Tom Hanks Drops F-Bomb on 'Good Morning America'

No bleeping way!

At TMZ.

The Spring Break Presidency: Time to Put the Adults Back in Charge

President Clusterf-k spends too much time trying to be a cool kid.

And it's also time to retire those golf clubs, sheesh.

A brutal ad from the Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama.

'It Was the Video'

A devastating new clip from American Crossroads, via Instapundit:

PREVIOUSLY: "Nate Silver Blows Gasket as Gallup Shows Romney Pulling Away in the Presidential Horse Race."

Nate Silver Blows Gasket as Gallup Shows Romney Pulling Away in the Presidential Horse Race

Gallup's not the highest ranked public opinion poll for predictive accuracy, but as the nation's original polling organization the firm's got enormous credibility and prestige. No doubt that helps explain why wonder boy Nate Silver's practically blown a gasket over the latest Gallup tracking numbers that find Mitt Romney pulling out a large lead in the presidential horse race, 52 to 45 among likely voters in the latest daily tracking.

Here's Silver's piece, which is especially noteworthy for its passive attack on Gallup for frankly ruining the guy's day, "Gallup vs. the World":

Our database contains records from 136 distinct pollsters that have released at least one state or national survey at some point in this election cycle. Of those, 53 are active enough to have issued at least one survey since Oct. 1.

With so much data to sort through, it will usually be a counterproductive use of one’s time to get overly attached to the results of any one particular poll. Whether you look at the relatively simple averaging methods used by Web sites like Real Clear Politics, or the more involved techniques in the FiveThirtyEight forecast, the Gallup national tracking poll constitutes a relatively small part of the polling landscape...

Er, okay...

"A relatively small part of the polling landscape," which of means of course that it would be "counterproductive" to spend much time attempting to explain away such a horribly unrepresentative survey, right?

Well, no.

Little Boy Nate's pissed that Gallup's messing up Obama's mojo and he's going to use his perch at NYT's progressive propaganda shop to set the record straight for the right-thinking political cognoscenti. He continues, for example:

Over all, the Gallup daily tracking poll accounts for only about 3 percent of the weight in this stage of the calculation. The national tracking polls collectively, including Gallup, account for only about 10 percent of it. Most of the weight, instead, is given to the state polls.

This is, obviously, a rather detailed answer to the seemingly simple question of how much information is provided by the Gallup national tracking poll, as opposed to all the other state and national surveys.
Nevertheless, any rigorous attempt to consider the value of the Gallup poll would probably get you to something of the same answer. Perhaps the Gallup poll accounts for 5 or 10 percent of the information that an election analyst should evaluate on a given day.

The Gallup poll’s influence on the subjective perception about where the presidential race stands seems to be proportionately much greater than that, however — especially when the poll seems to diverge from the consensus.

This simply isn’t rational, in my view. As I discuss in my book, our first instincts are often quite poor when it comes to weighing information. We tend to put too much emphasis on the newest, most widely reported and most dramatic pieces of data — more than is usually warranted.

Poor Nate.

If Romney pulls out an upset on November 6th Pinch Sulzberger Jr.'s going to have to the wonder boy on suicide watch. Seriously. Anyone's who's pegging Obama at a 64.8 percent chance of winning the Electoral College at this point's obviously running a couple of quarts low already. An upset going to put that guy over the edge.

It's not helping that other major polls are also not cooperating with the wonder boy's super sophisticated shuck-and-jive razzmatazz rabitt-out-of-a-hat statistical polling shakedown model of progressive Democrat Orwellian truth generation. Here's a report from this morning, for example, at Reuters, "Romney gains on Obama on foreign policy issues: poll":

Republican challenger Mitt Romney has gained substantial ground on Democratic President Barack Obama on foreign policy issues but Obama still holds a narrow lead, a poll showed on Thursday.

Ahead of Monday's foreign policy debate between Obama and Romney, 47 percent of voters favor Obama and 43 percent back Romney when asked who could do a better job on foreign policy, according to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

"This represents a substantial gain for Romney, who trailed Obama by 15 points on foreign policy issues in September," Pew said.

The October 4-7 poll was carried out about three weeks after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambassador was killed. Romney has seized on the issue to accuse Obama of failed leadership.

The poll involved 1,511 adults, including 1,201 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 2.9 percent for adults and 3.3 percent for voters.

A 15 point pick-up since September 15th. Impossible!

Actually, not. The public's seen this president's 3:00am moment and it's not impressed. Perhaps polls coming out next week might show a little improvement in Obama's numbers when factoring in the Candy Crowley handicap, but then again, Romney'll be playing for keeps on foreign policy on Monday, and the Republican challenger may well deliver the coup de grâce to the embattled incumbent.

I'll update on Nate Silver's psychiatric condition at that time.

UPDATE: The Lonely Conservative links, "Romney Surges In Polls, Nate Silver Hardest Hit":

Now, I’m not hoping that Silver will wind up on suicide watch. There’s no need, because he can always go back to baseball. Oh, wait, is he a Yankees fan? I don’t know, never mind.

And there's a Memeorandum thread now as well, the second thread I've gotten this week. Cool!

More from The Other McCain, "Nate Silver Asks: Whose Shark Is This, and Why Do I Feel a Need to Jump It?"

Still more. Linked at Larwyn's Linx. Thanks!

And Newser too!

Candy Crowley Slammed With Fat Jokes After Shilling for Obama at Hofstra

Hey, don't blame me: I think she's a hottie.

But see Bliss Tree, "Saddest Presidential Debate 2012 Trend: Fat-Shaming Candy Crowley."

And The Other McCain, "@CrowleyCNN Targeted by Fat Jokes, Legitimate Criticism, But Mainly …":

John Nolte at Breitbart.com called Crowley’s performance “a scandal; a total and complete media scandal . . . Absolutely disgraceful.” Matthew Sheffield of Newsbusters said Crowley “disgraced herself . . . showing why many Americans were rightfully suspicious of her ability to moderate a presidential debate fairly.” Donald Douglas at American Power called it “the worst debate moderation in presidential debate history.”

Not one of them felt it necessary to point out that Candy Crowley is fat, and I’m happy for that, because too many people resort to such cheap insults when they’re angry, and it hurts the feelings of fat people everywhere. This kind of cruelty toward BBWs and plumpers also bothers “chubby chasers” like Dan Collins, whose appreciation of Rubenesque ladies is so often misunderstood.

