Rick Santorum is Right On Gay Marriage

From John Hawkins, at Right Wing News:

Also at Los Angeles Times, "Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage."

PREVIOUSLY: "Rick Santorum Debates Gay Marriage in New Hampshire."

High Surf in Southern California

A fabulous photo-slideshow, at Los Angeles Times, "California surf is up, dudes; swells pound west-facing beaches."

Stolen Car Lands on Apartment Roof in Fresno

At Fresno Bee, "Car lands on roof of Fresno apartment after wreck."

Ron Paul Goes Up With Brutal Attack on Rick Santorum in South Carolina

Well, if you're running at the top of the polls after a breakthrough showing in Iowa the others candidates aren't going to just stand by helplessly on the sidelines. And I think this line of attack is pretty devastating, as I noted yesterday. Ron Paul won't win the nomination, of course, but he's been putting up a few keepers in attack advertising.

See Catholic Bandita, "Ron Paul Using Soros-Funded Opposition Research Against Rick Santorum in New Attack Ad." And Maggie Gallagher, "Ron Paul Tries to Tar Santorum with Gingrich Brush."

RELATED: At Astute Bloggers, "Rick versus Mitt: Right to work laws etc. ..." (At Memeorandum.)

U.S. Navy Rescues Iranians Held by Pirates

A sort of gunboat diplomacy, you might say, although I doubt America's good deed will improve relations with Tehran.

At Los Angeles Times, "U.S. Navy rescues Iran fishermen held by Somalia pirates":

A Navy destroyer rescued 13 Iranian fishermen held hostage by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea only days after Tehran warned the United States to keep its ships out of the nearby Persian Gulf.

Sailors from the guided-missile destroyer Kidd boarded the Iranian dhow Thursday and detained 15 Somalis after one of the fishermen was able to reveal in a radio communication that his vessel's crew was being held captive.

Seeing a publicity windfall at a time of growing tension with Iran, Pentagon public affairs officers quickly swung into action, setting up a conference call for reporters with Navy commanders in the region.

Among those briefing journalists was Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, who commands the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier strike group, which conducted the rescue and includes the Kidd. Faller later received a congratulatory telephone call from Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, the Pentagon said in a statement.

"When we get a distress signal, we're going to respond," Pentagon spokesman George Little quoted Panetta as saying.

The Stennis is the ship that Gen. Ataollah Salehi, head of Iran's army, advised Tuesday not to return to the Persian Gulf after the carrier had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point that Iran has threatened to close in response to economic sanctions by the United States and its allies.

About one-fifth of the world's oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Secret to Kelly Brook's Hourglass Figure

The Daily Mail does a piece on Kelly Brook every few days --- which is fine by me!

What's her secret? She works out, of course, but admits to liking "a little meat on my bones."

Lovely all around, in any case. See: "'I like having a bit of meat on my bones': Kelly Brook reveals the secret to her perfect hourglass figure."

Rick Santorum Was Prototypical Establishment Senator and Washington Insider

It's Rick Santorum's turn to face the media's attack gauntlet, and he's certainly got a deep trove a material for his attackers.

I defended Santorum on gay marriage earlier, but that story's picking up steam as progressives never waste an opportunity to attack conservatives for alleged "bigotry". See New York Times, "Spotlight Shines on Santorum, Rough Edges and All." Plus lots more at Memeorandum. And there's even more progressive attacks on Rick Santorum's alleged attacks on black welfare dependency, seen here at the MSNBC clip:

All of that's a given.

More interesting from the GOP side is this report at Los Angeles Times, which shows Santorum clearly not an exemplary tea party-style candidate, "Rick Santorum's political evolution sparks scrutiny":

 Rick Santorum first came to Congress from western Pennsylvania in 1990 after waging a grass-roots campaign against an opponent he labeled a Washington insider for buying a house in a fancy suburb of the capital.

But during four years in the House and 12 in the Senate, Santorum became an insider himself. He brought home earmarks that his competitors are now criticizing. He helped lead Republican outreach to K Street lobbyists. And despite his campaign promises, Santorum established his family's home in an affluent Washington suburb while charging his children's school tuition to Pennsylvania taxpayers.

The shift from conservative insurgent to a man considered a cunning Capitol player dogged Santorum in his 2006 Senate race, in which his Democratic challenger, Bob Casey, branded him beholden to Washington interests. Santorum lost his seat in a double-digit rout.

Since leaving the Senate, Santorum has quietly built a comfortable life, following a path that has become well-worn for former members of Congress. He doubled his net worth with lucrative contracts with Fox News and Washington lobbying and consulting firms.

Now his squeaker second-place finish behind GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucuses has brought renewed scrutiny to the former senator's record. Santorum's campaign did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Santorum started his political career with an upset, unseating seven-term Democrat Doug Walgren by a 2-point margin. Santorum relentlessly criticized Walgren for living in "the wealthiest area of Virginia," hundreds of miles away from the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh that he represented. Walgren said in an interview this week that the residency issue was "the key" to the election.

"He made a lot of absolute promises that he would never live in Washington, that his residence has always been in Pittsburgh," Walgren said.

But four years later, when he was elected to the Senate, Santorum and his family settled into a home in Herndon, Va., and then moved to a larger house, purchased for $643,000 in affluent Leesburg.

"He found out that [keeping his family in Pittsburgh] was not something that he wanted to do," Walgren said. "He accused me of doing something that he said was wrong and then just went right ahead and did it himself."

Santorum has told Pennsylvania reporters that his pledge not to live in Washington applied to his service in the House. "The Senate is a very different place," he said, according to the York (Pa.) Daily Record.

On Capitol Hill, Santorum at first took an anti-establishment tack, joining other GOP freshmen to expose the fact that more than 350 representatives, Democrats and Republicans alike, had written thousands of overdrafts on the now-defunct House bank.

As his tenure went on, Santorum went from needling the establishment to becoming the establishment, ascending the ranks to be the third-highest Republican in the Senate. From that position, he worked on legislative successes, including passage of a massive welfare reform bill during the Clinton presidency.

Continue reading.

It's not the prettiest picture.

Santorum Sharpens Aim at Romney

At Wall Street Journal, "Santorum, Riding Wave, Sharpens Aim at Romney":

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Riding a bump in national polls after his strong showing in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum sought Thursday to erode rival Mitt Romney's substantial lead by drawing distinctions in policy and background for GOP voters here and nationwide.

Mr. Santorum cast himself as an advocate for blue-collar workers and their economically troubled communities, hoping to capitalize on differences with Mr. Romney, a wealthy former private-equity investor and son of a Michigan governor, in a GOP field reshaped by Iowa's caucuses.

Two national polls have registered a substantial bounce for Mr. Santorum. A Gallup survey that included Wednesday, the day after he lost to Mr. Romney in Iowa by a razor-thin margin, showed Mr. Santorum spiking to 11% support and fourth place in the race, compared to 3% in late December. A Rasmussen survey Wednesday showed Mr. Santorum in second place, with 21%, behind Mr. Romney's 29%.

As he campaigned in New Hampshire, which holds its GOP primary Tuesday, Mr. Santorum spoke of plans to revive blue-collar communities. His speeches were peppered with memories of his coal-miner grandfather, along with details about his plans to revive U.S. manufacturing. For many voters, it added a new dimension to a candidate known as an opponent of abortion and gay marriage.

