Mitt Romney Sought 'Pact' With Obama to Take 'Business or Family or Taxes' Off the Table

As I reported earlier, the race is basically tied, and while the it's still too early to tell the size of the Paul Ryan polling bump, the campaign is clearly energized and appears ready to take it to the sleazebag Democrats.

I say "appears ready" because I have lingering doubts that Mitt Romney fully understands the depth of Team Obama's moral abyss (infinitely bottomless) and whether he's ready to fight back twice as hard to destroy the left's morally bankrupt politics of personal destruction. Progressive are animals, they're pigs. The toxic mudslinging this fall's going to make even Sarah Palin blush.

Michelle Malkin expressed a sense of hope the other night on Twitter, when Romney cheered the hearts of activists across the land by picking the conservative chair of the GOP House Budget Committee:

Now, if we never see Andrea Saul stumbling & rambling on TV again, that would really be a relief. michellemalkin.com/2012/08/11/thi…
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) August 11, 2012

In recent interviews Michelle's been exhorting Team Romney to stand up the the lies: "Hey Team Romney, 'Get a Hang of Yourselves!'"

I think we all need to redouble the call, considering the news that Romney sought a "pact" with Team Obama to keep "business or family or taxes" off limits. See the Los Angeles Times, "Obama seizes lead in race to define Romney." The report suggests that Obama's attack ads have been "trashing" Mitt Romney, and the Republican nominee's been slow to respond. But this part is jaw-dropping:

In ads airing heavily in states most likely to decide the election, the president is already weaving those attacks into a larger case against Romney on the economy — and, more important, against the Republican fiscal agenda championed by none other than [Paul] Ryan.

"You work hard, stretch every penny," an announcer says in a new Obama ad about Romney. "But chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him. Mitt Romney made $20 million in 2010, but paid only 14% in taxes — probably less than you." The ad says Romney wants to "give millionaires another tax break and raise taxes on middle-class families," which Romney denies. "He pays less, you pay more," the ad says.

The potency of Obama's attacks is best measured by Romney's response. He recently hired corporate crisis PR specialist Michele Davis to mount an aggressive defense. He told NBC that he wanted a pact with Obama to stop attack ads on such subjects as "business or family or taxes." And Romney told Fox News that his "biggest challenge is making sure that my message is able to break through all the clutter that comes from the Obama team."

Romney's selection of Ryan is by far the candidate's most important move to address that challenge, even if its potential effectiveness is open to debate. Obama's campaign has pounced on Ryan's candidacy to amplify its message that the Republican's proposals favor wealthy taxpayers like Romney over the middle class.

On ABC's"This Week"on Sunday, Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod called Ryan a right-wing ideologue who "constructed a budget that, like Romney, would lavish trillions of dollars of tax cuts, most of them on the wealthy."

Strategists in both parties say Romney made a serious error in neglecting to respond quickly to Obama ads trashing his record as the leader of Bain Capital, the Boston investment firm that he founded. The millions of dollars spent by presidential candidates on TV advertising in battleground states can be hugely influential with voters, and Romney gave Obama a three-month head start in defining him.

"In those voters' minds, they're starting to fill in — choosing colors from the palette — who Romney is, and the Romney campaign didn't offer them any colors to choose from," said John Weaver, who was a top advisor to Republican John McCain, the 2008 nominee. "I don't think it's been wise to wait this long to deal with it."

Continue reading.

The piece cites top Democrat strategist Bob Shrum, who worked for (loser) John Kerry in 2004. Shrum suggests the Democrat attacks are hitting home and its getting late in the game to turn things around, as the Times summarizes, "Romney's failure to start telling his life story while Obama's team was assailing his business record would make it harder to accomplish now."

Team Romney must know that the Obama campaign will do anything, f-king anything. They. Simply. Do. Not. Have. Ethics. They don't care. Recall from last week, "Obama campaign: Don't blame us for ad blaming Romney for cancer death." The Democrats are working on lies and deceit, and they know they can get away with it. Over the weekend, CBS News' Nancy Cordes gave Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter a pass on the Joe Soptic scandal, and just yesterday Soledad O'Brien also served as an Obama lapdog, failing to grill Cutter on the Obama campaign's improprieties, "Stephanie Cutter’s free pass from media extends to Anderson Cooper 360."

Despite this, Team Romney has failed to pick up the pace and effectively slam the Obama campaign for its lies. Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom had twelve minutes on Sunday's "Meet the Press" to call out Cutter for the lies, and he never raised the issues directly. I was practically pulling my hair out watching that clip. What is wrong with these people?!! The MSM hacks won't do it for you. Republicans will get lucky when idiots like Debbie What-An-Ass Schultz make gaffes so big you could drive a Mack Truck through them. And Wolf Blitzer corrected the DNC chair in a manner that one would expect from the media across the board. But it won't happen. You'll get a gift here or there, but it's not happening media-wide, across the information battlespace. I've been saying it, and many others, but Romney's running against the Obama campaign and his political enablers in the Democrat-Media-Complex. It's not a fair fight. Republicans can assume nothing resembling even-handedness, so they've got to seize the initiative themselves. The talks shows get a lot of play, not just during the initial airing but in the blogs and campaign spots later. Team Romney can't waste a single opportunity.

Advice to Romney: This is war man! It's time to go of offense and do it now! Game on!

'This election will be a nauseating journey through the most foul corners of the Democrat psyche...'

The Democrats as Jason Voorhees, at Bookworm Room, "The Democrats’ 2012 campaign: A bloody spectacle, almost too horrible to watch."

Yeah, it's definitely shaping up as a horror show. The bloodbath comes on November 6th.

New Zogby Poll: 'The Ryan Effect'

See Newsmax, "John Zogby Poll: Ryan Gives Romney Big Push in Swing States, Independents."

Mitt Romney’s campaign has gotten a decisive bump upwards with the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, a new poll by JZ Analytics reveals.

The poll — the first survey conducted after Romney announced Ryan as his vice presidential choice — shows the Romney/Ryan ticket tied with Obama/Biden at 46 percent.

But a JZ Analytics poll from a few weeks ago had Obama leading Romney by 5 percentage points, and most major polls also had Obama comfortably in the lead before the Ryan selection.

Continue reading.

And see Nice Deb, "The Ryan Bump: New Zogby Poll Shows Huge Boost for Romney in Swing States."

Zogby finds 45.2 percent of independents back #RomneyRyan, compared to 40.1 for Obama/Biden. But the methodology doesn't indicate how swing states were sampled. See: "Methodology, JZ Analytics Poll of Likely Voters in United States, 8/11/12 thru 8/12/12." And the summary is here: "New JZ Analytics Telephone Poll: 'The Ryan Effect'."

I take Zogby's polling with a bigger grain of salt than usual. He's basically a leftist pollster with some credibility problems. The methods look pretty good but I'm not sure if he randomly sampled folks in swing states, and there's no cross-tabs at the links.

That said, here's Rasmussen, "Presidential Tracking Poll":

Monday, August 13, 2012 -- The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Mitt Romney attracting support from 47% of voters nationwide, while President Obama earns the vote from 44%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

Data available to Platinum Members shows that Romney does a bit better when leaners are included....

These results are based upon interviews conducted nightly and reported on a three-day rolling average basis. As a result, two-thirds of the interviews conducted for today’s update were completed after it was announced that Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan will be Romney’s vice presidential running mate. The announcement so far has had little impact on the numbers. See tracking history.

And Gallup's presidential election tracking poll shows the campaign tied up at 46 percent through August 12th, "Election 2012 Trial Heat: Obama vs. Romney."

