicitly or implicitly, the result is the same: The murder of George Tiller, for example, is a national calamity, while the death of Private Long was largely swept under the rug.

For more on this, see Victory Davis Hanson, "David Letterman, Rev. Wright, and Thoughts on a Creepy Culture."

See also, Frugal Café Blog Zone, "Obama Quick to Decry Abortionist’s Murder… Why Is He Still Mute on Soldier’s Murder by Black Muslim Terrorist?."

David Letterman: Washed-Up Left-Wing Pervert

Care of Americans for Limited Government, and William Warren: "The Top-Ten Washed-Up Lefty Hacks":

Also, see Michelle Malkin, "David Letterman: Perv" (via Memeorandum):

In November 2008, Letterman told tanking CBS News anchor Katie Couric that he was “aroused” by Gov. Palin.

In March 2009, Letterman attacked Bristol Palin and snickered about her being “knocked up” again.

You know, David Letterman reminds me of the lecher at the school bus stop.

Or the aging creep lurking in the dirty magazine section at the 7-11.

Attention, CBS: Get him help now.

Also, don't miss Dan Riehl's report, "A Personal Story About David Letterman."

Congresswoman Laura Richardson's Abandoned House Called Blight

From the Los Angeles Times, neighbors in Sacramento's affluent Curtis Park area claim that Congresswoman Laura Richardson's abandoned house is a blight on the community. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to look into the issue:

Here's the bullet-quote from next-door neighbor John Bailey:

"I wouldn't want anyone that irresponsible to represent me ... What I don't get is how she has the time to visit with Fidel Castro but doesn't have time for her own house. If you can't manage your own household, you probably shouldn't get involved in international affairs."

Some area residents, worried about their property values, paid for lawnmowing and upkeep on the house out of their own pockets. Talk about taxation without representation!

(Read the whole thing ... neighbors saw a dead bird inside the house, and rats were breeding in the backyard.)

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times.

Carrie Prejean Interview on Sean Hannity, June 11 (VIDEO)

Say what you will about Carrie Prejean, she's firm in her beliefs. She also looks fabulous, and that's she's enduring endless abuse from the left's media-backed smear-machine:

See also, "Big Hollywood Exclusive: Miss California Speaks Out After Pageant Firing":

I am proud to be an American, and blessed to have had the opportunity to exercise my freedom of speech. I am excited and looking forward to where God leads me in the future. I know He has big plans for me. I am proud to be the strong woman God has molded me to be. I will always stand for the truth, respectfully, and never back down.

Thank you and God Bless,

Carrie Prejean.

Added: Fox News, "Exclusive: Carrie Prejean Speaks Out for First time Since Losing Miss California Title."

Sarah Palin on Today: David Letterman "Crossed The Line" (VIDEO)

Check the awesome Sarah Palin interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show:

She hammers the leftist double-standard whereby Barack Obama's family is off-limits, but her 14 year-old girl is fair game for late-night comedians: But hey, "It's not cool and it's not funny ..."

Even NOW has condemned the degradation. Allahpundit says, you know, "credit where credit's due." But Michelle says:

NOW finally spoke up — but not without taking a holier-than-thou potshot of its own. I suggest they all review the Four Stages of Conservative Female Abuse before wagging their tired old fingers again and lecturing us “inauthentic” women about not doing enough to combat sexism.

More at Memeorandum.

Rule 5 Rescue: Heidi Montag

Well, considering the news that Heidi Montag has posed for the September issue of Playboy, I thought I'd go ahead and juice some hormones with a lovely shot of the shortlived "I’m a Celebrity" star ...

She looks good, but you'll have to check with Stacy and Cassandra for expert opinion on Heidi's upstairs assets. (Or Stacy's hot cousins Mandy and Lizzy!)