"A lot of blue collar workers have been left behind in America," Mr. Santorum said Thursday in Manchester. Later, at a campaign event in Tilton, he said his family and his friends' families had worked in factories. To a man who asked about manufacturing workers "sitting at home,'' Mr. Santorum replied: "My plan is 'Made in America.'"

Continue reading.

And in other developments, at Los Angeles Times, "Vote count claim could change Iowa winner," and at ABC News, "Rick Santorum Rakes In $2 Million In Two Days, Plans ‘Major’ South Carolina Ad Buy" (via Memeorandum).

Rick Santorum Debates Gay Marriage in New Hampshire

This is pretty interesting.

See the report at New York Times, "Students Jeer Santorum on New Hampshire Blitz."

Santorum has previously made some incisive arguments in this debate --- some time last year he argued that gays had "super rights," which I thought was pretty sharp. And while in Europe there's a movement to legitimize multiple homosexual partnerships --- and gay radicals are indeed pushing for "three ways" here --- folks can easily make the case for traditional marriage without attacking the radical gay propensity for multiple partners. Same-sex marriage is simply unnatural and the institution of marriage was never designed for same-sex couples. Not only is gay marriage not a civil right, but the aggressive agitation by the radical gay movement is suppressing real rights of all Americans. Santorum simply needs to say that regular Americans support whatever lifestyles that gays choose to live, but they should not be browbeaten and harassed to redefine an institution whose essential meaning is the biological union of man and woman for the purpose of procreation and regeneration of family and society.

There's additional video at New York Times, "Santorum Has Testy Exchange on Same-Sex Marriage." And the freaks at Think Progress practically ejaculated over the debate, and they write:

To be clear, Santorum’s offensive and circuitous responses are all meant to reject the natural desire of two same-sex individuals to join in a union and enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Actually, there is no "natural desire" such as this. Homosexuality is a deviant form of sexual relations and has become a "right" only at the whip end of progressive campaigns of recrimination and terror against traditionals. These are the points that Santorum needs to raise. Hold the evidence on the radical gay push for homosexual polygamy for later.

Belladonna Rogers: 'How to Confront the Anti-Israel Fixation of the Left'

Advice columnist Belladonna Rogers addresses one of the issues I've been dealing with this last couple of weeks, at PJ Media.

One of her readers asks, "Of all the challenges I face dealing with leftists, one of the most difficult is contending with their anti-Israel bias ... How can I deal with the growing, overt liberal animus toward Israel?"

Rogers indicates two key issues: ignorance and anti-Semitism. Check the post for her discussion of the facts about Israel. The facts speak for themselves. She correctly notes that when people refuse to accept the facts on Israel --- when they deny the evidence --- and when they demonize Israel exclusively, using double-standards to attack the existence of the Jewish state, that's anti-Semitism. And she concludes by reinforcing a point I made in my devastating exposé of the hate-Israel Occupy backers:

Unlike anti-Israeli sentiment based on ignorance of history ... you don’t stand a chance of persuading bigots by using facts, logic, or reasoning, because their attitudes are irrational, deep-seated, and often unconscious.

Education may help with the factually-ignorant.  With the deep-seated anti-Semite, nothing will succeed.

When you encounter such a person, I recommend minimizing contact — indeed, if you can, cutting off contact entirely.

Life is too short to subject yourself to an unrepentant bigot, no matter how charming or attractive he or she may appear to be in other respects. I’m with Moses Seixas and George Washington on this: “give bigotry no sanction.”  None.

Progressives hate Jews. And the Occupy Wall Street movement has been driven throughout by anti-Zionism and exterminationist attacks on the Jews. And of course the very denials of these facts are themselves despicable and f-king reprehensible expressions of anti-Semitic bigotry. These people are the pestilence destroying democracy in the West.

Progressive Intolerance on Display: Michael Coren's Death Wish Hate Mail

Via Blazing Cat Fur, "Michael Coren's Letter From 'Mo' Who Wants to Hurt His Children":

Bwahaha!! Progressives Disillusioned With Obama!

Despite his best efforts, even an arch socialist like Barack Hussein gets checked and balanced once in a while.

And that's once too often for the hate-addled progs.

At Gateway Pundit, "So Sad … Obama’s Popularity Dwindling Among Disillusioned Supporters (Video)."

Yeah, even the progresso-commies at Washington Monthly are looking to the future: "What If Obama Loses?"

Freakin' douchbags.

Copenhagen's Rysle Dyre Explains the Occupy Movement

Via FrontPage Magazine:

Wow, far out man!

Trash capitalism! Occupy wherever you are!

PREVIOUSLY: "Manifesto: Occupy for the Revolution."

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Shills for Barack 'Occupy' Obama on Greta Van Susteren's Show

The Conservative Examiner had a nice post the other day, "DNC chair says she admires Communist Party-backed Occupy Wall Street."

And here's the DNC Chair shilling for the Occupier-in-Chief on Greta's:

She's a genuine bloody idiot.

Ezra Levant Rips Chiquita Brands International Senior Vice-President Manuel Rodriguez

At Five Feet of Fury, "Ezra Levant: ‘I only regret that it did not get more coverage…’"

Video c/o Blazing Cat Fur.

VIDEO: Smokin' Natalin Avci

Via Maxim:

Courage Campaign Slams Kim Kardashian on Taxes

She's not that wealthy, so perhaps the Courage kooks were going for the hotness factor to generate some attention.

 See Los Angeles Times, "Kim Kardashian told to 'pay up' by group seeking tax on wealthy."

Diane Abbott, Labour's Shadow Health Minister, Apologizes for Racist Comments Attacking 'White People' on Twitter

More racism from the left.

At Telegraph UK, "Diane Abbott forced to apologise in racism row after claiming 'White people love playing divide and rule’":

Diane Abbott, Labour’s shadow health minister, has faced calls to resign after claiming that white people “love to divide and rule”.

Miss Abbott was engulfed by criticism from political opponents who said her remarks were “racist” and would never have been tolerated had they been made about black people.

Initially, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington refused to say sorry for her comments, which she claimed had been taken “out of context” and interpreted “maliciously”.

However, after a “difficult” phone call with her party leader, Ed Miliband, Labour headquarters issued a statement in which Miss Abbott apologised “for any offence caused”.

Miss Abbott, the first black female MP in the Commons, made her comments in response to a commentator who said she disliked the “lazy” and “monolithic” use of the term “black community” during coverage of the Stephen Lawrence murder trial.
Bim Adewunmi, a freelance journalist, wrote on Twitter that she found many black “leaders” shown in the media to be out of touch with the people they purported to represent.

Miss Abbott responded to say the comments were “playing into a 'divide and rule’ agenda” that is as “old as colonialism”. She said black people should not “wash dirty linen in public”.
In her most inflammatory message, posted after midnight, she added: “White people love playing 'divide & rule’. We should not play their game,” appending the reference tag: “tacticasoldascolonialism”.

Abbott's Twitter feed is here.

At the video Abbott ends the interview to take a call from "a fuming" Labour Party leader Ed Miliband.

Also at London's Daily Mail, "The hypocrisy of Diane Abbott, an expert in 'divide and rule' if ever there was one." And the Sun UK, "Fury at MP Diane Abbott’s ‘white people’ Twitter jibe."