It's going to take a few more days of polling to really get a feel for Ryan's impact, although Gallup also reports that the response to Ryan is historically low for veep selections, "Reaction to Ryan as VP Pick Among Least Positive Historically: But Republicans more OK with Ryan compared with past vice presidential candidates."

More on this later...

Croydon 12-Year-Old Tia Sharp 'Smothered', Body Found in 'Bin Bag: Murder Rocks Britain After Glorious Olympic Games

They threw her in the trash. She was murdered and thrown in a "bin bag," a trashcan liner.

A bit story, at The Sun UK, "Tia 'smothered' and body found in binbag in loft" (via Twitter)":

TRAGIC Tia Sharp was "smothered" and her body was found wrapped in a black sheet and bin liner in the loft of her step-grandfather's home.

The details emerged as Stuart Hazell appeared in court via video - charged with the schoolgirl's murder.

Police feared taking Stuart Hazell to Camberwell Green Magistrates Court in person could spark violence - with baying mobs trying to attack him.

More at Telegraph UK, "Tia Sharp: step-grandfather in court charged with murder amid attack fears."

And at London's Daily Mail, "Box-ticking coppers with no common sense, and why I despair that my old force took eight days to find Tia":

The Police have won praise for their smooth organisation and good humoured efficiency at the London Olympics.

But away from the razzmatazz of the Games, they have come in for severe criticism for their handling of the case of Tia Sharp, the 12-year-old schoolgirl whose body was found in the loft of her grandmother’s home in Croydon.

The subsequent murder charge brought against Stuart Hazell, the partner of Tia’s grandmother, has thrown into question the catalogue of errors the police seem to have made in this grim saga.

Continue reading.

Plus, a video from Telegraph UK, "Tributes laid at makeshift shrine for Tia Sharp."

CNN's Wolf Blitzer Schools Befuddled DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz!

I've got CNN on right now, and it's all Medicare all the time, and by the looks of Debbie What-An-Ass Schultz, the Dems haven't got a clue.

Here's Wolf correcting the DNC chair:

PREVIOUSLY: "Campaigns Spar Over Medicare."

Paul Ryan Heckled in Iowa (VIDEO)

Althouse has it, "Paul Ryan, heckled in Iowa, said 'We're used to this in Wisconsin'."

More at Instapundit, "PUNCHING BACK TWICE AS HARD: So the community organizers Obama n’ Axelrod have sent hecklers to Ryan’s speech in Iowa. Time to mirror them."

Lots of links at the post, but that first quote's from Monica Crowley on Twitter.

MORE at The Other McCain, "Iowa Flashback: August 2011" (via Memeorandum).

Helen Gurley Brown, Former Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan, Dead at 90

The New York Times reports, "Helen Gurley Brown, Who Gave Cosmopolitan Its Purr, Is Dead at 90" (via Memeorandum). And at Blazing Cat Fur, "Helen Gurley Brown, longtime Cosmopolitan editor, dies at 90."

You can't miss Cosmo at the supermarket check-out lines.

And I can remember, when I was younger, my sisters usually had some copies of Cosmo around the house. I think it's basically an institution, more so than perhaps any other women's magazine.

It's interesting, though, that a lot of conservative women who comment here revile Cosmo. I've posted a couple of Cosmo covers as Rule 5 entries and those seem to generate comments on how vile the feminist movement has become regarding the sexual liberation of women. And there was an essay out a few days ago from Emily Esfahani Smith, who just hammers the magazine, "Cosmo Magazine’s “Wholesome Values”." There's no key pullout quote (the piece itself is mostly quotes) but the bottom line is "wholesome values" for Cosmo is sex, and lots of it.

Clicking over at Cosmo's homepage bears it out, for example, "How to Find Your G-Spot," and "75 Crazy-Hot Sex Moves." According to Esfahani Smith, Helen Gurley Brown laid out a philosophy of sex for the magazine. The magazine ostensibly pushes sex within relationships, between a woman and her boyfriend and between man and wife, and plenty of it, carefree and wild. (And not between two men or two women, thank goodness!) But Esfahani Smith doesn't buy it: "Are these seriously what pass for wholesome values these days?" And she's got a post from April on Cosmo's "values" as well, "“The” Sex Issue of Cosmo." Lots of recent Cosmo covers at that link. Personally, I was a little surprised when Selena Gomez made the cover of the March issue. She's 20 years-old now, so that's fine. The problem is that Selena still appears on Disney Channel's "The Wizards of Waverly Place." I'd expect a lot of parents might find contradictory messages between what Cosmo's selling and that of Disney. (And that reminds me, Scott Eric Kaufman libelously attacks conservative Rule 5 bloggers for alleged pedophilia should they post pics of those so-called 20 year-old "underage" hotties, the f-king loser.)

In any case, I'm not hung up on the feminist angle. It's up to parents to police their kids, and I'm against teens having sex until they're 18 years-old --- and for the record, I have a teenager who goes by that rule.

Oh, and that's Ashley Greene at the picture above, on the August cover. The Daily Mail had pics of her the other day, "How low can you go... Ashley Greene shows off her ample cleavage in a black maxi dress."

MORE at Mediagazer.

Campaigns Spar Over Medicare

#RomneyRyan 2012 on the attack, at Buzzfeed, "In Florida, Romney Hits Obama For Cutting Medicare" (via Memeorandum).

And the neo-socialist Obama campaign is out with a new ad, seen at USA Today, "Obama targets Ryan (and Romney) on Medicare."

Plus, Michelle Fields provides some reality for the reality-based community:

BONUS: Here's Paul Ryan's piece from 2010, "A road map to saving Medicare."

The Triumph of Britain's Olympic Games

At Telegraph UK, "London's brilliant, beautiful Games was the very best of British - it enthralled us all."

And at Independent UK, "London 2012 Olympics: A nation whose sense of itself has been utterly transformed."

IMAGE CREDIT: Sky News on Twitter.

Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend Ben Maisani Caught Slurping Kissing Another Homosexual in New York

It's the hidden secret of the radical homosexual left: extreme promiscuity. While certainly some homosexuals are monogamous, the fact remains that gay sexual abandon has defined the homosexual liberation movement. Indeed, David Horowitz referred to male homosexuals as "plague abettors," considering the legacy of the AIDS holocaust that hit San Francisco's bathhouse scene in the 1980s.

Old habits die hard, no doubt. See London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: Look away now Anderson! Cooper's boyfriend spotted kissing another man in New York park."

Also at Radar Online, "Anderson Cooper’s Boyfriend Caught Kissing Another Man In New York Park."

Romney Goes Back to Basics with Ryan

An op-ed from Glenn Reynolds, at USA Today (via Instapundit):

With trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, and the exploding national debt (which Obama called unconscionable when it was about half as big as it has become under his stewardship) it seems time for a Back To Basics approach. And that's clearly the direction favored by Romney, the turnaround artist who specialized in taking mismanaged entities and making them work. His choice of Ryan simply takes it to a new level. As Internet humorist IowaHawk tweeted on Saturday: "Paul Ryan represents Obama's most horrifying nightmare: Math."

Yes, math. Ryan is the expert on the often Byzantine complexities of the federal budget. His budget proposal last year, though rejected by Democrats in the Senate, represented a serious effort to rein in runaway spending. The only cogent criticism, really, was that it didn't go far enough.

In fact, the math shows our spending is unsustainable. Nothing can save it: Not higher taxes, not lower interest rates on federal borrowing, not financial jiggery-pokery from the Fed. If we continue on this path, the result will be disaster: We'll be Greece, with nuclear weapons.