I also want to thanks The Rhetorican for linking my up routinely, as well as my regular battalion of blogging buddies:

Steven Givler, The Astute Blogger, Chris Wysocki, Moonbattery, Sweating Through the Fog, Three Beers Later, PA Pundits, Paco Enterprises, Ken Davenport, Sister Toldjah, Blazing Cat Fur, The Daley Gator, Just One Minute, Dave's World, Sparks From the Anvil, Right Truth, Dave's Notepad, Pat's Daily Rants, Bob's Bar & Grill, Power Line, Melanie Morgan, Dave in Boca, Neo-Neocon, Right in a Left World, Flag Gazer, Politics and Critical Thinking, Riehl World View, Midnight Blue, Caroline Glick, The Average American, The Griper, FouseSquawk, The Other McCain, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Roger Simon, Classical Values, Samantha Speaks, Grizzly Mama, The Capitol Tribune, The Patriot Room, The Real World, RADARSITE, Serr8d's Cutting Edge, Bloviating Zeppelin, Born Again Redneck The Educated Shoprat, Gateway Pundit, Political Pistachio, Liberty Pundit, Not One Red Cent, Phyllis Chesler, Right View from the Left Coast, Generation Patriot, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, Edge's Conservative Movies, Stop the ACLU, The Conservative Manifesto, Gates of Vienna, Joust The Facts, Panhandle Poet, The Red Hunter, Maggie's Farm, The Next Right, This Ain't Hell, Stop the ACLU, Right Wing Nuthouse, Melissa Clouthier, Paula in Israel, Pamela Geller, Vanessa's Blog, St. Blogustine, Yid With Lid, Pondering Penguin, Betsy's Page, The Anchoress, Ace of Spades HQ, Right Wing Sparkle, Thunder Run, The Classic Liberal, Conservative Grapevine, Cassy Fiano, Jim Treacher, NetRightNation, Q and O, Urban Grounds, Ed Driscoll, Cold Fury, Michelle Malkin, Neptunus Lex, Neo-Neocon, The Astute Bloggers, The Liberty Papers, The Monkey Cage, Law and Order Teacher, Mike's America, AubreyJ, Dan Collins, The Jungle Hut, Wake Up America, Dan Riehl, Nikki's Blog, Big Girl Pants, Maggie's Notebook, Hummers & Cigarettes, Mark Goluskin, Jawa Report, Darleen Click, The Skepticrats, Fausta's Blog, Clueless Emma, Obob's World, Seymour Nuts, Red State, Dr. Sanity, The Desert Glows Green, Not One Red Cent, Vinegar and Honey, Sarge Charlie, Thoughts With Attitude, Kim Priestap, Swedish Meatballs Confidential, Five Feet of Fury, Amy Proctor, Blonde Sagacity, Liberty Papers, TigerHawk, Point of a Gun, Right Wing News, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Nice Deb, Becky Brindle, GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD, Fishersville Mike, Ann Althouse, The Blog Prof, Monique Stuart, No Sheeples Here!, Dana at CSPT, Glenn Reynolds, Obi’s Sister, Right Truth, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Chicago Ray, Ace of Spades HQ, Natalie's Blog, Jimmie Bise, Little Miss Attila, Moe Lane, Private Pigg, Pundit & Pundette, The Rhetorican, R.S. McCain, Saber Point, Stephen Kruiser, Suzanna Logan, TrogloPundit, Doug Ross Journal, Villainous Company, PoliGazette, Prying 1, The Western Experience, The Oklahoma Patriot, Right Wing Sparkle, Conservatism With Heart, Duck of Minerva, Wolf Howling, Right Wing Nation, Stephen Green, The Tygrrrr Express, The News Factor, Gayle's Place, Israel Matsav, The BoBo Files, Grant Jones, Tapline, New Testament News, Wizbang, and William Jacobson.

Tune in this weekend for my regular installment of Full Metal Saturday!

Hat Tip: We Smirch.

Travel Tips for the Uighurs!

You're not going to believe this, but the freaks at Ordinary Gentlemen are actually well-wishing the freed Guantanamo terrorists!

"Free Advice to Released Uighurs":

If you are headed to Palau–where I spent 1 week of my life, 3 days of which was in a small to medium range typhoon, 2 other days of which I spent on the can–good luck. It’s a beautiful place. The people are also beautiful (especially the women) but tend to be a bit cold towards outsiders. But definitely get somebody to take you out on a boat ride to the Jellyfish Lake. LSD’s got nothing on that trip.