Tamara Ecclestone's Hot Bikini Beach-Bling in Dubai

This lady is smokin'!

At London's Daily Mail, "£50,000 diamond earrings, a Rolex and a £25,000 bracelet: Tamara Ecclestone does beach bling as she soaks up Dubai sun."

Obama's Precipitous Withdrawal: Dozens Killed in Bomb Attacks Amid Iraq's Political Crisis

At Telegraph UK, "Sectarian attacks in Iraq leave over 70 dead."

And at New York Times, "Political Role for Militants Worsens Fault Lines in Iraq":

BAGHDAD — It was one of the deadliest insurgent groups in Iraq in recent years, an Iranian-backed militia that bombed American military convoys and bases, assassinated dozens of Iraqi officials and tried to kidnap Americans even as the last soldiers withdrew.

But now the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is welcoming the militant group into Iraq’s political system, a move that could tilt the nation’s center of gravity closer to Iran. The government’s support for the militia, which only just swore off violence, has opened new sectarian fault lines in Iraq’s political crisis while potentially empowering Iran at a moment of rising military and economic tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The militant group, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, broke away from the fierce Shiite militia commanded by the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who has strong ties to Tehran. The American military has long maintained that the group, led by a former spokesman for Mr. Sadr, Qais al-Khazali, was trained and financed by Iran’s elite Quds Force — something that Iran denies.

Since the American military withdrawal last month, Iraq has been convulsed with waves of attacks that have raised concerns about its political stability. On Thursday, bombings killed at least 68 people, including 44 Shiite pilgrims in a single attack in the southern deserts near Nasiriya. With that backdrop of violence, the Iraqi government can plausibly claim that its overtures to the group are an earnest attempt to make peace with a powerful armed foe while nudging the country closer to a much-needed national reconciliation.

Thousands of other militants, both Sunni and Shiite, have cut deals with the government to stop fighting, and few officials see a meaningful peace in Iraq that does not include reconciling with armed groups. On Thursday, Asaib Ahl al-Haq made another conciliatory gesture, saying it would release the body of a British bodyguard, Alan McMenemy, who was kidnapped in 2007 with four others, only one of whom was released alive.

Yet, critics worry that Mr. Maliki, facing fierce new challenges to his leadership from Sunnis and even his fellow Shiites, may now be making a cynical and shortsighted play for Asaib’s support. They say Mr. Maliki may use the group’s credentials as Shiite resistance fighters to divide challengers in his own Shiite coalition and weaken Mr. Sadr’s powerful bloc, which draws its political lifeblood from the Shiite underclass.

Way to go Democrats!

This is what cut and run gets you! Congratulations!

Obama's Recess Appointments

Michelle has the big story on the Richard Cordray appointment, "He’s baaaaack: Obama recess-appoints Dodd-Frank czar." And see John Yoo, "Richard Cordray & the Use and Abuse of Executive Power."

And here's Investor's Business Daily, "Acting Like a King Isn't Among the President's Duties":

Leadership: A spokesman says the president "can't wait for Congress to act" and promised that he's "going to take action." This is the president who was "ready to rule" in 2008. Is he an elected chief executive or an emperor?

In November 2008, shortly after Barack Obama was elected president, Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of his transition team, appeared on "Meet the Press." She told host Tom Brokaw that "Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one."

Shouldn't someone who had reached the political heights that Jarrett had reached know that kings rule but presidents are elected to serve and are accountable to Congress, the courts and the voters?

One would think that she and the rest of the administration are aware of a president's legal limitations, but simply aren't interested in respecting them.

A little more than three years after Jarrett declared Obama's majesty, his spokesman Jay Carney warned on the day of the Iowa caucuses that "if Republicans choose the path of obstruction rather than cooperation, then the president is not going to sit here . .. he's going to take the actions that he can take using his executive authority."

Within a day, Obama made good on the threat. On Wednesday, he bypassed the congressional approval process and named Richard Cordray as head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The appointment, made while the Senate is in a pro forma session and not in recess, came after that chamber blocked Cordray's confirmation last month.

Not only is Obama trampling precedent that says recess appointments are to be done only after the Senate has been out of session for 10 days or more, he's also trying to circumvent legislation.

Continue reading.

And see Edwin Meese III and Todd Gaziano, "Obama’s recess appointments are unconstitutional."

And this Cordray guy doesn't seem fazed by the unconstitutionality of his appointment. See New York Times, "New Chief at Consumer Bureau Promises Vigorous Agenda."

Eugene Robinson Viciously Attacks Rick Santorum

The video's at RealClearPolitics, "Eugene Robinson: Rick Santorum's Stillborn Baby Story Is 'Very Weird'."

William Jacobson responds, "Now Eugene Robinson mocks Santorum’s mourning."

And Glenn Reynolds links to Peter Wehner at Commentary: "WELL, AFTER THE TRIG PALIN ASSAULTS, GOING AFTER A STILLBORN BABY ISN’T MUCH OF A STRETCH: The Casual Cruelty of Eugene Robinson. Remember this the next time they launch one of their bogus “new civility” campaigns."

Bogus "new civility."

No doubt.

Record Weather as Summer-Like Conditions Continue

It's been beach-strolling, shorts-and-t-shirt weather for the last week.

This is why people love California, despite one of the most oppressive business climates in the nation.

See Los Angeles Times, "Heat records break as summer-like weather continues."

Southern California should experience another day of warm weather Thursday as temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s.

The National Weather Service issued a high-surf advisory for late Thursday afternoon into Saturday for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A strong storm system in the central Pacific produced breakers up to 15 feet high, weather service officials said.

High swells could bring high tides, coastal flooding and potentially dangerous rip currents, the National Service warned.

The summer-like heat and high swells sent surfers flocking to local beaches.

More at the link.

And at the video, "Evelyn Taft, Political Scientist."

Obama Slashes Pentagon Budget Amid Growing International Danger

At USA Today, "Obama announces Pentagon budget cuts":

The new military strategy includes $487 billion in cuts over the next decade. An additional $500 billion in cuts could be coming if Congress follows through on plans for deeper reductions. The announcement comes weeks after the U.S. officially ended the Iraq War and after a decade of increased defense spending in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

More at the link.

And at New York Times, "Obama at Pentagon to Outline Cuts and Strategic Shifts," and "In New Strategy, Panetta Plans Even Smaller Army."

Plus, "Text: Obama’s Remarks on Military Spending."

And here's this, from Max Boot, at Commentary, "Upcoming Election Will Determine America’s Standing as a Superpower":

In the new COMMENTARY, I write that the coming election will determine the future of America’s defense spending–and hence of our standing as a great power able to shape events around the world in ways conducive to our security interests. Today’s press conference at the Pentagon only makes the choice even more stark. President Obama unveiled a strategy documents whose title I can only assume is ironic: “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense.” In fact, the $450 billion worth of cuts that will be spelled out in the coming weeks pose a serious threat to America’s ability to sustain our global leadership; if an extra $600 billion or so of cuts is added, as a result of the failure of the sequestration process, then America’s days as a superpower truly will be numbered....