More at the link.

And don't miss the outstanding essay from Dan Collins, "About the Benghazi “Terror” Statement in the Second Debate."

Also cool was getting a Memeorandum thread yesterday.

More later...

Victoria Beckham Gets the Coco Treatment!

Wow!

That lady's got some legs!

At London's Daily Mail, "PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Ooh la la: c'est Madame Posh! Victoria Beckham is 'honoured' to pose at Coco Chanel's house."

'Sweet Home Alabama'

The video's from just last week, at Harrah's Rincon near San Diego, on October 7th. The hotel was holding tickets for my wife, but we weren't able to make it. Bummer too. Looks like an awesome gig.

And from yesterday's afternoon drive time at The Sound L.A.:

3:00 - I Still Haven't Found... by U2

3:05 - Daniel by Elton John

3:09 - La Grange by Zz Top

3:12 - Jack And Diane by John Cougar

3:17 - Fool In The Rain by Led Zeppelin

3:23 - Last Train To Clarksville by Monkees

3:32 - Come Sail Away by Styx

3:38 - I Need To Know by Tom Petty

3:40 - Take It To The Limit by Eagles

3:45 - Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

3:50 - I Melt With You by Modern English

Kerry Ladka Slams Obama's Non-Response on Libya Attack

At London's Daily Mail, "'Obama didn't totally answer the question': Voter who probed about Libya attack during debate slams President's 'unsatisfactory' response."

Well, that's what you get from this bumbling egomaniac.

And watch this killer clip from Revealing Politics:

Holding President Obama Accountable

Via Carl in Jerusalem.

Syrian Rebels Get Missiles

At the Wall Street Journal, "Fears Rise That Portable Antiaircraft Weapons Could Wind Up With Terrorists":

ANTAKYA, Turkey—Some Syrian rebel factions have obtained advanced portable antiaircraft weapons, according to rebels and regional officials, a development that could alter the Syrian war's trajectory and fan U.S. concerns that such weapons could end up in the hands of anti-Western Islamist militias.

Video footage uploaded to the Internet earlier this week appears to show rebels in Aleppo using weapons that military experts and rebels say are heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missiles, the first documented instance in the conflict. Versions of the weapons—also known as man-portable air defense systems, or Manpads—have been smuggled into the country over the past two months through Turkey and to a lesser extent Lebanon, according to Syrian rebels and those who supply them arms through an "operations room" coordinated by regional governments.

"Northern Syria is awash with advanced antitank and antiaircraft weapons. The situation has changed very quickly," a Syrian involved in coordinating weapons procurement with regional states said. The Manpad transfers weren't sanctioned by the regional states that have armed and financed Syria's rebels since early this year, he added.

On Wednesday, fighters said they downed a military helicopter in the town of Maarat al-Nouman, in the northern Idlib province, one of at least four helicopters and jets they say they have brought down across Syria this week. It couldn't be determined how the craft were brought down. But the reported incidents, three of which are documented on videos but couldn't be independently verified, appear to mark an increased pace over the roughly weekly downings reported in Syria since the summer.

U.S. officials oppose the introduction of such weapons in Syria, citing long-standing fears that they could wind up in the hands of anti-Western militias that could eventually use them against the U.S. and its allies, or sell them to terrorists. "Obviously, we are concerned about the proliferation of Manpads," said a U.S. official.

The rebels in Aleppo who are depicted in the footage uploaded to the Internet this week are identified as members of the al-Salam and Hamza battalions, two of the relatively unknown divisions in a mushrooming insurgency. Rebels with the two largest fighting factions in Aleppo couldn't identify the battalions in the videos, though they confirmed that Manpads acquired over the past two weeks had made their way into the city.

Way to go Baracky!

See also the New York Times, "Rebel Arms Flow Is Said to Benefit Jihadists in Syria."

David Bowie Spotted in New York

He quit touring in 2004 after having a heart attack during his final performance of the Ziggy Stardust encore. I saw him perform in Irvine for that tour. I'm glad he's taking it easy nowadays.

See Telegraph UK, "Reclusive David Bowie spotted on rare public outing":

The reclusive singer David Bowie has been pictured in New York on a rare public outing dressed in cap, shades and hooded top, bearing little resemblance to the fashion icon of the 1970s.

The reclusive singer David Bowie has been pictured in New York on a rare public outing dressed in cap, shades and hooded top, bearing little resemblance to the fashion icon of the 1970s.

Bowie lives in a large Lower-Manhattan apartment with his ex-model wife Iman and daughter Lexi and has been almost invisible since suffering a major heart attack during a jinxed 2004 tour.

Michelle Malkin Slams Anti-Woman Obama Administration

I noted previously the left's ultra-pathetic "binder" attacks on Mitt Romney. I forgot the epic hypocrisy, however --- a major omission, considering how everything's pure hypocrisy on the left.

Hawkeye Voters Apologize for Backing Obama in 2008: 'An Open Letter to Our Fellow Iowans'

This is awesome.

See the Des Moines Register, "In full-page newspaper ad, 13 Iowa voters apologize for supporting Obama in 2008."

Read it: "An Open Letter to Our Fellow Iowans."

Change! Violent Crime Up 17 Percent in 2011, Survey Finds

Hey, thank a Democrat!

At the Los Angeles Times, "Violent crimes up 17% in 2011."

The Times' suggests it "could be a fluke." Yeah, like Obama's election was a fluke.

The crime stats will improve when the economy improves, and that's not going to happen under a second term of President Clusterf-k.

Wild Kayla Fitz

She's lovely.

And who doesn't love Sweet Cheeks bikini?

Acts of Terror

Via Legal Insurrection.

Meet Mitt Romney's Binder Babes

Well, the progs are in fits about Mitt Romney's "binder full of women," and boy, are they jonesin' to debunk the idea that Mitt's got creds with the ladies. See the idiots at Mememorandum and especially David Bernstein, "Mind the Binder."

And at London's Daily Mail, "Revealed: The high-flying women in Romney's 'binder'... but was he telling the truth about his cabinet selection process?" And also at the Hill, "Binders' remark shines spotlight on Romney appointments as governor."