Romney's selection of Ryan shows that he understands the dire nature of the problem, and that he's serious about addressing it. But it also lays down a marker.

If Americans take the future of their country seriously, they'll reject the Obama approach, which has been disastrous, and elect Romney-Ryan, along with a substantial number of fiscally conservative members of Congress. That will give America a chance to avoid financial ruin.

RTWT.

Romney's Decision Reframes Race as Battle of Ideologies

I just love the framework of this piece from Maeve Reston, at the Los Angeles Times, "Romney's choice of Ryan reframes campaign."

Take a stroll over at Daily Kos for some quick confirmation.

Here's ABC's report from Friday night when the news broke:

National Stagnation or Renewal? Why Romney Picked Ryan

From Kim Strassel, at the Wall Street Journal, "Why Romney Chose Ryan":

His running mate offers Romney the opportunity to explain to Americans that they have a choice between national stagnation and renewal.

Mitt Romney did much more this weekend than announce a running mate. He unveiled a significant change in strategy. The 2012 election is now a choice, not just a referendum.

Conservatives have spent much of this summer reassuring themselves. They've pointed out the extraordinary sums President Obama has thrown at crippling Mr. Romney. They've noted how ugly and brutal those attacks have been. They've comforted themselves that, for all the smears, Mr. Romney is within a few points of the incumbent in national tracking polls.

Yet the same can be said on the other side. The economy is teetering, the deficit exploding, the nation unhappy with his signature legislation. Daily, Mr. Romney beats the White House with these failures. But he has barely moved the polling dial.

Mr. Romney's choice of House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, one of the party's star reformers, is an attempt to break out of the stalemate, change the dynamic. It was foremost a shrewd acknowledgment on Mr. Romney's part that his path to the White House is going to take more than pointing out the obvious. He needs to run on bold ideas, as Mr. Ryan has, and convince Americans those ideas are the way to prosperity.

In fairness, the Romney campaign had the elements in place. It's taken some time, but Mr. Romney today is sporting a fairly bold reform agenda, from his tax cuts to his Medicare reforms, to his vow to end ObamaCare. And the candidate has been dutifully repeating that this election is a choice between two very different futures for the country. Yet his policy and his words were largely lost amid his campaign's intense focus on the president.

Mr. Ryan provides the crucial shift in emphasis, the opportunity to go on offense. We will now have a focus on, and explanation of, the choice between stagnation and renewal. This is what Mr. Ryan excels at—not just crafting ideas, but explaining them in a positive and serious way. This ability is why the congressman—despite his supposedly extremist reform blueprint and budget (says the left)—has continued to win a district that in 2010 went for Mr. Obama.

Continue reading.

CBS News' Nancy Cordes Shills For Obama On-Air and On Twitter

That's Larry O'Connor's headline at Breitbart.

Cordes' Twitter feed is here. Her tweets do seem a bit one-sided, but it's her interview with Stephanie Cutter yesterday that's the real giveaway. It's twelve minutes long and she completely let Cutter off hook. The Obama camp is embroiled in some of the biggest campaign lies in years and not a peep from Cordes, who was sitting in for Bob Schieffer. Recall that Cutter skipped out on a Sunday "This Week" appearance. No doubt even Democrat George Stephanopoulos would have come down harder on Cutter than Cordes does here. But that's to be expected from these in-the-tank "journalists." What's not to be expected --- and frankly what shouldn't be tolerated --- is Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom's lame debate performance. He should have been out of the gate mercilessly attacking Cutter's lies. He broached the subject, hitting on O's gutter politics, but that's not enough. My only explanation is that Mitt put the word out to forget about it. Perhaps Romney himself is planning to call out Barack on it directly. Who knows? The fact remains that you can't let these people get away with this stuff. To his credit, also yesterday morning, Stephanopoulos took it to top Obama strategist David Axelrod, who would not say that the president condemns the bogus "cancer" attacks on Romney. Seriously. The entire campaign has yet to condemn the ads. They can't. The Joe Soptic attacks came from the top. They're clearly endorsed by Barack, who had his former aide Bill Burton produce them through Priorities USA. It's a scam, and likely campaign finance violations are involved as well, which is one more reason that you just gotta pound these people on these f-king lies.

Also at Red Alert Politics, "Journalistic malpractice on Face the Nation," and Twitchy, "Lapdog alert: After ditching ‘This Week,’ Stephanie Cutter not questioned about scandal on ‘Face the Nation’."

'Wide Awake'

It's my wife's turn for a video request. I mentioned previously that she likes Katy Perry, so here you go, "Wide Awake":

BONUS: At London's Daily Mail, "Smoking hot: Katy Perry takes the plunge in a petal playsuit as she puffs on cigarette outside the cinema."

Jennie Garth Looks Great in New Old Navy Commercial

It's been running during the Olympics.

See AdWeek, "Jennie Garth and Luke Perry Join Old Navy's '90210' Campaign."

#RomneyRyan2012 in Wisconsin

At ABC News, "Paul Ryan Chokes Up at Wisconsin Homecoming Rally."

A full video clip is here.

Plus, at Instapundit, "PUNCHING BACK TWICE AS HARD: Romney responds to heckler in Wisconsin, then tells Obama to get his campaign out of the gutter."

And see the Los Angeles Times, "For Wisconsin rally crowd, Romney-Ryan is a dream team."

Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Interview on '60 Minutes' (VIDEO)

They're a great team.

And Ryan remarks how he and his family have given their lives to public service. That's an honorable thing. You don't abandon conservative principles by running for elective office or working in the public sector, as some vile progressives expect at risk of hypocrisy. No, Ryan's made it his calling to apply his values to the public sphere, in hopes of improving society and making our country better for future generations. Progressive don't care about improving society. All they care about is expanding government and obtaining and holding political power in veneration of the state.

Lonely Conservative has more, "Video: Romney and Ryan’s 60 Minutes Interview."

Mitt Romney's Nazi Torture Cult

At the People's Cube, "Dems' Epic Smears - Romney's Nazi Torture Cult."

RELATED: "Despicable Debbie Wasserman Schultz Claims Ignornance on Priorities USA's Close Democrat Ties."

Syrian Rebels Throw Dead Postal Workers from Rooftops (VIDEO)

Looks like this story checks out.

At Vlad Tepes, "Syrian ‘rebels’ throw the bodies of murdered postal employees off the roof in Alepo Syria":

Here is a link to the video. I did not want to post the video directly here. Its too harsh even for Vlad.

The link goes to Russia Today, "Syrian atrocity: Bodies of postal workers thrown from roof (GRAPHIC VIDEO)."

And Blazing Cat Fur's not shy about it, "Graphic Content: Syrian Rebels Toss Bodies From Rooftop." And neither am I:

Sunday Cartoons

From William Warren:

And see Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Round Up..."

BONUS: From William Jacobson, "A.F. Branco joins Legal Insurrection (first cartoon, Harry Politics)."

Fake Journalist Joan Walsh Attacks Paul Ryan as 'Randian Poseur'

One of the most revealing progressive attacks against conservatives is that they're allegedly hypocrites for receiving government funding, through employment or benefits, or what not. Either that, or they have ties to conservative non-profits or think tank "wingnut welfare" organizations. Basically, you can't be against ever-expanding government on principle because you're on the government's dole. By that logic, anyone who works in government is a mere robot, an Orwellian automaton. The racist misogynist anti-Christian bigot TBogg of Firedoglake routinely attacks conservative professors along these lines, as if slavish obedience to leftist neo-socialism is a prerequisite for a teaching job. And now here comes the repugnant Salon sleazebag Joan Walsh smearing veep nominee Paul Ryan as free-market hypocrite and wingnut welfare freeloader who's worked his entire life in government. See, "Paul Ryan: Randian poseur" (via Memeorandum). Read it all at the link. I told Ms. Walsh how I felt about her slimeball hackery in Twitter, here and here.