The details of what this strategy document will mean for the armed services will emerge slowly, but already one piece of news has suffered–the army, currently at 569,000 active-duty personnel, will fall to 490,000. This was entirely predictable–the ground forces are being sacrificed to maintain air and naval forces to operate in the Pacific even though the major aircraft that will sustain American deterrence in the 21st century, the F-35, is also slated for cutbacks.

No doubt the president will argue–and the army leadership will faithfully repeat–the line that the army will still be a bit bigger than it was pre-9/11 when the active-duty strength was 480,000. That is hardly reassuring, however, because after 9/11 we quickly discovered the army was much too small to fight the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. The lack of force size made it almost impossible to stabilize those countries after the deposal of their dictators and practically guaranteed that soldiers and Marines would pay a heavy price to regain lost momentum. Is this really the model we want to follow in the future?

Apparently so, because of the fantastical belief current in Washington today that somehow we will not have to fight another major ground war ever again. The same illusion was popular before almost every one of our major wars–and each time we paid heavily in the early battles for our unreadiness. Today, looking around the world at hotspots from North Korea to Pakistan, Iran to Somalia and Yemen, who can confidently predict we will not face a situation that will necessitate the dispatch of substantial ground forces? Indeed, by not having sufficient forces at the ready we make another ground war more, not less, likely.

Continue reading.

Barack Hussein Obama, weakening America, making the world safe for Islamism.

Jon Huntsman Bets Big on New Hampshire

This has been the most quixotic campaign of the season. Huntsman's the best dressed, but with his brand of moderate Republicanism, he's 30 years too late.

At Wall Street Journal, "Clock Ticks for Huntsman in New Hampshire" (via Google):

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has staked his presidential hopes on New Hampshire, a strategy akin to Rick Santorum's shoe-leather campaign in Iowa that ultimately proved successful.

But despite his ubiquity here, Mr. Huntsman's level of support and his appeal to voters have been shaky.

Mr. Huntsman has been a constant presence in New Hampshire since the summer, and because the state's voters tend to decide late in the process, Mr. Huntsman says he is confident he will emerge a front-runner in the final days before the Tuesday primary. But Mr. Huntsman had only 7% support in Wednesday's Suffolk University tracking poll of the New Hampshire GOP race, a loss of three percentage points from the day before.

The Suffolk poll showed Mitt Romney holding his ground atop the GOP field, with 43% of the likely primary voters, while all others lagged far behind.

"Who would have guessed that Rick Santorum, tooling around in his pickup truck, would have gone from nowhere to practically winning the caucus?" Mr. Huntsman said on CBS Wednesday. "New Hampshire's going to result in the same thing" for him, he added. Mr. Santorum finished in second place in Iowa, a hair behind Mr. Romney.

Mr. Huntsman presents his policy ideas without the sharp ideological overtones of some of his rivals, and he puts little emphasis on the social issues that have defined the candidacies of Mr. Santorum and some others. The former U.S. ambassador to China says he would simplify the tax code, jump-start manufacturing and wind up the war in Afghanistan. Unlike some of his rivals, he has said he defers to the judgment of scientists on climate change, and he has supported civil unions for gay couples.

Right.

Which is why it's one and done in New Hampshire after next Tuesday.

I'm not sure what the guy's trying to get out of this. Maybe a job in the Romney State Department?

Newt Pounds Mitt in New Hampshire

Folks said the attacks were coming, and I was looking for the videos while blogging yesterday. So here's a first salvo out today, via Hot Air, "New Gingrich attack ad: “Timid vs Bold”."

And here's William Jacobson on taking out Romney, "Going after Romney is patriotic, too":

Remember when one Republican candidate viciously attacking the leading Republican candidate was patriotic?

Like in Iowa, when everyone from Charles Krauthammer on down blamed Newt’s past for the several millions dollars in negative attack ads run by a pro-Romney SuperPAC?  When National Review devoted almost an entire issue to attacking Newt and portraying him as a martian cartoon character?  When the once-conservative rock star Ann Coulter called anyone who supported Newt a birther?  When the entire conservative Washington establishment (yes, it does exist) engaged in what David Limbaugh called “relentless, unmeasured scorched-earth savagery” directed at Newt?

Hey, that’s just politics, it ain’t beanbag, we were told.

But the second Newt announced he was done playing defense and would make Mitt Romney’s record of flip flops and anti-conservative rhetoric and actions an issue, all of the sudden attacking an opponent was not patriotic, it was a spiteful, angry, vindictive and vengeful “darker message,” the equivalent of road rage.

No, actually it is what we have needed for months.

Continue reading.

Williams warns that Romney's an "incredibly weak frontrunner," and Ben Shapiro seconds the point, "The Great Conservative Sell-Out":

 Much of the conservative punditocracy has declared that Mitt Romney is the consensus conservative candidate. If he is, he’s the least consensual consensus candidate in modern political history — the man can’t break 25 percent with a sledgehammer. While his supporters shout from the hills that Romney essentially tied for the win in Iowa, his glass remains three-quarters empty, with no-name Rick Santorum winning as much of the vote, Ron Paul winning nearly as much, and Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry combining for as much. The last time a Republican candidate captured the nomination for the presidency by winning Iowa with this low a vote total, his name was Bob Dole. A couple of years later, he was hawking Viagra.

Nonetheless, the word is out: The fix is in. Unbelievably, not a single anti-Romney television ad was run in the state of Iowa. And while a few conservatives — including yours truly — have come out and opposed nominating the most left-wing Republican in the field, many more conservatives have endorsed Romney’s candidacy.

More at that link.

A great piece.

Mitt Romney's in the Catbird Seat

I had to look up "catbird seat," but the way Jay Cost lays it out, Romney's definitely the "catbird."

See: "What Iowa Tells Us About the State of the Race."

Sarah McKinley, 18, Blows Away Stalker Justin Martin With 12-Gauge Shotgun While on Phone With 911 Dispatcher

The 911 operator told her to do what she had to do to protect herself and her baby.

At USA Today, "Okla. mom kills intruder after operator says to protect baby."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "'There's nothing more dangerous than a woman with a child': Teen mom shoots dead intruder a week after baby's father died of cancer."

Arson Suspect Could Serve Life in Prison

At LAT, "Suspect faces life term in arson rampage."

The guy has a history:

Harry Burkhart, a 24-year-old who authorities said travels on German documents but was born in the restive Russian region of Chechnya, reportedly came to the attention of Los Angeles law enforcement because he erupted into a rage at his mother's extradition hearing Dec. 29 in federal court. Burkhart was evicted by federal marshals after an expletive-laced diatribe against Americans and the U.S. government. A federal official who witnessed his tirade recognized him in security camera images from one of the weekend fires.

China Takes Aim at U.S. Naval Might

At great piece, at Wall Street Journal (via Google):

 The USS Gerald R. Ford was supposed to help secure another half century of American naval supremacy. The hulking aircraft carrier taking shape in a dry dock in Newport News, Va., is designed to carry a crew of 4,660 and a formidable arsenal of aircraft and weapons.

But an unforeseen problem cropped up between blueprint and expected delivery in 2015: China is building a new class of ballistic missiles designed to arc through the stratosphere and explode onto the deck of a U.S. carrier, killing sailors and crippling its flight deck.