Big Bird. Binders full of women. The progs are really struggling to come up with something, just like President Clusterf-k.

Talk about playing "small ball." These people are complete losers.

Smokin' Alessandra Ambrosio's in Victoria's Secret's $2.5m Fantasy Bra

That fashion show is coming up soon, I'll have full coverage.

Meanwhile, at London's Daily Mail, "'I was worried. I was in total mother mode': New mom Alessandra Ambrosio's race to get in shape to model Victoria's Secret's $2.5m Fantasy Bra."

Attempted Terrorist Attack at New York Federal Reserve Bank

At the New York Post, "Terrorist attempts to blow up Federal Reserve Bank."

And at WABC-TV New York, "Plot foiled to attack Federal Reserve in Manhattan" (via Memeorandum).

More at the New York Times, "Man Accused of Plot to Blow Up Federal Reserve Bank of New York."

Expect updates...

The Morning After: Obama Takes Second Debate 'On Points'

Charles Krauthammer is a tad more charitable than I would be, but his basic gist is in the same park as my comments last night. Obama had a good night. He was aggressive and clearly wanted to make up ground. And my main agreement with Krauthammer is on the point that Romney was in his wheelhouse on the longer soliloquies. But he mentions that Romney missed his chance on Libya. I too was waiting for Romney to bring up Obama's appearance on Letterman, where he was still talking about the so-called anti-Muslim video two weeks later, and about the same time he was on Univision, where the Mexican journalists stood in as the fourth branch for the American media. Clearly, in the president's mind it wasn't an "act of terror" at all, but a "spontaneous" event, just as Susan Rice was tasked to argue nearly a week after the deaths of our countrymen in Benghazi.

Because it was close, the leftist media will spin that Obama trounced Romney. The New York Times is up to the task this morning, "For the President, Punch After Punch":

But the Wall Street Journal comes back with the sober big picture analysis, "A President Without a Plan":

President Obama bounced off the canvas with a more spirited debate at Hofstra University on Tuesday night, as everyone expected he would. He was animated and on the attack. The question we kept asking as the evening wore on, however, is what does he want to do for the next four years?

At least two questioners put the point directly, yet Mr. Obama never provided much of an answer. Sure, he wants to hire 100,000 more teachers, as if there is the money to hire them or it would make much difference to student outcomes.

He wants to invest in "solar and wind and biofuels, energy-efficient cars," which probably means more Solyndras and A123s (see nearby). He wants to raise taxes on the rich—that's one thing he's really passionate about. Oh, and he does want to pass the immigration reform he said he'd propose four years ago but never did propose in his first two years when his party controlled Congress and he might have passed it.

But otherwise, what's his case for four more years? Judging by Tuesday's debate, the President's argument for re-election is basically this: He's not as awful as Mitt Romney. Mr. Obama spent most of his time attacking either Mr. Romney himself (he invests in Chinese companies), his tax plan as a favor for the rich ("that's been his history") or this or that statement he has made over the last year ("the 47%," which Mr. Obama saved for the closing word of the entire debate).

Continue reading.

More at Memeorandum and Politico.

And at Twitchy, "Romney right, Obama and water-carrier Crowley wrong on ‘act of terror’ claim."

Hofstra Presidential Debate — FULL VIDEO

Here's the complete debate clip:

PREVIOUSLY: "Candy Crowley Shills for Obama at Hofstra Debate!"

And the inevitable, "CNN Poll: Nearly half say Obama won showdown." (Via Memeorandum.)

As I noted earlier, I thought Obama was holding his own, but clearly, he got some help from the court shill Candy Crowley.

Indeed, see Astute Bloggers, "WOW: LUNTZ INDIE GROUP SWINGS TO ROMNEY AFTER DEBATE #2."

And FWIW, here's the report at NYT, "Obama and Romney Turn Up the Temperature at Their Second Debate." (Via Memeorandum.)

President Obama and Mitt Romney engaged Tuesday in one of the most intensive clashes in a televised presidential debate, with tensions between them spilling out in interruptions, personal rebukes and accusations of lying as they parried over the last four years under Mr. Obama and what the next four would look like under a President Romney.

RTWT.

Bottom Line: The president will have slowed Mitt's momentum a bit, with the help of the moderator. The later polling data might find Romney on top, especially if there's a big controversy over the moderator's bias. But the ultimate sparks are going to fly when the final debate of the season is held on October 23rd, which will be on foreign policy. Romney will be ready. He won't let Obama get propped up by the so-called "impartial" debate moderators. It's going to be an epic smack down.

Candy Crowley Shills for Obama at Hofstra Debate!

I saw the pre-debate criticisms of Candy Crowley, and I held back from commenting. I wanted to give her a chance. But I can honestly say now that this was the worst debate moderation in presidential debate history --- and I've been watching them since 1988. The moderator's jobs is to moderate, which means to act as a referee and keep the proceedings on track. A moderator is never a participant, for to do so means inevitably to take up sides. So for President Obama to call on Crowley for a fact check during the debate is like asking the NFL refs to give you a favorable spot for the first down in the 4th quarter of a game that's all tied up. No one would ever countenance it, and as the post-debate spin picks up, especially over the next couple of days, CNN's going to come in for enormous criticism for propping up the president and violating the announced rules and advanced directives of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Ann Althouse has this at Instapundit:

CANDY CROWLEY INSERTED HERSELF INTO THE DEBATE, OUTRAGEOUSLY, to break up Romney’s most dramatic moment, when Romney was questioning what Obama said the day after the attack in Benghazi. Obama had said he’d called the attack an “act of terror” and Romney was staring him down about it. Crowley broke up the showdown, saying “He did in fact call it an act of terror,” which took the wind out of Romney’s sails. We were advised to check the transcript, but the dramatic moment was lost. The transcript shows Romney was right, and Crowley and Obama were wrong.

Althouse updates with Patrick Brennan at National Review, "‘An Act of Terror’?" (at Memeorandum):

President Obama claimed tonight that he called the Benghazi attack an act of terror the day after it occurred, in the Rose Garden. Mitt Romney seemed skeptical, and asked him whether he stood by that statement — that he’d called it terrorism, rather than a spontaneous act arising out of a demonstration.

But here are his remarks....