BONUS: There's the added debate on whether Ryan's a full-on Ayn Rand acolyte. He may have been at one time, but he's apparently sworn off his ideological affinity for the late "Atlas Shrugs" author. He said, for example, that he ultimately rejected Rand's Objectivism as an "atheist philosophy" --- which makes sense, given that Ryan's Catholic. More at the Atlantic, "How to Tell Paul Ryan Wants to Be Veep: He's Rejected His Former Idol Ayn Rand."

Radical leftists despise Ayn Rand because she accurately explained the destruction of societies from the ravenous, rapacious maul of the endlessly mooching entitlement state. Paul Ryan wants to downsize the left's neo-socialist rape-culture government. And the progressives will do anything to stop him.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons.

New Kelly Brook Video Clip From Keith Lemon's Forthcoming 'The Film'

Good stuff, from "Keith Lemon: The Film."

'Now, Everybody Put On Their Game Face, and Let's Go Kick Some Butt...'

That's a quote from Robert Stacy McCain, who responds to Allahpundit, "C-3PO Raids the Death Star."

And lots more at The Other McCain, for example, "New Video From #RomneyRyan Campaign: ‘America’s Comeback Team’."

And Robert's getting ready for a road trip. Hit the tip jar if you can, "#RomneyRyan Ohio: Shout It Out Loud!"

Despicable Debbie Wasserman Schultz Claims Ignornance on Priorities USA's Close Democrat Ties

First, kudos to John Roberts for calling her out on this. He mentions by name former White House deputy press secretary, Bill Burton, who is now a senior strategist with Priorities USA Action and Priorities USA. But just look at little lying Debbie. Not only does she claim ignorance on the partisan affiliation of Priorities USA, she doubles down on the "cancer" ad attacks, which have been repudiated across the board.

This is your modern Democrat Party in bold relief, via Instapundit:

See also Jazz Shaw at Hot Air, "Video: DNC Chair “doesn’t know” party affiliation of Obama Super PAC":

Okay, Ms. Wasserman Schultz. We get it. Everyone in both campaigns has to pretend they aren’t coordinating with their friends, colleagues and relatives in the Super PACs to avoid running afoul of the law. (A law, by the way, which is working brilliantly, as long as none of the tens of thousands of political operatives, candidates and elected officials living today would ever consider being dishonest or deliberately obfuscatory.) But you’re seriously going to sit there on national TV and claim that you have no clue about the party affiliation of Bill Burton? You remember Bill, right? The former White House Deputy Press Secretary? I’m guessing this little episode has something to do with a new hashtag trending on Twitter… #DebbieDoesntKnow

And at NewsBusters, "Wasserman-Schultz: 'I Have No Idea' Of Political Affiliation Of People Behind Ad Blaming Romney For Woman's Death":

Serious question: is there anything—anything!—Debbie Wasserman-Schultz won't say to promote Barack Obama?

No, there is no lie too disgusting for her. What's amazing is that there are oodles and oodles of lying gasbags just like her across the Democrat-progressive complex. You're looking at the prototype of the modern Democrat Party woman. It's perfect.

More at The Hill, "DNC chairwoman: Obama super-PAC ad raises fair questions" (via Memeorandum).

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi Ousts Top Military Chiefs

At the New York Times, "In Upheaval for Egypt, Morsi Forces Out Military Chiefs" (via Memeorandum):

CAIRO — President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt forced the retirement on Sunday of his powerful defense minister, the army chief of staff and several senior generals, in a stunning purge that seemed for the moment to reclaim for civilian leaders much of the political power the Egyptian military had seized since the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year.

Mr. Morsi also nullified a constitutional declaration, issued by the military before he was elected, that eviscerated the powers of the presidency and arrogated to the military the right to enact laws. It was not immediately clear whether he had the constitutional authority to cancel that decree.

In a news conference broadcast about 5 p.m., Mr. Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali, announced the retirements of the defense minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and the army chief of staff, Sami Anan. He said that both men would serve as advisers to the president, suggesting that they had acquiesced to the plan.

Mr. Morsi also named a senior judge, Mahmoud Mekki, as his vice president. During the Mubarak era, Mr. Mekki fought for judicial independence and spoke out frequently against voting fraud. The president also replaced the commanders of the Navy, Air Force and air defense.

Continue reading.

Also at Legal Insurrection, "Muslim Brotherhood President sacks Egyptian military command." And The Astute Bloggers, "UH-OH: MORSI AND MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SWIFTLY PURGE THE MILITARY" (via Memeorandum).

National Review's Rich Lowry Eviscerates MSNBC Hack Rachel Maddow on 'Meet the Press'

This is delectable.

At NewsBusters, "National Review's Rich Lowry Destroys MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press." With an update here, "Maddow on NB Piece Linked By Drudge: 'Welcome 3-Day Onslaught' of 'Emails Informing Me I Am Gay'."

Also at the Blaze, "RACHEL MADDOW & NATIONAL REVIEW‘S RICH LOWRY BATTLE OVER RYAN’S BUDGET PLAN."

Rachel Maddow is the biggest, most ridiculous partisan hack on television. And that's saying a lot considering the left's deep bench of stupidity. Seriously, you're guaranteed to soak in the stupid watching that show. She's a sad, sad women. And I don't even pity her viewers. They can wallow in the mendacity and the dishonesty. They deserve it. That's all the left has these days, lies, deceit and partisan bomb-throwing.

They're horrible people.

Romney Shakes Up Race With Ryan Pick

The Wall Street Journal reports, "Romney Picks Ryan as Vice-Presidential Running Mate."

And here's the full announcement clip, via PBS News Hour:

More later...

And my previous Paul Ryan coverage is here.

How Romney and Ryan Outwitted the News Media

At the New York Times, "How Campaign Outwitted the 24-Hour News Cycle."

I had no idea about the announcement. In fact I was in the middle of writing a post speculating about it when NBC's Chuck Todd announced the decision during the Olympics on Friday night.

Sarah Palin Congratulates Mitt Romney

For his veep selection, on Facebook:

Congratulations to Mitt Romney on his choice of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. President Obama has declared that this election is about “two fundamentally different visions” for America. Goodness, he’s got that right. Our country cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama’s fundamentally flawed vision. We must now look to this new team, the Romney/Ryan ticket, to provide an alternate vision of an America that is fiscally responsible, strong, and prosperous – an America that understands and is proud of her exceptional place in the world and will respect those who fight to secure that exceptionalism, which includes keeping our promises to our veterans.

Continue reading.

Hey Girl, It's Paul Ryan

On Tumblr.

Does Romney's Selection of Paul Ryan Make Victory Harder Than It Otherwise Would Have Been?

The headline summarizes Allahpundit's argument at Hot Air, "Romney rolls the dice" (via Memeorandum).