Since 1945, the U.S. has ruled the waters of the western Pacific, thanks in large part to a fleet of 97,000-ton carriers—each one "4.5 acres of mobile, sovereign U.S. territory," as the Navy puts it. For nearly all of those years, China had little choice but to watch American vessels ply the waters off its coast with impunity.

Now China is engaged in a major military buildup. Part of its plan is to force U.S. carriers to stay farther away from its shores, Chinese military analysts say. So the U.S. is adjusting its own game plan. Without either nation saying so, both are quietly engaged in a tit-for-tat military-technology race. At stake is the balance of power in a corner of the seas that its growing rapidly in importance.

Pentagon officials are reluctant to talk publicly about potential conflict with China. Unlike the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Beijing isn't an explicit enemy. During a visit to China last month, Michele Flournoy, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, told a top general in the People's Liberation Army that "the U.S. does not seek to contain China," and that "we do not view China as an adversary," she recalled in a later briefing.

Nevertheless, U.S. military officials often talk about preparing for a conflict in the Pacific—without mentioning who they might be fighting. The situation resembles a Harry Potter novel in which the characters refuse to utter the name of their adversary, says Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a think tank with close ties to the Pentagon. "You can't say China's a threat," he says. "You can't say China's a competitor."

It's going to be a long time before China can challenge the U.S. for global maritime mastery. And I don't buy that part about how the U.S. doesn't view China as an adversary. There's always an adversary. Better to be prepared for the threat. Peace through strength and all that.

Obama Has Failed

A new RNC web-ad, via Sunshine State Sarah:

See also Ann Coulter, "Iowa shows Republicans determined to beat Obama."

'We're All Austrians Now'

At Reason, "Reason.tv in Iowa: "We're All Austrians Now" - Ron Paul and the IA Caucus."

I was watching the speech. Rand Paul looked positively glum in the background. No doubt he was committed to winning the state. But third place is respectable, I guess. We'll see if Granite State voters can put Paul's campaign six feet deep next week.

See also Houston Chronicle, "Paul expecting Iowa bounce in New Hampshire, South Carolina."

RELATED: A a warning from the former GOP vice presidential nominee, "Sarah Palin: Don’t Ignore or Marginalize Ron Paul."

Throwing Longstanding U.S. Policy Under the Bus, Obama Pimps the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

He probably doesn't have much choice, considering the colossal foreign policy blunder a year ago when the masses took to the street to overthrow Mubarak. Amazing that Barack Hussein is working now to influence the fanatical Muslim Brotherhood rather than working to build a secular alternative to Mubarak back at the time. But this is ultimately the desired foreign policy outcome. I mean, the president announced his goal to make the world safe if Islamism at his Cairo speech in 2009.

In any case, at Astute Bloggers, "Even the NYTimes admits it - on their front page, no less: Yes, Obama has reversed USA policy and is siding with the islamists," and Atlas Shrugs, "Obama's Next Horror: Overtures to Egypt's Jihadists Reverse Longtime U.S. Policy."

And the main article's at New York Times, "Overtures to Egypt’s Islamists Reverse Longtime U.S. Policy."

And don't miss Jonathan Tobin's brutal takedown, at Commentary, "Obama Gets Engaged to the Brotherhood."

When an Athlete Quits, Repercussions Linger

This is something else.

At New York Times, "There Is an ‘I’ in Quit":

Of all the various sins committed by athletes on and off the field, the worst — or at least the one that brings the quickest, most fiery denunciations — is quitting. The boxer Roberto Duran will be forever remembered for the “no más” ending to his fight in 1980 against Sugar Ray Leonard. And all his N.B.A. rings will not erase Scottie Pippen’s petulant refusal to enter a 1994 playoff game because the final shot was drawn up for his Chicago Bulls teammate Toni Kukoc.

So no matter how many times Santonio Holmes has been arrested or how many times he has been disciplined by a coach, being accused of quitting on the Jets in their season-ending game on Sunday has raced to the top of his résumé of character faults. Quitting hurts one’s reputation in uniquely wounding ways — calling into question toughness, loyalty and athletic honor.

“Professional athletes always talk about the importance of winning championships and how it’s the biggest thing, but you sort of have to wonder if that’s really the case,” said Chris Stankovich, a sports psychologist in Columbus, Ohio, who works with a range of athletes. “You put a ring on one side and a $100 million contract on the other, and which is more important? We’d all like to believe the players would die for their team, but in reality, they’re not all like that.”

RTWT.

It's a great piece.

McCain Endorses Romney

I'm not sure if this is a good thing.

At New York Times, "McCain Backs Romney After Santorum’s Surge in Iowa."

Eastman Kodak Going Down

I hardly even think of Kodak products anymore. It's a wonder they're still in business.

At Wall Street Journal, "Kodak Preparing for Chapter 11 Filing."

Multifront Attack Awaits Romney in New Hampshire

Newt Gingrich was talking about an anti-Romney alliance earlier, and now here's this at the Wall Street Journal:

 Mitt Romney woke from his photo-finish win in Iowa facing two new forces that will shape the next stage of the fight for the Republican presidential nomination: the rise of a fresh social-conservative champion in Rick Santorum and the emergence of a highly motivated foe in Newt Gingrich.

With libertarian Ron Paul coming off his own strong finish and ready to join in the criticism, Mr. Romney now must gird for a multifront attack in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the next two states in the primary calendar and the places where he hopes to convince voters he is the party's best choice to go up against President Barack Obama.

Mr. Romney enters the next battle better prepared than any of his opponents financially and organizationally. Helping make the case that he has the confidence of the GOP establishment, the former Massachusetts governor won the endorsement Wednesday of Sen. John McCain, the 2008 nominee and a longtime New Hampshire favorite.

But Mr. Romney emerges from Iowa with only a faint wind at his back, beating by a mere eight votes a challenger, in Mr. Santorum, who was given little chance just days earlier. Mr. Romney barely exceeded his own losing vote tally in Iowa from 2008 and had limited success in winning over Iowa's young voters and independents, as well as some elements of its conservative Republican base.

The latest polls put Mr. Romney up by a wide margin in New Hampshire but trailing Mr. Gingrich in South Carolina. He now will be buffeted by his rivals, with several questioning the depth and authenticity of his conservative credentials from different angles. Added to that mix is the more moderate Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who has staked his future on a strong showing next Tuesday in New Hampshire and has blasted Mr. Romney there for weeks.

It's going to be interesting.

See also, "Gingrich super PAC to attack Romney."

Police Kill Eighth-Grader in Texas

This is the ultimate nightmare.

At London's Daily Mail, "Teenager shot dead at school by police who thought his pellet gun was a lethal weapon."

Also at ABC News, "Texas Police Kill 8th-Grader Carrying Pellet Gun."

Explaining Michele Bachmann's Epic Collapse

I'd say two words explain Bachmann's collapse: Rick Perry.

That is, Rick Perry stole her thunder by entering the race the same weekend that Bachmann won the Ames straw poll, and Bachmann torpedoed her own campaign with her attack on Governor Perry on the Gardasil issue. I didn't really understand why she was hammering that issue at the time. It wasn't her best moment and she never recovered. Perhaps there were other campaign problems as well, organization and fundraising, and so forth. But it was Rick Perry who stopped Bachmann's momentum and her attempts to regain it by attacking Perry sunk her ever further.