One could take that as a reference to acts which include the tragedy in Benghazi, obviously, but there was clearly no effort made to label it an act of terrorism. One reason why this might be: According to U.S. law, acts of terrorism are premeditated. The Obama administration’s line for days following Obama’s Rose Garden statement suggested that the attack wasn’t premeditated.

Read the whole thing for the context. And while it's clear that the president only made an oblique reference to "acts of terror" ---- and not an explicit, purposeful condemnation of a premeditated attack ---- the exact wording provides presidential wiggle room, and then progressives will just continue to shill for the administration's cover up.

This was a new low in presidential debates. If folks will remember, as I always argue, we're no longer in a media environment where professionalism demands strict impartiality. We've long returned to a "partisan press" in which media outlets take sides. What was entirely new tonight is that a debate moderator who was charged with the trust of objectivity and fairness injected herself into a debate to deflate the momentum of the Republican challenger. It was as if Candy Crowley was of the monarch's cortege, and she juggled a court performance to place the king in the best possible light, not allowing a glimpse of true frailty of the man behind the throne. It was the spectacle of feigned impartiality in the service of entrenched power. In this case, the president was being brought down low, with truth to power charging from the challenger's attacks, then only to be deflated by a "fact-checking" moment that works to the default advantage of the incumbent. That alone made the debate a travesty of democracy.

There in fact had been a good number of back-and-forth rounds between the candidates, and I was expecting that folks might, some more moderate folks, call it a draw. But on the economy, on taxes and ---- especially ---- on energy policy, Mitt Romney was eviscerating the president. It was almost no contest at those moments. Romney, like during the first debate, was in his wheelhouse. And Crowley clearly sensed the president's trouble and gladly shilled for him at key points, shouting down Romney's attempts to get in brief clarifications and then, of course, taking sides when it came to the president's request to "check the transcript." Seriously. I've never seen such an outrageous thing at a debate. But clearly, Obama needed help.

More at Memeorandum.

Expect updates.

9:29pm Pacific: Fact-checking the debate fact-checker, at WaPo, "Fact Check: Libya attack":

What did Obama say in the Rose Garden a day after the attack in Libya? ”No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this nation,” he said.

But he did not say “terrorism”—and it took the administration days to concede that that it an “act of terrorism” that appears unrelated to initial reports of anger at a video that defamed the prophet Muhammad.

Romney was right.

9:42pm Pacific: Here's the headline at Astute Bloggers, "HUGE BREAKING NEWS: OMFG: OBAMA LIED AND CROWLEY SWORE TO IT: OBAMA DID NOT UTTER THE WORD TERROR AT THE ROSEGARDEN SPEECH!"

And over at Althouse's blog, "'The moderator will not... intervene in the debate except to acknowledge the questioners from the audience or enforce the time limits, and invite candidate comments during the 2 minute response period'":

That was the contractual term that Candy Crowley agreed to and blatantly violated in the debate tonight. She let us know in advance that she wasn't going to follow it...

More at the link.

And boy, like I said, she sure did blow off the advance directives not to deviate from the impartial script. It's a staggering assault of the process, and a blow to the decency and sense of fair play of the average voter.

9:55pm Pacific: At Breitbart, "CROWLEY'S FALSE FACT CHECK SAVES PRESIDENT, DERAILS DEBATE - UPDATE: CROWLEY BACKTRACKS."

This is a scandal; a total and complete media scandal committed by a woman who promised to violate her contract and to insert herself into the debate. All she did for weeks was brag about how she intended to grab the spotlight -- and boy did she ever.

Absolutely disgraceful.

The Buck Stops In the Oval Office

Althouse has been hammering on Hillary Clinton's "I take responsibility" moment.

See, "Hillary in '08: 'The Buck Stops In The Oval Office'."

See this one as well, "Drudge depicts women turning away from Obama."

President Baracky Secures the Highly Coveted Honey Boo Boo Endorsement!

Seems to me that Honey Boo Boo's family's more the religion and gun-clinging demographic, but hey, no doubt O will take what he can get.

At London's Daily Mail, "Fidgeting Honey Boo Boo endorses 'Marack Obama' in hilarious Jimmy Kimmel appearance."

Emma Kuziara Calendar Bikini Beach Photos at Egotastic!

Here's another one of those British beauties for some pre-debate Rule 5.

At Egotastic! "Emma Kuziara Topless Calendar Bikini Photos for a Perfectly Proper Introduction."

And don't tell Scott Eric Kaufman. The asshole will probably launch another attempt to get me fired.

Topless British bikini babes --- the horrors!

Five Years and Four Million Visitors

This blog's 5th anniversary came on October 7th.

I actually forgot about it at the time, although I was planning to write something to mark the occasion. It's not that big a deal, frankly. Folks like Jeff Goldstein have been blogging over ten years (and it's not getting any easier over there, it turns out). But longevity in the blogosphere is worth noting, since so many come and go. And "AmPower" also recorded 4 million visitors on Sitemeter a week or so back, so that's another milestone. But again, compared to Althouse, it's still a tiny number of hits.

Yesterday I was excited to get home from work so I could do some blogging, and tonight I'll be excited to post my thoughts on the presidential debate. So I guess that's the best sign that it's been worthwhile: I still haven't burned out, and that's after years of leftist attempts to shut me down.

I could do a huge roundup of thanks to all the big bloggers who've helped me, but I've been there done that. Instead, folks should check out Swedish Meatballs Confidential (pNSFW)." The guy was one of the first dudes to actually read my blog and provide feedback.

In any case, here's to another five years, and by then I will have said far more of moral significance than political scientist Daniel Drezner, who just posted his 10th anniversary post in the most anodyne iteration one could imagine. It's so nice not to worry about the academic prestige hierarchy of the political science profession. Most of those folks bore the hell out of me, but there's still a few good souls left in the field, so I'll stick around a little longer.

Lara Logan Speaks Truth to War on Terror

An amazing speech, via Daniel Greenfield at FrontPage Magazine, "Lara Logan: “Our Way of Life is Under Attack” (VIDEO)":

The quotes and excerpts of Lara Logan’s speech don’t really properly capture it the way that watching the video does. This is an emotional speech and it’s unusual because it’s been a while since we’ve heard anyone talk like this. It’s a speech that takes us back ten years to the early days of the War on Terror. And those ideas are apparently a core part of what she believes.