It's a good piece, although perhaps a shade more Eeyorish than need be:

This makes winning harder, not easier. Some tough truths: The Democrats are going to flood Ohio and Florida with ads aiming to scare the pants off of seniors and blue-collar workers about the “safety net” disappearing under Romney/Ryan. Obama will now frame the election not merely as a choice between Ryan’s budget and his own plan (whatever that is) but as a choice between the president and, as represented by Ryan, the most unpopular Congress in modern history. If the attacks work and Romney fades down the stretch, that could have huge downballot effects in House races too, jeopardizing the GOP majority. I think the best-case scenario is that Ryan’s salesmanship brings enough people around on entitlement reform to fight the Democrats to a standstill on that issue, and then Romney wins the election narrowly due to voter dissatisfaction on the economy. In other words, it’s both a “referendum election” and a “choice election”: If Ryan can make the choice on the budget a stalemate, the ticket can still win a referendum on Obama’s job performance. But that assumes, per Ryan’s speech this morning, that some critical mass of voters will respond to a campaign that tells them the truth and that ideas beat demagoguery, as the man himself once insisted. Is that true? Has it ever been true before when it comes to entitlements? If Krauthammer’s right that the infamous Obama Super PAC steelworker ad is working because voters don’t pay enough attention to be able to cut through the B.S. in emotionally charged ads, imagine how difficult it’ll be to rebut B.S. on a subject as complex and emotionally toxic as entitlements. Sean Trende, RCP’s elections guru (who’s no liberal, needless to say), argues that not only does this pick make things harder for Romney, it actually opens up the possibility of an Obama landslide. Huge gamble.

Allah's spent the day reading around for other analyses, bully for him. But I'm of the persuasion that Ryan helps Romney by providing a powerful choice and by invigorating the conservative base, a huge mass of partisans who'll drive big numbers for GOP turnout. And I doubt any other choice as running mate would have mattered: the Democrats would have Palinized the pick no matter who got the second spot. Frankly, Obama's had the chance to turn things around and I can't see how Americans are going to reelect a president who hasn't done jack to restore economic growth and reduce unemployment. But campaigns matter. I'm giving Romney more credit than Allah. If Romney thought that he was in danger of losing to O he would have hardly picked Paul Ryan. He'd have gone with somebody safe, Portman or Pawlenty, for example. But then you'd have the most lackadaisical ticket since Carter-Mondale in 1980, and we know how that turned out.

And it's only been a day. As Zilla notes, this is one handsome team, young and vibrant, and the campaign will focus on restoring the future and reinvigorating our ideals --- that's a factor that can't be underestimated after almost four years of Barack's apology tours and attacks on regular folks clinging to their guns and religion. Further, as CNN's John King suggests, Ryan might help Romney in the Midwest battleground states:

More at Memeorandum.

BONUS: And be sure to reread Paul Rahe's excellent analysis, "Romney's Declaration of War."

Two Strong, Handsome, and Smart Men, a Mormon and a Catholic, at the Top of the Ticket: Leftist Heads Assploding!

Zilla's excited about Paul Ryan joining the GOP ticket, "Exciting!!! #RomneyRyan2012 #TCOT."

Mitt Romney's Declaration of War

An outstanding essay, from Professor Paul Rahe, at Richochet, "Romney's Declaration of War" (via Instapundit):

In choosing Paul Ryan as his Vice-Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney has opted to go for broke, and he has indicated that he is a serious man -- less concerned with becoming President of the United States than with saving the country from the disaster in store for it if we not radically reverse course, willing to risk a loss for the sake of being able to win a mandate for reform.

RTWT.

And in case you missed, Professor Rahe had another awesome piece a couple of days ago, "Landslide on the Horizon."

Paul Ryan Likes Catfish Noodling

This Chip Reid report is pretty fair, and Reid finishes up with mention of Ryan's ranch in Texas, where the veep nominee like to go catfish noodling:

More at Gateway Pundit, "Take That Joe Biden… Paul Ryan Loves Catfish Noodling (Video)."

Man Who Soothes Dog in Lake Says His Companion Saved Him From Suicide 19 Years Ago

This story went viral a few days ago, and here's the update at London's Daily Mail, "'He saved MY life... I just want to help him in return': Owner of sick dog whose picture touched the nation's hearts reveals how loyal companion stopped him from suicide":

The man pictured lulling his arthritic dog to sleep in Lake Superior has revealed that his dog Schoep saved him from the brink of suicide.

John Unger, 49, adopted the dog with his ex-fiancée 19 years ago, but after the relationship ended, Mr Unger fought a desperate despair.

The companionship of his trusty rescue dog gave Mr Unger the courage to go on, saying : 'I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t have Schoep with me. I just want to do whatever I can for this dog.'

The water soothes the animal's pain, Mr Unger said, allowing him to sleep.

Continue reading.

'Mission of Mercy'

Via The Psychedelic Furs homepage. It turns out The Motels will play the Totally 80s concert at Hollywood Bowl with the Furs, The Go-Go's, and Bow Wow Wow, on September 29th.

#RomneyRyan in Manassas, Virginia

Excellent campaign coverage, from Marooned in Marin, "Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan Rally a Large, Enthusiastic Crowd In Manassas, VA."

More from Erin McPike, at RCP, "Romney and Ryan Close Out Day of Campaigning in Va."

Six U.S. Soldiers Shot Dead on Friday by Afghan Forces

I can't believe these headlines, at NYT, "Coalition Soldiers Killed Were Shot in Company of Afghans." And at LAT, "Afghan worker kills three NATO troops on Helmand base."

We can't build freedom in Afghanistan if the locals don't want it. This was supposed to be "the good war," but it's hard to see a positive endgame.

Also at the Guardian UK, "Six US soldiers killed by Afghans."

Explaining the Beatles to a New Generation

From Paul Greenberg, at the New York Times, "Meet the Beatles, Again."

I just took my kids to "The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil." They loved it, and they're Beatles fans now!

Progressives Attack Paul Ryan: 'Zombie-Eyed Granny-Starving Wingman'

It begins.

Team Obama's already out of the blocks with a web-ad hit piece, via Gateway Pundit, "Let the Smears Begin!… Team Obama Releases Anti Romney-Ryan Video Following VP Announcement." And see Lonely Con, "Is the Obama Campaign Sending Out Random Texts to Americans’ Cell Phones?"

And I tweaked the "zombie granny-starving wingman" from Firedoglake's biggest asshole, TBogg, "Feel the Mittmentum: The Ryaning." Also at FDL, from David Dayen, "Thoughts on the Paul Ryan VP Selection" (a useful piece, by the way, despite the false attacks on conservatives, for it clarifies the stark divide facing the campaigns).

And here's Charles Pierce at Esquire, "Paul Ryan: Murderer of Opportunity, Political Coward, Candidate for Vice President of the United States" (via Memeorandum):

Leave it to Willard Romney, international man of principle, to get himself bullied into being bold and independent.

Make no mistake. In his decision to make Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny-starver from Wisconsin, his running mate, Romney finally surrendered the tattered remnants of his soul not only to the extreme base of his party, but also to extremist economic policies, and to an extremist view of the country he seeks to lead.

Typical, but "murderer of opportunity" is way out there. The Other McCain has more, "New Democrat Campaign Message: Grandma, Cliff, Some Assembly Required."

And Twitchy is on fire, for example, "Another leftist lie: Paul Ryan ‘wants to end Medicare’." There's more at Twitchy's Paul Ryan page.

And from John Podhoretz, at Commentary, "Paul Ryan and Liberal Glee":

The selection of Paul Ryan has been greeted with a wild joy on Twitter, and not just by conservatives; I’ve seen hundreds of liberals celebrate the choice. A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Jesse Ferguson, said this: “So this is what xmas morning feels like?” The idea here is that Ryan is the perfect target for Democrats because he has proposed specific budget cuts and the overhaul of Medicare, while supporting tax reform that would lower rates on the wealthy....