The Los Angeles Times has more, "Michele Bachmann: What happened to the once-promising candidate?"

Tight GOP Race in Iowa Catches TV Anchors by Surprise

I'm not sure why they'd be surprised.

It's not like the polls were all settled on a landslide winner, or anything.

But see New York Times, "Tight Race Catches TV Anchors by Surprise":

From their respective television studios in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, the liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow and the conservative Fox News commentator Karl Rove looked to Iowa and saw the same thing: a Republican race that was “tight as a tick.”

Finally, they could agree about something.

For a few hours on Tuesday night, the nation’s television anchors and political reporters were transfixed by which candidates would finish in fifth and sixth place in the Iowa caucuses — not because they had projected the first-place finisher, but because they couldn’t.

The race between three Republicans — Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — appeared at first to be a three-way tie, far too close to call, delighting the people who had been promising viewers and readers a dramatic start to the 2012 voting season.

“We have no idea when we’ll be able to call this,” said Ms. Maddow, sounding almost giddy during the 10 p.m. hour of her broadcast. “It’s great.”

Chuck Todd, the political director for NBC News and an anchor for MSNBC, indicated that the network would have to wait for every vote to be counted.

At one point in the evening, when about 48 percent of precincts had reported their vote totals, ABC said that just seven votes separated Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney. Later, when 96 percent of precincts had reported and 113 votes separated them, The Des Moines Register called the two “deadlocked.”

Most newspapers and late-night local newscasts were put to bed without the final results for the night. On Fox News and CNN, which decided to stay live several hours later than they had planned, the anchors sighed audibly as they waited for the last precincts to report results. Around 1:35 a.m., CNN actually reported that only one vote separated Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney.

Finally, at 2:30 a.m. Eastern, the Republican state party said definitively that Mr. Romney had won by eight votes. By then, CNN had itself started to tabulate the votes in one of the missing precincts, with the help of Edith Pfeffer, the Republican chairwoman in Clinton County, who the channel reached by phone.

More on Ms. Pfeffer at CNN.

Rick Perry to Stay in Race: 'Here We Come South Carolina!!!'

Governor Perry made the announcement on Twitter.

And see USA Today, "Reports: Rick Perry to stay in presidential race." Also, at National Journal, "Perry Not Quitting Race."

William Jacobson has more, "Rick Perry not suspending campaign, going to South Carolina."

Michele Bachmann Quits Presidential Campaign

London's Daily Mail has a video, "Michele Bachmann quits White House race just six months in after disastrous Iowa result and warns U.S. is in 'serious trouble'."

And see ABC News, "Michele Bachmann Drops Out of Presidential Race." (At Memeorandum.)

I'm not surprised at all, although Bachmann was my candidate. She was the clearest, most unambiguous candidate speaking out against the Obama-Dems' progressive socialism.

I'll have more on all of this throughout the day.

Added: Here's the announcement:

Candidates' Electability and Principles Divide Iowa Voters

At New York Times, "Electability and Principles Split Iowa Votes, Poll Finds":

 DES MOINES — Republicans appeared sharply divided between those whose top priority is defeating President Obama and those seeking someone representing traditional conservative principles and religious values, according to a poll of voters entering the Iowa Republican caucuses on Tuesday.

With no Democratic caucus to draw their attention, more self-described moderates and independents joined the Republican caucuses this year, doubling their proportion over 2008. And an uptick in young voters, many of them first-time caucusgoers, benefited Representative Ron Paul of Texas, who vowed to go on to New Hampshire and other primaries after conceding Iowa late Tuesday. In early results, he had the support of a majority of voters under 30 and more than a third of those ages 30 to 45. By contrast, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, won about a third of older voters.

RTWT.

Actually, it's a great debate the party's having, as Newt Gingrich mentioned during his exit speech in Iowa. I think Ron Paul's 3rd-place showing was a victory of principles over the right-wing fringe. And Sortorum's huge showing in Iowa was a testament to values and perseverance. The larger question is whether Mitt Romney will be able to seal the deal in New Hampshire or whether the race drags on late into the season.

BONUS: Here's the full-page ad Newt Gingrich is running in today's Manchester Union-Leader:

The Choice: Only a Bold Reagan Conservative Can Defeat President Obama

Mitt Romney Wins Iowa Caucuses

At Los Angeles Times, "Mitt Romney nabs 8-vote win in Iowa." And from the New York Times, "Romney Wins Iowa Caucus by 8 Votes":

DES MOINES — Mitt Romney’s quest to swiftly lock down the Republican presidential nomination with a commanding finish in the Iowa caucuses was undercut on Tuesday night by the surging candidacy of Rick Santorum, who fought him to a draw on a shoestring budget by winning over conservatives who remain skeptical of Mr. Romney.

In the first Republican contest of the season, the two candidates were separated much of the night by only a sliver of votes, with Mr. Romney being declared the winner by eight ballots early Wednesday morning. But the outcome offered Mr. Santorum a chance to emerge as the alternative to Mr. Romney as the race moves to New Hampshire and South Carolina without Gov. Rick Perry, who announced that he was returning to Texas to assess his candidacy.

“Being here in Iowa has made me a better candidate,” Mr. Santorum said, arriving at a caucus in Clive, where he urged Republicans to vote their conscience. “Don’t sell America short. Don’t put someone out there from Iowa who isn’t capable of doing what America needs done.”

The Iowa caucuses did not deliver a clean answer to what type of candidate Republicans intend to rally behind to try to defeat President Obama and win back the White House. With 99 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney, whose views represent the polar sides of the party, each had 24.6 percent.

“Onto New Hampshire, let’s get that job done!” Mr. Romney told supporters at a late-night rally, when he was five votes shy of Mr. Santorum. “Come visit us there, we’ve got some work ahead.”

The last time the Iowa caucuses produced such a close outcome was in 1980, when George Bush beat Ronald Reagan by two percentage points.

Right.

See previously, "GOP 2012 May Be Closest in History of Iowa Caucuses."

Newt Blasts Negative Attacks After 4th-Place Showing in Iowa

At London's Daily Mail, "Newt Gingrich takes aggressive stance against Mitt Romney to New Hampshire."

And at Los Angeles Times, "Newt Gingrich says he survived historic 'onslaught' in Iowa":

Reporting from Des Moines — At around 9:30 p.m., when Fox News announced over the big screen that it projected Newt Gingrich would finish fourth in the Republican caucuses, barely anyone raised their heads.

"Oh, who wants to listen to them? They don't make sense," said Gingrich supporter Nancy Lebischak, who'd come to the reception with her husband. "Bah humbug."

A tough finish in a hard Iowa race was hardly any surprise, after all; if there were to be any surprises tonight, they would be saved for the candidates -- Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum -- knotted up with one another at the top.

The crowd's general outlook toward that triumvirate -- glad for Santorum, scared of Paul, utterly angry at Romney -- matched that of their candidate, who saw a steep drop in his poll numbers after an onslaught of negative ads. "Please, God, let Santorum win -- anybody but Romney," a supporter murmured to his friends as they glanced up again at Fox News; indeed, few at the reception regarded Santorum as some kind of arriviste.

"I admire how positive he was," Gingrich said of Santorum after he'd arrived to thank about 50 or 60 of his supporters. "I wish I could say that about all the other candidates."