Lara Logan’s theme is that abandoning Afghanistan will turn it back over into a base for Islamic terrorists. And in between advocating serious engagement with Afghanistan and blasting the refusal to talk about Pakistan’s role in Al Qaeda, she slips in the occasional dangerous unexplored idea about the nature of the enemy.

'I Take Responsibility'

As I noted previously, I'm not sympathetic to Hillary playing the scapegoat. She was there at the service for the four dead Americans, as Charles Krauthammer argued. Now she's throwing herself under the bus, it turns out, but it's not two separate administrations. There's plenty of blame to go around, but the buck stops in the Oval Office. More on that at the Wall Street Journal, "Hillary's 'Responsibility'":

Hillary Clinton ducked questions Friday about what and when she knew about the nature of the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, and then she got the heck out of D.C. The Secretary of State, who flew to Peru Monday for a conference on women's empowerment, is savvy enough to smell political trouble.

Throughout the fallout from Libya, she has taken a low profile. But this position is becoming increasingly untenable. The focus of Congressional attention and debate has shifted to her shop. Even as they defer to an internal investigation—whose conclusions won't be out before Election Day—Joe Biden and the White House last week dumped responsibility for the security and intelligence failure that led to the assault on the Benghazi mission on the State Department and CIA. Does the Secretary care to comment?

On the day after the September 11 attacks, Mrs. Clinton stood alongside President Obama at the White House without speaking. When the Administration needed someone to appear on the Sunday morning talk shows the next weekend to discuss Libya, Mrs. Clinton was the natural choice. Yet she made no appearance and was replaced by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice.

An early Obama supporter and candidate to replace Mrs. Clinton in a second term, Ms. Rice offered the now infamous view that the attacks were a "spontaneous reaction" to an anti-Islam YouTube video. For eight days after the assault, the Administration stuck to that story....

In Thursday's Vice Presidential debate, Mr. Biden claimed, "We did not know they wanted more security again." A White House spokesman said on Friday that the Veep was referring only to the White House, not State.

Asked about this on Friday, Mrs. Clinton passed on the opportunity to clarify what she was doing the night of the attacks, when she knew about changed intelligence, and what she told Mr. Obama. She said a review board is looking into it, and in passing she defended Ms. Rice whom she said "had the same information from the intelligence community as every other senior official did."

CNN reported Monday night from Lima that Mrs. Clinton finally addressed the White House comments by saying "I take responsibility" for what happened in Benghazi. She added that "I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha" so close to an election. That's nice, but it still leaves many questions, such as why her own comments to the U.N. differed so much from the substance and tone of Mr. Obama's. Saying you take "responsibility" in brief interviews from faraway Peru is a long way from acting as if you're responsible.

And see Memeorandum.

Jew-Hatred at Occupy Wall Street's Facebook Page

Via Pamela Geller, "#OWS OCCUPY JEW-HATRED."

Here's Occupy's Facebook page.

PREVIOUSLY: "Hate-Blogger Walter James Casper III and Progressive Evil: Denial of Israel-Hatred Enables Exterminationist Anti-Semitism," and "Occupy Wall Street and the Jews":

Walter James Casper III has to answer for his ugly endorsement of the hate. Walter James Casper III has endorsed the anti-Semitism of the Occupy movement. Add this on top of his anti-black racist sentiments and the sponsorship of hatred at his blog under "free speech" pretenses, and it's beyond clear the depths of evil this man will go to destroy decent people, Jews and racial minorities especially, because they don't toe the collectivist line.

The New Blacklist

What I've been saying for a long time now.

From John Fund, at National Review, "Some proponents of gay marriage would rather intimidate their critics than debate them."

Romney Donations Surge to $170 Million for September

Romney's planning on burying the Democrat ticket in the last couple of weeks, and they've got the cash for it.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Romney's donations hit $170 million, close to Obama's":

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney saw a surge of donations in September, bringing in $170 million, a major cash infusion that will help pay for a deluge of advertising in the final weeks of the White House contest.

Romney came close to matching the $181 million that President Obama raised last month — and he did so during a rocky period for his candidacy and before his solid performance in the Oct. 3 debate, an event that greatly energized the Republican base.

Campaign officials indicated Monday that October was shaping up to be even better on the money front. Spokeswoman Andrea Saul tweeted that the campaign had raised more than $27 million in online donations in the first two weeks, better than any month's total so far.

The rapid contribution pace set by the former Massachusetts governor in September puts him on track to join Obama in raising more than $1 billion for his presidential bid by election day, with both surpassing the previous record.

As of Sept. 30, Romney had pulled in nearly $839 million through his campaign, the Republican National Committee and a joint fundraising committee, according to Federal Election Commission data and the Campaign Finance Institute.

And the details of the ad blitz at the Washington Post, "Romney tries to bury Obama in ads":

Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his allies are banking heavily on a high-risk, high-reward media strategy in the final weeks of the campaign, hoping that burying President Obama in ads will give them a crucial edge on Election Day.

Ad purchases in the presidential race doubled or in some cases tripled last week in swing states such as Colorado, Florida, Iowa and Virginia, tracking data show. The surge is being driven by Romney and well-funded allies, who decided against running more ads earlier in the campaign in favor of a big bang at the end.

Restore Our Future, a super PAC dedicated to helping Romney, has booked $14 million worth of ads in nine states for the final week of October — more than it spent on ads during the month of September. The group is also ramping up its spending, airing a mix of ads criticizing Obama and extolling Romney in Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia.

Charles R. Spies, the super PAC’s treasurer, said conservative groups “have been very effective in leveling the playing field” with Obama. “That effort will continue at an increasing level going forward,” he said.

The GOP effort has gained momentum with Romney’s advance in the polls since the first presidential debate in Denver, where Obama turned in a widely panned performance. The Oct. 3 event sparked an influx of donations to Romney’s campaign and to conservative groups supporting him, giving them more resources for the final push, strategists said.

The ramped-up advertising by Republicans left Obama behind his GOP foes in total ad expenditures last week for the first time since the summer, though he has massive cash reserves after raising $181 million in September. Obama and his key outside ally, the Priorities USA Action super PAC, have kept up a steady barrage ads attacking Romney in Ohio and other battlegrounds.