More important is the quality of the glee itself. It’s an ongoing liberal political-character flaw. So insulated ... are many, if not most, American liberals that they simply presume that which they despise is inherently despicable, and that what they fear is inherently fearful. As they gather in their echo chamber, all they hear are voices resounding with the monstrousness of redesigning Medicare and the parlousness of cutting the federal budget. They genuinely do not know that budget cutting is popular, even if only in theory, and that tens of millions of voters do understand the notion that the government is living far beyond its means. From what we can gather, in fact, these are exactly the sorts of ideas that speak to independent voters and have since the days of Ross Perot.

Ryan is a formidable presence in American politics. Generally speaking, formidable players do formidable things. The glee of the Left suggests its folk are so excited by what the Obama campaign can dish out that they are unprepared for what Ryan and Romney can dish out right back.

They're not "liberals." They're neo-socialist progressives. Other than that, Podhoretz is dead on.

More at Memeorandum.

#RomneyRyan2012 — Mitt Romney Announces Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential Nominee

I'm tired. I stayed up past Midnight. After I woke up to pee I realized Romney'd be making his announcement in less than an hour. So I got up. I haven't had coffee yet. I think I'll lie back down for awhile.

In the meantime, here's the New York Times, "Vice-Presidential Choice Shakes Up November Contest."

It's a great pick. The secular-collectivist left would have gone after any Romney pick with remorseless villainy. The only variation we'd see are the specific smears. With Ryan, get ready for tons more grandma-over-the-cliff style attacks. Get ready for extremist anti-Catholic bigotry and "pro-choice" fearmongering, like NARAL:

NARAL: Ryan "supported'Let Women Die Bill' which wld allow hospitals to refuse to provide a woman emergency abortion even if she cld die"
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) August 11, 2012

Check William Jacobson's comments along these lines, "Romney-Ryan 2012."

And Glenn Reynolds has a huge roundup, "And on the day Ryan was picked, it’s worth pointing out that we’ve gone 1200 days now without a budget."

On twitter, it's #RomneyRyan2012.

And you can tweet the veep nominee @PaulRyanVP:

.@paulryanvp Welcome aboard. We love you, man! #RomneyRyan2012
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 11, 2012

More at Memeorandum.

I'lll be updating throughout the day, after I wake up.

Markos Moulitsas, Daily Kos Rage Boy, Vows to 'Go for the Jugular', to 'Shove Reality Down the GOP's Throats' and 'Run Up the Score'

And to think just last year the Democrats were all about promoting civility.

I guess that's out the window by now.

Here's Markos 'Rage Boy' Moulitsas, "We are winning":

Democrats are campaigning with a swagger, having fun. They know they've got the advantage. Republicans are in genuine disarray (release the tax returns! Don't release the tax returns!), trying to back a candidate they despise while keeping a lid on the Tea Party crazies.

We need to go for the jugular, destroy Romney's chances. Down-ballot Republicans will suffer without a strong candidate at the top—particularly one that reinforces every negative element of the Republican brand. Just look to 2008 for inspiration, except Romney doesn't even have a compelling personal story or a shred of heroism. Romney is on the ropes, with just one more chance to bolster his standing—his convention. The same convention Donald Trump insists he'll speak at. And Rick Santorum. And Ron Paul. And Sarah Palin. And Herman Cain. Good luck with that, Mittens.

Our job: To run up the score. I know some of you like to talk about acting like we're 10 points down. I guess that's supposed to be motivational, but if we're 10 points down, I'm like "screw it" and focus on more promising prospects. Did you work extra hard in 2010 when we were actually down 10 points? I didn't think so. Instead, Republicans ran up their margins as depressed Dems conceded the cycle and sat out the election.

We need to embrace reality and shove reality down the GOP's throats. Because yeah, we are ahead, objectively so. We're winning and we've got to own it. They can whine about biased polls and biased media and biased everything that doesn't conform to their little Fox News bubble world, all the while we do the work necessary to seal the deal.

When he has the lead, Peyton Manning doesn't pretend he's losing. He sets out to crush his opponent's spirit by running up the score. Like this horse. The best defense is a good offense. We now protect our lead by going on the attack.

More at the link.

I'll hazard a guess that this'll be Daily Rage Boy's meme until election day. More here, "Obama is winning. Period."

But, frankly, I wouldn't get cocky. Incumbents with approval ratings below 50 percent generally don't win reelection. Obama's at 45 percent nationally, and acccording to John Fund, O's getting 49 percent in Michigan and he's at 47 percent in Maine and Oregon. Check the link. Fund notes that:

Right now, if Obama swept all the states where he is at or above 50 percent job approval he would win 185 Electoral College votes. He will have to do a lot better than that in November to win the necessary 270 electoral votes.

Right.

But maybe Markos doesn't think that reality is worth attempting to shove down's the GOP's throats.

PREVIOUSLY: "Messianics vs. Menopausals, or Kos Related to Islamic Rage Boy!"

RELATED: At NewsBusters, "Daily Kos Week in Review: Anti-Life Meat Puppets."

Was Barack Obama a Foreign Exchange Student?

At IBD, "Former Classmate Speculates About Obama Applying for Foreign Student Aid."

Read it at the link, and here's this from The Donald:

An 'extremely credible source' has called my office & told me that @barackobama applied to Occidental as a foreign student--think about it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012

Also from Wayne Allen Root, at The Blaze, "OBAMA’S COLLEGE CLASSMATE: ‘THE OBAMA SCANDAL IS AT COLUMBIA’."

Hey, inquiring minds want to know.

Jon Huntsman Daughters Deny DNC Speaking Slot Rumors

And they're also denying rumors that Jon Hunstman, Sr., is the source of "Dirty Harry" Reid's allegations that Mitt Romney paid no taxes for ten years.

At Twitchy, "Jon Huntsman Sr. and Jr. rumors abound! Reid’s ‘source,’ DNC convention speaking? Daughters deny."

Abby Huntsman, pictured at right, denies the rumors on Twitter. Liddy Hunstman, center, also tweets a denial.

PHOTO CREDIT: The Hunstman Daughers on Twitter.

The Television Cannot Lie ... Controlling Media With Smokescreen Eyes...

In honor of the lying Obama administration, "Open Your Eyes."

And see David Cohen, at the Daily Caller, "The lying game":

I hope Stephanie Cutter, President Obama’s deputy campaign manager, was wearing a dress on Wednesday. Because if she was wearing pants, they would have been on fire. Bill Burton, founder of a pro-Obama super PAC, presumably does not have the option of wearing a dress. But he, along with Cutter and the entire Obama team, has a lot of ’splainin’ to do about the “Romney killed my wife” ad that has earned them so much infamy.

Burton’s super PAC, Priorities USA Action, produced the ad. Cutter, appearing on CNN on Wednesday, denied that the Obama campaign had coordinated with Priorities USA on the ad. Cutter also professed ignorance of the details of its storyline, in which a man named Joe Soptic blames his wife’s death on his layoff from a Bain-owned company. “I don’t know the facts about when Mr. Soptic’s wife got sick or the facts about his health insurance,” stammered Cutter.

She might also have added: “Do you want fries with that Whopper?” An audiotape has now surfaced of a conference call that Cutter hosted with Soptic in May, during which Soptic told the very same story. And it turns out that Soptic also appeared in an Obama campaign ad in May — apparently wearing the same shirt that he wore in the super PAC ad. But both the Obama campaign and Burton’s super PAC insist that the two organizations could not possibly have coordinated with each other — because that would be, you know, illegal. Burton, by the way, was President Obama’s deputy press secretary before he founded Priorities USA.