Also at Boston Globe, "Gingrich hits Romney, says he'll continue to fight."

Subramanian Swamy Hits Back at Terror-Coddling Harvard Professors Who Got Him Fired

Pamela posted the original essay at the center of the controversy, "DR. SUBRAMANIAM SWAMY: 'HOW TO WIPE OUT ISLAMIC TERROR'." '

And now at Boston Globe, "Pushed out of Harvard, professor returns fire: Dismissal stirs debate over free speech":

Subramanian Swamy is an outspoken man. That is what got him into trouble last July. While teaching economics at the Harvard University summer school, he penned a sharply worded column for a newspaper in India, where he is a prominent right-wing politician.

Many readers thought his proposals would deny Muslims basic rights and incite riots. Some 40 Harvard professors called for his dismissal.

But the furor died down, or appeared to, after Harvard’s president, Drew Faust, defended Swamy’s right to free speech as “central to the mission of a university.’’ The economics department invited him back for another summer. Swamy heard nothing else from Harvard.

Then, a few weeks ago, he checked his e-mail and learned - from a Google Alert for his name - that his colleagues had fired him anyway.

Encouraged by a private note from the summer school’s dean, professors who opposed Swamy came to a faculty meeting where summer classes were to be approved. The process is usually a rubber-stamp affair, but the professors argued so passionately that Swamy’s courses were voted off the slate. No one told Swamy about the meeting.

Now, the case has devolved into an imbroglio about hate speech and academic freedom. The professors who led the charge against Swamy are buried in angry e-mails from his supporters in India. Others are torn, despising both Swamy’s column and the way he was relieved of his duties. Faust is in an awkward spot: She is scheduled to visit India in January.

And the usually outspoken Swamy - who has made few public comments on the issue, save a few Twitter postings - is finally firing back.

“I was surprised Harvard would do this, given that the president’s office said free speech was sacred,’’ he said in an interview. “The people who cut me out are leftists who have nothing to do with economics. There’s no allegation that in my class I said anything offensive. There’s no allegation that it has affected my research. It’s almost like the Spanish Inquisition - they didn’t give me a chance.’’

The professor may indeed be controversial, but the reaction by the Harvard faculty is totalitarian.

But read the whole thing, at the link.

Hot Rachel McAdams Photo Shoot for Glamour Magazine

At London's Daily Mail, "Cheeky girl Rachel McAdams bares her saucy side in playful photo shoot for Glamour magazine."

I loved "The Notebook."

McAdams is a looker. I don't know why Ryan Gosling's not still with her?

Demand for Welfare Programs Overwhelms Public Assistance Agencies

At Wall Street Journal, "Welfare Lines Overflow: "Crowded Public-Assistance Centers Interrupt Services as Demand for Aid Grows" (via Google):

Growing numbers of New Yorkers seeking food stamps have created an unwelcome spillover effect at some of New York City's job centers: overcrowding that in some cases has grown so severe, benefits were jeopardized.

The crush of people grew so large at one Brooklyn center in November that the Fire Department intervened and prevented anyone from entering the building.

That was an extreme example of the problem. But clients at many of the city's 29 job centers—which manage public-assistance benefits, including food stamps—regularly arrive long before the doors open to wait in line. Advocates said people miss mandatory appointments, leading to a bureaucratic battle to reopen their cases, or abandon the process after growing discouraged.

"It's outrageous," said Charles Leonard, a disabled 50-year-old who complained to 311 recently about a long wait and confusion at a center on Northern Boulevard in Queens. "It's like everybody is running around with their head cut off, and no one cares."

Officials at the city's Human Resources Administration, which runs the centers, acknowledged that serious overcrowding is a problem at five facilities. Advocates believe the problem is broader, affecting roughly 10 centers.

"At best it's benign neglect," said Steven Banks, attorney-in-chief at the Legal Aid Society, which provides legal services to low-income New Yorkers. "At worst, it's like the English poor laws, in which the aim was to make the seeking of assistance so miserable that people wouldn't seek it."

HRA spokeswoman Connie Ress blamed the overflow crowds on rising numbers of people seeking food stamps. The number of New Yorkers getting the benefit has increased by 200,000 in the past two years, jumping to 1.8 million from 1.6 million in late 2009. At the same time, the agency has consolidated some facilities, Ms. Ress said.

"We know that there are issues in a few of our centers throughout the city," Ms. Ress said. "We are actively addressing it."

Continue reading at the Google link.

Bachmann Crashes in Iowa

I'm going to check for a full clip of her Iowa speech.

Bachmann seemed pretty upbeat to me. But see Weasel Zippers, "Bachmann’s Campaign Manager Says She May Drop Out After Last Place Finish In Iowa…" (Via Memeorandum.)

More at Los Angeles Times, "Michele Bachmann: Iowa caucus system 'worked'," and London's Daily Mail, "Is this the end of Michele Bachmann? 'Queen of Rage' dealt massive a campaign blow after abysmal turnout in Iowa caucus."

GOP 2012 May Be Closest in History of Iowa Caucuses

At Los Angeles Time's, "Republican race may be closest in history of Iowa caucuses."

And that's big news that Rick Perry's suspending his campaign.

I'll be updating with more videos and campaign reports.

Meanwhile, Robert Stacy McCain is live-blogging from the Santorum headquarters: "Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections." (At Memeorandum.)

And it's still undecided. See Wall Street Journal, "Two Locked in Iowa Dead Heat: Romney, Santorum Lead Field in First GOP Presidential Contest; Paul in Third."

Benjamin Colton Barnes, Suspected Mr. Rainier Killer, Found Dead One Mile From Crime Scene

At Seattle Times, "Suspect in ranger's slaying found dead in creek":

Driven relentlessly through chest-deep snow by his pursuers and unprepared for bitter, freezing temperatures, the suspect in the Sunday slaying of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger died cold and wet overnight — lying half-submerged in Paradise Creek and wearing one tennis shoe, a T-shirt and jeans, barely one mile from where he had fled into the woods.

Indications are that Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, died from exposure. His body showed no sign of injuries, and he was carrying a handgun, a magazine of ammunition and a knife, said Sgt. Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

"The manhunt has been concluded," announced Steven Dean, FBI assistant special agent in charge, at a news conference outside the park's main gate Monday afternoon.

The FBI recovered another ammunition magazine near Barnes' body, and the sheriff's Swift Water Rescue Team found an assault-style rifle about 50 yards upstream.

Officials said Barnes had left survival gear in his car, which he fled after firing on rangers Sunday.

More at the link.

Also at Seattle Post, "Police: Rainier gunman opened fire at gun ‘show and tell’ party hours before," and "FBI: Suspect in Rainier ranger's killing dead."

College Football Wrap-Up for January 2nd Game Day

I enjoyed the Michigan State victory over UGA the best.

See: "Michigan State Edges Georgia in Outback Bowl," and "Georgia Bulldogs Football: No New Year's Cheers in Dawg-Land After Outback Bowl."

But see also, "Oregon gets its signature win, 45-38 over Wisconsin in Rose Bowl," and "Missed field goals leave Stanford freshman Jordan Williamson in tears after Fiesta Bowl loss."

Europe's Gloomy Prospects

An interesting review, from Yascha Mounk, at Wall Street Journal, "A Continent's Discontents."