It's not like they'll be hurting for material, or anything:

Pew Poll: Independent Voters Say Ryan Bested Biden in Debate

The Weekly Standard reports:

A new Pew poll of registered voters shows that independent voters who tuned into the vice presidential debate last Thursday preferred Paul Ryan to Joe Biden by an 11-point margin:

Six-in-ten voters say they watched at least a little of last Thursday night’s vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan at Centre College in Danville, KY. Among debate watchers, as many say Biden did the better job (47%) as say Ryan (46%)....

Republican voters overwhelmingly say Ryan did the better job in the debate (88%); a comparable percentage of Democrats (89%) say Biden did the better job. Among independents, 50% say Ryan did better, 39% say Biden.

PREVIOUSLY: "Polls Show Joseph Biden — 'Malarkey McSmirk' — Losing Debate to Paul Ryan."

IMAGE CREDIT: The People's Cube, "The VP Debate: A True Horror Story."

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Resigns

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Dalton 'Tranny' McGuinty Resigns: 'It's time for renewal,' 'It's time for the next Liberal premier', It's time for someone else to take the fall for the shit I caused Ontario."

Gas Prices Compound Obama's Agony

Well, it's collapsing all around the Democrat ticket, no doubt.

And here's this, at The Hill, "Obama faces dilemma over gas prices as presidential campaign hits homestretch":

President Obama faces a dilemma as Mitt Romney bashes him over high gasoline prices in the final weeks of their close race.

Obama must decide whether to address the attacks head-on, or stay the course on a messaging strategy that has recently been addressing prices indirectly.

Democratic strategists and other experts argue that three weeks before voters go to the polls, Obama should steer clear of big messaging or policy pivots on gas prices.

“Bringing the issue up this close to Election Day would be self-defeating at this point,” said Paul Bledsoe, an independent consultant who was a climate change aide in the Clinton White House.
Dramatic action on energy appears unlikely before the election even as the campaigns tweak their closing arguments.

White House officials have said in recent months that a release from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is an option on the table. But speculation about the prospect has dimmed in recent weeks as oil prices have fallen off their summer highs that reached around $100-per-barrel in mid-September.

Prices closed Friday at $91.86-per-barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Democratic political strategist Michael Stratton said that tapping the SPR would damage Obama.

“Anything with gas prices that would be perceived as manipulative at this point would work against him, and would be perceived by everybody so cynically that it would be ineffective,” he said.

Average nationwide gasoline prices are currently $3.79-per-gallon and have for weeks been setting records for the highest prices on specific days of the year, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Prices, though, have been dropping in recent days.

Also, the current national average has been skewed upward by the major recent price spike in California, which saw average Golden State prices jump a half-dollar in a week to reach $4.67 on Oct. 9 before falling back, according to AAA.

Well, it just sucks to be Obama, doesn't it?

At the photo, the ARCO station at the corner of Del Amo and Woodruff in Lakewood, where I fill up on the way home from work. Regular unleaded is $4.47 a gallon, down about 10 cents or so from the last time I filled up over there.

The Debate Jerk

Via Legal Insurrection.

PREVIOUSLY: "Polls Show Joseph Biden — 'Malarkey McSmirk' — Losing Debate to Paul Ryan."

Bérénice Marlohe

Oh boy, she's something else.

And at American Perspective, "Skyfall Trailer - Who can resist a James Bond film?"

Felix Baumgartner Free-Fall — FULL VIDEO

It's pretty amazing.

And see Time, "Baumgartner’s Jump: Triumph or Freak Show?"

Obama Campaign Spins Out of Control

Via Theo Spark:

Let's Get Fiscal!

At Maggie's Notebook, "Ryan Girl Emerges: Bikinis Yoga Let Me See Those Baby Blues – Let’s Get Fiscal Video – Send it Viral."

Hillary Clinton Puts Daylight Between State Department and White House

Personally, I don't care about Hillary's 2016 aspirations. She's Obama's gal at state and she's part of the cover up.

But the Last Refuge has the push back, "Hillary Strikes Back: Attaches U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to Obama White House Propaganda Messaging."

Linked there is London's Daily Mail, "Hillary Clinton reveals what REALLY led to Benghazi massacre - and demolishes White House claim it was triggered by anti-Islam film."

This is the October Surprise, and it's not going the way Team Obama was expecting.

Also, "Krauthammer's Take: Hillary Told Video Lie as 'Body of the Ambassador Was Lying Next to Her'."

Join the Flight

Via Theo Spark:

Is College Really for Everyone?

Well, the educational system just assumes that it is. Mostly, though, kids have to find out for themselves, and that wastes a lot of people's time and resources. Perhaps there's a better way.

In any case, from Patrice Apodaca, at The Daily Pilot, "Is College Really For Everyone?"

Reports: Obama Will Attack Romney on Bain During Tuesday's Presidential Debate

Shoot, I'm surprised O didn't lay down some Bain attacks in the first debate.

He's got nothin' but smears, in any case. What's to stop him now, when he's down in the polls?

Ed Henry reports, at Fox News, "Obama camp tips hand on debate, hints president will attack Romney on Bain":

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – As President Obama began to hunker down at a plush resort here for three full days of debate prep, his campaign team signaled the incumbent may steal a page from Vice President Joe Biden and show a more aggressive tone in Tuesday's second face-to-face showdown with Republican Mitt Romney.

"Gov. Romney has been making pitches all of his life and he knows how to say what people want to hear whether that was during his time at Bain or during the dozens of town halls he did during the primary," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday. "His running mate also left him vulnerable on a number of issues -- admitting there was a $5 trillion tax cut, after he denied it, but again failing to explain how they would pay for it, leaving women worried about their ability to make choices about their own health care and failing to articulate their plan for winding down our presence in Afghanistan."

It's significant that Psaki previewed the president's next clash with Romney with an immediate mention of his time at Bain, a word Obama never mentioned during the first presidential debate, in Denver.

Senior campaign adviser David Axelrod said on "Fox News Sunday" that Obama is making “adjustments” before the debate and plans to be more aggressive.

Axelrod also referred to Romney's investment capital career before entering politics.

“We expect Governor Romney will have a great debate too," he said. "He is a great salesman. That is what he did as a professional, he is very good at it.” Later Sunday, Psaki noted women's health-care issues were left out of the first debate, which appeared to suggest Obama would raise the topic this time.