Burton, for his part, says that he is proud of the ad. And well you should be, young man. Just when Harry Reid appeared to set a standard for mean-spirited mendacity that could never be surpassed, you blew right by him like Usain Bolt on steroids. “Our spots have been factual,” Burton told The Huffington Post. And indeed they have, if by “factual” you mean hideously dishonest...

Continue reading.

PREVIOUSLY: "Pants on Fire: Obama Campaign's Stephanie Cutter Slammed for Blatant Lies on 'Cancerous' Joe Soptic Attack Ad."

Is a Palestinian State Today Economically Viable?

From Professor Michael Curtis, at the Gatestone Institute:

Those who admired the second Intifada, heralded by Yasser Arafat but which generated violence for over two years and halted progress to peace negotiations, will now realize that it was a disaster, a severe blow to the Palestinian economy. The violence only resulted in the West Bank and Gaza suffering a severe economic contraction. Between 1999 and 2002, real GDP fell by 27%. In 2007 real per capita GDP was 23% below the 1999 level. Industry, agriculture, tourism, and some other services declined. Public administration, defense, and public services such as health and education grew from 20% of GDP to more than 27%.

Continue reading.

Caroline Glick: Israel on the Eve of the U.S. Elections

I mentioned that Glick would be speaking in L.A., and here's the clip of her talk:

Previously, "Caroline Glick, Scoop Jackson Lecture: The U.S, Israel and the Arab Revolution."

Priorities USA Hasn't Even Come Close to Hitting Bottom Yet

Picking up on my previous post, Allahpundit linked to this Major Garrett interview from late May, at Weekly Standard, "Cancer Ad Just the Beginning: Obama Super PAC Ready to Launch More 'Incendiary' Ads."

It's clear that Obama's prepared to run the nastiest, sleaziest campaign ever. In other words, he'll do anything to win reelection. On the plus side is that conservatives have exposed the lies, and with skill and pluck, Team Romney will pick up the ball and run with it --- hard.

And there's no better time to refocus than this weekend. Romney's apparently ready to announce his VP selection, as Doug Powers reports at Michelle's, "Romney to announce running mate Saturday morning" (via Memeorandum). Who's it going to be? Robert Costa speculates, at National Review, "From Boston to Janesville" (via Memeorandum):

Take note, veep watchers: Earlier today, a charter plane took off in Boston, stopped in Chicago, then flew to the tiny airport in Janesville, Wis. Janesville, of course, is the hometown of Representative Paul Ryan, a top vice-presidential contender. According to a source on the ground, the plane is still in Wisconsin.

Tomorrow morning, Mitt Romney will visit the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Va. For what it’s worth, Ryan is scheduled to be on vacation in Colorado.

Costa notes that Mitt's son Tagg Romney was in Wisconsin today for a Sikh ceremony for the families. But Tagg also met with Tim Pawlenty today as well, in New Hampshire, along with John Sununu. I have no clue who it's going to be, but by gosh I hope Mitt's not too cautious. And I especially hope this is wrong: "Romney's potential running mate: Rob Portman."

Check back. I'll be blogging this story like crazy.

ADDED: Before I hit the post button, NBC's Chuck Todd just announced that Romney will pick Paul Ryan.

9:31pm Pacific: Here's this, from The Quinton Report, "UPDATED: Bob McDonnell (or is it Paul Ryan) to be announced as Mitt Romney’s running mate?"

Charles Krauthammer: Obama's 'Scurrilous' Attacks Just Might Be Working

I don't believe the polls. Most of those putting Obama ahead of Romney nationally have oversampled Democrats, and they've ignored crashing voter enthusiasm on the left. If the election were today it'd be a squeaker either way, so we'll see on that count.

What does worry me is Romney's campaign. While I was encouraged a couple of months ago when Hillary Rosen attacked Ann Romney as having "never worked a day in her life," now it's like Groundhog's Day with the refusal of Team Romney to exploit the political gifts they've been handed. And while I'm not down totally with Krauthammer that the public's sucking up to the "cancer" attacks, he's right to note how these dirtbag allegations are sucking the oxygen out of Romney's campaign. Allahpundit offer some Eeyorism on this, "Krauthammer: Let’s face it, the Obama Super PAC’s steelworker smear ad is working."

Via Greg Hengler, let’s wind down the week on the most depressing, eeyorish note possible. (You’re welcome.) Quoth the WSJ, “The entire theory of the Obama campaign seems to be that the more outrageous the claim the better, because the more you repeat it the more the media will talk about it, and the lie will achieve a kind legendary truth.” Yup. That’s Krauthammer’s point exactly, and that’s why, per Major Garrett, Obama’s Super PAC apparently has all sorts of nasty, emotionally charged ads already in the can and ready to roll. If you start from the premise that huge swaths of undecided voters are only half-paying attention even at the best of times, then you can do a lot of damage with an emotional ad that omits key facts...

Continue reading.

And see Michelle Malkin's interview yesterday on Fox & Friends. One can only hope that references to RomneyCare won't be Team Romney's first response to the smears going forward. Sure, there's still about 11 weeks left of the campaign, but time's a-wastin'. Romney needs to hit back twice as hard or these scurrilous attacks will be his doom. More are on the way. They need a battle plan.

More later...

Kenneth Turan Reviews 'The Bourne Legacy'

At the Los Angeles Times, "Review: 'The Bourne Legacy' lives up to its predecessors":

"There was never just one." That advertising tag line for "The Bourne Legacy"has an almost apologetic ring to it, as if making a Bourne film without Matt Damon — the star of the first three and the epitome of the empathetic killing machine that is Jason Bourne — was a brash and risky move.

As it turns out, no one needed to worry, because few films have less to apologize for than this one. Complex, unexpected and dazzling, alternating relentless tension with resonant emotional moments, this is an exemplary espionage thriller that has a strong sense of what it wants to accomplish and how best to get there. And it is impeccably cast, from stars Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton on down.

Tony Gilroy, the man responsible for this accomplishment, is more than the director and co-writer of "Legacy." Though this is his first time behind the "Bourne" camera, he has written on all four pictures, and is in effect the keeper of the franchise flame. Gilroy knows the underpinnings of this world inside out and appreciates how essential it is to maintain and extend the house style of cool and credible intelligence that marked the previous films.

Continue reading.

Alex Morgan Sports Illustrated Body Painting 2012

The video clip is here.

RELATED: At Business Week, "U.S. Women Secure Third Straight Soccer Gold Medal at Olympics." And the New York Times, "With Women’s Soccer Final, NBC Sports Network Sets a Record."

Fire Fareed Zakaria!

No, don't fire him for his petty (and stupid) pattern of plagiarism and hackery. Zakaria should be out for peddling the bullshit global warming myths at his perch on CNN. See, "Koch-backed scientist now says global warming is real," and "Robert Muller on global warming."

But hey, maybe it won't be long after all until he's out on that plagiarism thing.

See the Huffington Post, "Fareed Zakaria Suspended For Plagiarism: Time, CNN Pundit Apologizes For ‘Terrible Mistake’."

And it turns out that NewsBusters claims the scalp, "UPDATED: Time, CNN Suspend Zakaria | Talk About Concealed Carry: Fareed Zakaria Plagiarized Paragraph on History of Gun Control" (via Memeorandum).

And about that hackery, see the Boston Globe, "Fareed Zakaria’s Harvard, Duke speeches identical."