Do these idiots remotely know WTF is going on?!!

How about those Uighurs? (Hat Tip: Reliapundit):

China ... has been affected by the ascendance of the Taliban. Beijing shunned the civil war in Afghanistan until February 1999, when it first made overtures to the Taliban in an attempt to stem the tide of Afghan heroin flooding Xinjiang. The heroin was helping fund Islamist nationalist opposition to Beijing among the Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic groups. Uighur militants have trained and fought with the Afghan mujahideen since 1986, and Chinese officials say the arms and explosives the rebels have used against Chinese security forces come from Afghanistan. Taliban officials have assured China that they are not harboring fugitive Uighurs, but some Uighur militants are known to be involved with Yuldashev and with bin Laden-if not the Taliban itself.

Oh, golly, what a swell bunch of fellas!

And they sure had some nice things to say about the U.S., "Uyghur Detainees at Gitmo Compare U.S. to Hitler."

Cool! Let me buy those guys a drink at the pool!

As Pamela notes, hey, it's the "TERRORISTS' EXCELLENT VACATION"!

More at Memeorandum.

Proud To Be a Left-Wing Extremist?

Here's the post by Kyle at RightWingWatch, "Is The Right Still "Proud To Be a Right-Wing Extremist?"

Mark at Snooper Report responds, "Is The Left Still 'Proud To Be a Left-Wing Extremist'?" An excerpt:

The Leftinistra are the singularly most ugly, mean-spirited pieces of trash outside your viral Haji yet the Leftinistra support the enemy over their own nation and those that protect their very rights to exist. And yes, the Leftinistra toss the term "neocon" around like they know what a "neocon" is or something. I merely laugh in disdain because their use of the term "neocon" is allegedly a term of derision - tolerance at work I am sure. If they ever learn what a "neocon" is, they would drop it like a hot Pelosi panty.

The Leftinistra labeled the holocaust Museum shooter a right-winger when it has been shown that he was/is nothing of the sort. All we hear no is silence from their sheeple He was one of their own - a hater of Christianity, an anti-Semite (there are no anti-Semites on the right-wing) and a hater of the "neocon". Amazing isn't it? Yet the fools on the left try and blame others for what they themselves partake in on a regular basis and call it good. Why? Because they did the deed and the Leftinistra never do anything wrong. Just ask this buffoon Kyle.

Right Wing Watch? By all means, watch. We are watching back and we are better at it and I wear my Right Wing Extremist Badge with honor and courage. The Leftinistra do not because they are the very cowards they hate. The self-loathing of the Leftinistra is all too obvious.

Perhaps the Left-Wing Extremist Report by the DHS is "right" after all, eh?

I have a question for these cretins on the left-wing. If the right-wing is as you all claim that we are, seeing that there are millions of us and we are all killers, murderers and such, is it wise to back us into a corner and piss us off?

Just sayin'. Think about that.

We can debate issues and beliefs and argue various programs, policies and laws on their constitutionality or not. We are willing but the Leftinistra are not because they would lose every time. Remember, Conservatism wins every time in elections and that is why in tough races, democrats put up conservative candidates against liberal republicans...and win. John McCain lost because he might as well join the DNC because he is in fact one of them at heart, just like his esteemed colleague Arlen Specter and Lindsey Graham. There isn't a conservative bone in their bodies. This is why candidates like Sarah Palin frighten the Leftinistra on the democrat side and the republican side. I am neither.

If I have a label, I am a conservative libertarian constitutionalist. Neocon? Don't make me laugh.

Catch the chatter of those that agree with little boy Kyle at Memeorandum.

Another Leftinistra moonbat spanked.

ADDENDUM: Here's this from the DHS report, "Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade:

Anarchist extremists generally embrace a number of radical philosophical components of anticapitalist, antiglobalization, communist, socialist, and other movements. Anarchist groups seek abolition of social, political, and economic hierarchies, including Western-style governments and large business enterprises, and frequently advocate criminal actions of varying scale and scope to accomplish their goals.

Hmm ... it's not like we have too many of those folks to worry about!