"The American people should expect to see a much more energized President Obama making a passionate case for why he is a better choice for the middle class," she told Fox News. "He will continue to hold Mitt Romney's feet to the fire on the facts about his policies, whether that is his 5 trillion tax cut plan that will leave the burden on the middle class, his plans to voucherize Medicare or his belief that women should not be able to make choices about their own healthcare."

O's going to be crushed tomorrow. Bringing up Bain's going to make it worse, since Romney will step up and slam "The One" as a bloody f-king liar.

 More at the link.

Added: At Mediaite, "Leaked Document Shows Debate Ground Rules Agreed Upon By Obama And Romney Campaigns." (Via Memeorandum.)

The Benghazi Attack: No More Lies

At the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Regarding the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya last month that left this nation’s ambassador and three others dead, the Obama administration is:

a.) lying
b.) stupid
c.) living in a parallel universe, or
d.) all of the above

Go to the head of the class if you chose “all of the above.” We’re all familiar with the administration’s first narrative of the Sept. 11 incident — it was the spontaneous reaction of a rioting mob upset over a low-budget anti-Muslim film. But that fiction began to unravel almost immediately.

There was no “protest,” only well-armed terrorists in a well-coordinated attack. Yet for weeks the White House stuck to its lie. And even now, after being forced to concede its tall tale was fact-bereft, many of Obama’s acolytes have not stopped lying.

Among the latest, during Thursday night’s vice-presidential debate, Joe Biden insisted that the consulate did not request additional security. That’s a lie, as the congressional testimony of four State Department officials proves.

Then there’s Obama campaign mouthpiece Stephanie Cutter, insisting that the unbelievable Benghazi attack narrative is an issue only because the Republican presidential ticket has made it one. How stupid is she and how stupid does she think the American people are?

Caught up in its repeated lies, the Obama administration has created a parallel universe. Where and when does it end?

In the polling booth on Nov. 6.

New USA TODAY/Gallup Swing States Poll Shows Romney Up by Four Among likely Voters

This is big, at USA Today, "Swing States poll: Women push Romney into lead":

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney leads President Obama by four percentage points among likely voters in the nation's top battlegrounds, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and he has growing enthusiasm among women to thank.

As the presidential campaign heads into its final weeks, the survey of voters in 12 crucial swing states finds female voters much more engaged in the election and increasingly concerned about the deficit and debt issues that favor Romney. The Republican nominee now ties the president among women who are likely voters, 48%-48%, while he leads by 12 points among men.

The battle for women, which was apparent in the speakers spotlighted at both political conventions this summer, is likely to help define messages the candidates deliver at the presidential debate Tuesday night and in the TV ads they air during the final 21 days of the campaign. As a group, women tend to start paying attention to election contests later and remain more open to persuasion by the candidates and their ads.

That makes women, especially blue-collar "waitress moms" whose families have been hard-hit by the nation's economic woes, the quintessential swing voters in 2012's close race.

"In every poll, we've seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney" since his strong performance in the first debate, veteran Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says. "Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them."

While Lake believes Obama retains an edge among women voters, the changed views of Romney could be "a precursor to movement" to the Republican candidate, she says. "It opens them up to take a second look, and that's the danger for Obama."

More at the link.

And at Memeorandum.

Video Credit: The Other McCain.

Scarlett Johansson in New Cruella de Vil-style Photo Shoot

This is amazing.

At London's Daily Mail, "ScarJo goes Goth: Cleavage-baring Scarlett Johansson has Cruella de Vil-style hair and a nose ring as she celebrates the 90s in new W shoot."

And check W Magazine for the full shoot, "FOUR ACTRESSES INHABIT FOUR DECADES OF FASHION."

Also photographed is Keira Knightley, Mia Wasikowska, and Rooney Mara.

Link-Starve BuzzFeed!

Man, that'd be harsh, although Professor Reynolds denies he was going to starve BuzzFeed for traffic.

See Althouse, "Instapundit threatens to link-starve BuzzFeed."

And Instapundit replies, "I WASN’T “THREATENING TO LINK-STARVE BUZZFEED”":

I don’t do boycotts, generally. But they seem to have wider ambitions than being a poor man’s ThinkProgress, and if they convince everyone to the right of Kos that they can’t be trusted, that’s what they’ll become. Lost trust can cost.

Keep in mind this is all about that "dog-whistle" Photoshop I blogged previously. The commentary on this was up over the weekend and I missed it, but it's worth updating. (And Doug Ross and The Other McCain both linked. Thanks!)

And remember, conservatives have exhaustingly repudiated racism, seen again and again in signs like the one above. Althouse has more, "Shameful, lowly race-baiting... but who's doing it?"

That said, Dan Riehl has this, "In Defense of Buzzfeed."

I'll have more later, so tune back in...

Malala Yousufzai Airlifted to Britain

It's a good thing. She was as good as dead if she stayed in Pakistan.

At the New York Times, "Schoolgirl Wounded by Taliban Is Airlifted to Britain":

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban last week for advocating girls’ education has been flown to Britain for emergency specialist care, the Pakistani military said on Monday.

Malala Yousafzai, 14, left an air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where she was being treated for head wounds in a military hospital, on an air ambulance sent from the United Arab Emirates.

In a statement, the military said she would receive immediate treatment for her skull, which was fractured after a bullet passed through her head, as well as “long-term rehabilitation including intensive neuro rehabilitation.”

Malala will be treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in central England, a center which has specialized in the treatment of troops wounded in Afghanistan, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said in a statement quoted by The Associated Press.

Pakistan said it would pay for her treatment.

A Pakistani military intensive care specialist accompanied her on the flight, which by midmorning Monday had stopped in the United Arab Emirates for refueling en route to Britain.

The mercy flight produced a sigh of relief of sorts among Pakistanis who have kept an anxious national vigil for Ms. Yousafzai since she was shot by a militant gunman last Tuesday as she returned from school in Mingora, the main town in the Swat Valley, in northwestern Pakistan.

The daughter of a schoolmaster, Ms. Yousafzai had become known for her eloquent and impassioned advocacy of education and children’s rights in the face of Taliban threats, which made her a potent symbol of resistance to the militants’ extremist ideology.

Actually, families better keep their kids close. I expect this is the beginning of a new reign of terror. See Der Spiegel, "Schoolgirl Shooting: Pakistanis Fear Resurgent Taliban in Swat Valley."