Mounk reviews Walter Laqueur, After the Fall: The End of the European Dream and the Decline of a Continent.

And Mounk writes:

Like Mr. Laqueur, our current doomsayers are very good at portraying the scale of the threats we face. They may be vindicated sooner than we'd like. Even so, none of them have made a definitive case for all-encompassing pessimism. If the West does experience a steep loss of status, the resultant adjustments will be painful. But so long as we retain enough defensive capability to thwart outside meddling and enough economic productivity to take advantage of living and trading in a richer world, we might be able to weather our decline rather better than expected. After all, the law of comparative advantage reminds us that, because free trade allows us to profit from increased productivity elsewhere, a relative loss of standing need not mean an absolute decline of living standards.

In that sense, the embattled dream that most Europeans truly care about might not be such a bad model for Europe's—and indeed America's—future after all.

I don't think Mounk's read Mark Steyn's, After America: Get Ready for Armageddon. Europe is covered quite well there, and you can't get more pessimistic --- doom!!

Occupy Wall Street New Year's Blitzkrieg

My post on Occupy the Rose Bowl garnered some linkage.

See Atlas Shrugs, "New Years Blitzkrieg: Obama Endorsed #OWS Occupy Nazis Use Jew Hating Iconography to Crash and Destroy Rose Parade, and in NYC #OWS Stab NYPD, Destroy Zuccotti Park."

And at Instapundit and Memeorandum.

And also, Director Blue, "Nice: Occupy Movement Crashes Rose Parade with 70-Foot Octopus "Float" That Pins Economic Woes On... Well, You Know":

This is the modern Left in action. It tries to divide Americans against one another: rich vs. poor, black vs. white, union vs. non-union, urban vs. rural, you name it.

This kind of rhetoric defies American tradition and, furthermore, it's downright dangerous. Nothing good can come from demonizing arbitrary groups of Americans.

Well, you don't say.

RELATED: At JammieWearingFools, "OWS Stunner: Berkeley Grad With Lengthy Arrest Record Charged With Stabbing NYPD Officer," and Weasel Zippers, "Occupy Albany Goons Post “Wanted” Poster Threatening Police Officer And Family…"

Plus, at Gateway Pundit, "Eugene City Councilor Asks For Police Protection After #Occupy Goons Hold Second Protest Outside His Home… Topless (Video)."

And at Marathon Pundit, "Occupy Occtrocities: OccuFail at Zuccotti Edition."

BONUS #OWS at BCF.

EXTRA: A preview for the caucuses, from Astute Bloggers, "PRELUDE: OWS SCUM CRASH ROSE BOWL. CLIMAX: OWS WILL CRASH IOWA'S GOP CAUCUSES."

Los Angeles Arson Suspect in Police Custody

At Los Angeles Times, "L.A. arson suspect is 24-year-old Hollywood man," and "Reserve deputy who arrested arson suspect 'a true hero'."

Plus, "Arson investigators search Sunset Boulevard home, source says."

Obama to Speak to Iowa Caucus Voters Tuesday

According to The Hill (via Memeorandum).

The dude just couldn't let things play out without having to hog some airtime. That, and just mess some sh*t up, like some Occupy Iowa mofo.

IMAGE CREDIT: Astute Bloggers, "OBAMA'S NEW CAMPAIGN SLOGAN: 'RE-OCCUPY THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2012!'"

Best of EyeHandy 2011

Via Theo Spark:

Excitable Andrew Sullivan Bawls Over 'Pure McCarthyism' in Slam-Dunk Criticism of Ron Paul's Anti-Semitic Racist Bigotry

See: "Arguments vs Associations":

This kind of gotcha-association game is particularly easy because libertarians favor liberty above all, and that will necessarily mean liberty for bigots as well as others. A principled belief in states' rights will doubtless lead to more racist and homophobic policies in many states - but also, of course, more enlightened and successful inclusive states like Oregon or New York or Massachusetts or California. A rejection of statism might lead to more discrimination in the private sector. But it doesn't mandate it. And it need not encourage it. A non-interventionist foreign policy will allow evil to triumph elsewhere in the world, because it believes it's none of our business or too riddled with unintended consequences to try extirpating. That may be right or wrong, but it is not an approval of the evil of Assad or Ahmedinejad or the North Korean junta. And again, it is actually much deeper an American tradition than permanent warfare. But if you can trot out David Duke or Ayatollah Khamenei as potential Paul supporters, you have a very easy, cheap and essentially McCarthyite target. It saddens me that this kind of tactic works.

I still believe that the newsletters, because they were in Paul's name, require a clearer explanation from Paul than the muddled ones he has given. He should not be left off the hook. And his proposals deserve a thorough vetting and discussion.

But there is something awry when a candidate is assessed not on his arguments and proposals but on the shadiness and ugliness of some of his fringe supporters. And his arguments are serious, even vital, ones for this moment: that the construct of American global hegemony is too costly, too dated and too counter-productive to work in this country's interests abroad any longer; that the welfare state cannot be sustained at its present level with our looming demographics and massive debt; that problems are often best solved closest to the ground where they occur; that dividing Americans into identity groups and pandering to each is inimical to a free individualist society, and so on. These are fresher ideas on the right than the exhausted re-microwaved Reaganism of the others.

Which is why, whatever happens to his candidacy, Paul has already achieved something important: the broadening of debate, the scrambling of right and left, and the appearance on our toxic public stage of a man who seems to say what he thinks without much calculation or guile.

Oh no, not much calculation or guile at all.

What a dirtbag, Sullivan that is.

Ron Paul's bigotry and conspiracies speak for themselves.

PREVIOUSLY: "VIDEO: Ron Paul Slams Israel, Alleges Gaza a Concentration Camp."

VIDEO HAT TIP: Marathon Pundit.

'Occupy' Crashes Rose Parade: Attacks 'Corporate Greed' With 70-Foot Nazi-Era Octopus Depicting Global Jewish Conspiracy

Are people so afraid to stand up against the hatred, public hatred broadcast for the entire world to see? The image of the octopus has been used in attacks on the Jews for over a century. Here's a roundup on the Jewish conspiracy octopus at the Coordinating Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism.

And the local organizers didn't even try to hide their hatred.

People keep saying that the Occupy movement is all about fairness and "getting money out of politics."

Right.

That's why Occupy organizers built a 70-foot octopus monstrosity to attack "corporate greed" on Wall street. And the talking points attack the "tentacles" of Wall Street:

The octopus, said activist Mark Lipman of Los Angeles, represents Wall Street's stranglehold on political, cultural and social life, with tentacles "that reach into your pocket to get your money and a tentacle to get your house."

Weasel Zippers has a clip: "Raw Video: Occupiers and Their Giant Octopus “Human Float” Crash Rose Parade…" And at Los Angeles Times, "Rose Parade 2012: Cheers, jeers greet 'Occupy Octopus' human float."

More at London's Daily Mail, "Watch out! 70-foot plastic octopus made entirely from plastic bags by Occupy protesters for Rose Parade (but they haven't been invited)."

Pasadena city officials basically caved to threats of a massive disruption of the Rose Parade. Occupiers had no permit but were allowed to march along the end of the parade with their message of hate and exterminationism.

The New Year's still getting off to an upside-down start.

UPDATE: Instalanche! Thanks!