Zakaria holds a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard, and he's well-regarded for his writing on world politics, if not overrated. A while back, President Obama was photographed carrying a copy of Zakaria's "The Post-American World," which fits right into O's post-American ideology. Indeed, I guess the two get along like boon coons, with Obama rumored to be considering Zakaria for a top diplomatic post in a second Obama administration, "CNN's Fareed Zakaria Being Considered for Diplomatic Post in Obama Second Term - Maybe Secretary of State."

Zakaria now seems assured of getting that gig, since failing upward is pretty much a prerequisite for those holding top positions in O's crony cabinet.

Homosexual Couples Under Pressure to 'Have Children'

Funny, isn't it?

Homosexuals can't "have children." They can adopt them, or they can get a sperm donor and then raise a child that's biologically related to one of the parents, or they can have a surrogate mother bear the child, or they can ... so forth and so on.

All that, but they cannot "have" their own child. Perhaps that's why the New York Times changed its headline, from "Gay Couples Face Pressure to Have Children" to "Male Couples Face Pressure to Fill Cradles."

Folks can read it at that second link, but note this interesting observation at Patheos:

Tellingly, the article has a gaping hole, a kind of journalistic elephant in the room. While the story points out that some states do not allow same sex couples to adopt, there are no critical voices in the piece. At all. No one who might have qualms about the notion of gay parents — for moral, ethical or religious reasons— is heard from.

Well, the Times can't have critical voices of dissent. That'd spoil the left's extremist agenda.

And don't forget, "It Sucks for Children of Same-Sex Couples."

PREVIOUSLY, "Marriage and Procreation: Bodily Union of Spouses," and "Real Marriage is the Union of Husband and Wife."

Pants on Fire: Obama Campaign's Stephanie Cutter Slammed for Blatant Lies on 'Cancerous' Joe Soptic Attack Ad

Here's the clip showing Stephanie Cutter's desperate, despicable lies about coordinating with Priorities USA, via Right Wing News:

The Obama campaign admitted days ago that they had knowledge of Joe Soptic, and of course there's audiotape of Cutter, a blatant liar, talking to the man, "Audio: Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter On Call With Man From Cancer Ad Telling His Story…."

Also, as I pointed out previously, both Joe Soptic ads, from Team Obama and Priorities USA (wearing the same polo shirt), came out at the same time, May 14 and May 15. There's no coincidence there. The Obama campaign was coordinating with the Bill Burton Super PAC.

The RNC's out with a new spot slamming Team O, using Cutter's lies from the CNN clip above, "RNC POUNDS STEPHANIE CUTTER WITH DEVASTATING AD."

And here's this from Dana Loesch, "OBAMA SPOKESWOMAN CONTRADICTS DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER ON SOPTIC AD." Loesch is referring to Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who admitted yesterday that the campaign had knowledge of Soptic.

So, where's the big follow up in the press? I'm sure the Obama lap-dog press would rather bury the story. We're in campaign finance violation territory now, "Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged Thursday."

More at Twitchy, "#FireLiarStef: Meet Stephanie Cutter, lying liar who lies."

Who Wins the Gold Medal for Huggiest, Touchiest Sport?

Well, Misty May-Treanor practically did a sex romp on top of Kerry Walsh after they won their third gold medal, but I guess that dynamic duo has a lot of competition.

At the Wall Street Journal, "Group Hug: Which Olympic Sport Wins Gold for Touchiest? Fist Bumps, Bro Hugs and Chest Bumps Proliferate; 'We've Got Each Other's Backs'":

Beach volleyball isn't as huggy as its larger indoor cousin. In their recent match against Italy, Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings racked up one high five, 16 low fives, six double-high and double-low fives, and five bum taps, for a total of 28 touches in the first 25 plays, an average of 1.12.

Read the whole thing.

Lady Gaga Likes Having Sex on the Beach

From Gaga's interview in the September Vogue, reported in the New York Post, "Gaga’s sex on the beach."

Also photos at Billboard, "Lady Gaga's Vogue September Cover: Inspired by RuPaul, Fozzie Bear."

Naked Fisherman Being Circled by Huge Hammerhead Shark Resued After Treading Water for Nearly 24 Hours

This is worth posting for the headline alone. See Australia's Herald Sun, "Fishing rescue turns tragic: One man dead, one safe, one missing."

At least one fisherman has died.

Misty May-Treanor: 2012 Olympics Were 'So Much More About the Friendship, the Togetherness, the Journey...'

One of the great stories of the London Olympics, from USA Today, "May-Treanor, Walsh win third gold in style":

For so long, they've dominated this sport. They've been partners for 11 years, winning three consecutive world championships at one point, and now three consecutive Olympic gold medals to end it all. Of the five gold medals awarded since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996, May-Treanor and Walsh have won three of them.

The two had been emotional on this court the night before after they clinched a spot in the final. They said this medal means more than the previous two.

"The first two medals, I think it was more volleyball," May-Treanor said. "The friendship we had was there, but it was all 'volleyball, volleyball.' This was so much more about the friendship, the togetherness, the journey. Volleyball was just a small part of it." That's because they're different women then they were four years ago

in Beijing, and certainly different than they were eight years ago in Athens.

RTWT.

Also, at the New York Times, "All-American Ending for Beach Volleyball Team."

The Postmodern President

An editorial, at the Wall Street Journal:

President Obama spent his formative years in academia, so he's no doubt familiar with postmodernism, the literary theory that rejects objective reality and insists instead that everything is a matter of interpretation and relative "truth." At any rate he's running the first postmodern Presidential campaign, now organized almost exclusively around allegations about his opponent that bear no relation to the observable universe.

The most important document of this new approach to politics may be this week's now famous TV commercial in which a man on camera accuses Mitt Romney of killing his wife. (The man's late wife, not Ann.) The spot features a Missouri steelworker called Joe Soptic, who recounts how Bain Capital bought his plant and eventually closed it, costing him his job and health benefits. "A short time after that," he says, Ilyona Soptic was diagnosed with cancer. "I don't know how long she was sick and I think maybe she didn't say anything because she knew we couldn't afford the insurance."

He continues: "There was nothing they could do for her. And she passed away in 22 days. I do not think Mitt Romney realizes what he's done to anyone, and furthermore I do not think Mitt Romney is concerned."

It's a sad tale, affectingly told. The production values are also excellent, courtesy of Priorities USA Action, Mr. Obama's super PAC that ostensibly doesn't coordinate with his campaign. But its notions about cause and effect are, well, novel....

Yeah, you might say.

More at that top link.

I think the WSJ editors are being pretty reserved. The folks at IBD just called it out blank: "Obama's Campaign of Lies Reaches Despicable Low."

PREVIOUSLY: "Connecting the Dots on Obama's 'Cancerous' Attack on Mitt Romney."

Sarah Palin Slams Obama's 'Agenda of Deception'

Stephanie Cutter is back on Twitter (folks were getting worried there for a minute), although she cancelled her scheduled Sunday appearance on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

Dana Loesch reports, "EMBATTLED STEPHANIE CUTTER DROPS ABC 'THIS WEEK' APPEARANCE."

And here's Sarah Palin on Sean Hannity's, via RCP, "Palin: Obama Should Fire Cutter, Carney, Gibbs And Others" (video).

"He should fire her," Sarah Palin said about Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter. "He should fire others around him who are full of deception like Jay Carney, like Robert Gibbs, others who who represent this agenda of deception."

Also, at The Right Scoop, "Full Sarah Palin interview on Hannity."