How Lincoln Emerged in the Stratosphere of Greatness

From Conrad Black, at the New York Sun, "As Daniel Day Lewis’ Portrayal of the 16th President Is About To Hit the Silver Screen, Our Columnist Offers an Assessment of the Original" (via Ed Driscoll at Instapundit):

The mighty American star system has elevated and demoted thousands of people over the 236 years since the propagandistic arts were first torqued up in the Declaration of Independence. But the supreme champion of the American personality cult has been Abraham Lincoln. Given the hyperbole which frequently attaches to much-admired Americans, there is a temptation to assume that Lincoln could not possibly deserve the stratospheric elevation he has received. But he does.

Lincoln was born on the Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, received only about a year of formal education, and moved with his family to the frontier country of Indiana, and then, at 21, to Illinois. He largely educated himself as a voracious reader, worked at a variety of jobs, had his first, disturbing, look at slavery on a trip down the Mississippi in 1831, and toiled in a law office until he became a member of the Illinois Bar in 1836.

His mother died when he was young and he had little rapport with his father. But he got on, was a tall and rugged man, companionable, and a fine raconteur with a good sense of humor, who gradually built up his legal practice and became a leading attorney.

He was troubled by slavery as fundamentally wrong: “I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our Republican example of its just influence in the world.” This seems an obvious position to hold now, but America was largely founded and built by slave-holders. Although Lincoln did not at first consider African Americans to be equal in talent and intelligence to Caucasians, he eventually amended that view, when he came to know more of them.

Lincoln came gradually to believe that the incongruity to proclaimed American values, and the outright evil of slavery, were so profound that the nation could not survive. He was for, above all, the preservation of the Union, and favored various methods of curtailing and gradually eliminating slavery. These included support for the original idea of paying for the emancipation of slaves and their voluntary return to Africa, to the purpose-created country of Liberia.

Continue reading.

I haven't been this excited about a new movie in a long time. Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president. The more I read about him the more fascinated I become. And I love sharing things like the Gettysburg Address with my students, especially because they too are fascinated by him, and of the sacrifice that he eventually made for the preservation of American democracy.

The trailer is in theaters. My oldest boy and I saw "Taken 2" over the weekend and we watched it. Daniel Day Lewis, when viewed at some angles, looks like he's Lincoln himself. It's an amazing likeness. I'm excited.

Obama Surrogate: Benghazi Never Asked For More Security

Via Breitbart:

Also at Gateway Pundit, "Obama Campaign: Come On, Benghazi Was Only A Compound (Video)."

Nigel Farage Discusses Euro Crisis With Neil Cavuto on Fox News

Via Theo Spark:

Dana Loesch Documents TSA Harassment

She tweeted the whole encounter.

Dana recited TSA rules, posted at the website, which indicate the right to a public screening. But she was still denied.

The full report is at Twitchy, "TSA nightmares: Dana Loesch tweets another outrageous account of harassment."

Felix Baumgartner Breaks Sound Barrier

At Fox News, "Fearless Felix Baumgartner Safely Lands Record Breaking 24-mile Leap to Earth."

Also at the New York Times, "Felix Baumgartner Was Just Thinking About Coming Home." (At Memeorandum.)

Islamofascists Protest 'Age of Mockery' at Google's London Headquarters

They're bleedin' idiots.

At Telegraph UK, "Muslims protest 'age of mockery' as thousands descend on Google HQ." (Via Memeorandum.)

Plus, check the video at Blazing Cat Fur, "Muslim Fanatics Demand Google Bow to Their Insanity."

Questions About the Libya Attack

From the editorial page at the Los Angeles Times, "Re U.S. was urged to add Libya guards, Oct. 11":

It has become increasingly clear that the Obama administration (which I formerly supported) was perfectly willing to make our freedom of speech, rather than its own ineptitude and lack of vigilance, the villain in the recent attack on our Libyan consulate.

That our United Nations ambassador, Susan Rice, went on political shows on TV spreading distortions and untruths regarding the atrocity in Benghazi is an obscenity.

Michael Jenning
Van Nuys

Notice that Mr. Jenning is a "former" supporter of the president, a more common designation than the Democrat media is letting on.

But see also John Hinderaker, "What Happened In Benghazi" (via Memeorandum).

And at Atlas Shrugs, "Obama's #savage cover-up of an act of war against America: What really happened in Benghazi."

I'll have more shortly ...

'the' or 'The'? Editors Won't Let It Be

I think of this every time I post a music video. Is it, for example, "the" Wallflowers or "The" Wallflowers?

More on that att the Wall Street Journal, "Editors Won't Let It Be When It Comes to 'the' or 'The': Wonky Wikipedia Debate: Whether Beatles Article Merits Capital 'T'":

The Beatles once sang, "Have you heard the word is love?" In a Wikipedia war raging around the group, the word is "the."

For some eight years, editors at the online encyclopedia have been debating whether the article "the" should be uppercased when referring to the band. Is it "the" Beatles or "The" Beatles?

The lowercase faction says the Wikipedia manual of style and external style guides are on its side.

The uppercase faction says that trademarks should be capitalized and that the official Beatles website uses an uppercase definite article.

The dispute has become so contentious that some Wikipedia editors have been banned from participating. "Discussions on this page may escalate into heated debate," warns the internal "Talk" page where editors discuss changes to the Beatles entry.

"Please try to keep a cool head when commenting here."

Now, Wikipedia is trying to settle the question with a community poll, where readers will get to decide which case will prevail. The poll is expected to close Monday. Currently, the Beatles entry mainly sidesteps the issue by avoiding the name of the group in mid-sentence. Still, there are a couple of instances where "the" is lowercased.

The two surviving Beatles aren't singing out on the question. Paul McCartney's agent said the former Beatle wouldn't be available for an interview. Ringo Starr's agent said she doubted she could reach her client quickly enough.

Lowercase advocates point to a handwritten 1970 letter from Beatle John Lennon, who was murdered a decade later, that uses a small "t."

If Mr. Lennon were alive today, "he would have a good laugh at all the 'fans' who think that a lowercase 't' is somehow a disgrace to the band," says Gabriel McFadden, an editor who calls himself "the leader of the lowercase faction." He won't reveal his location because he says he has been "cyberstalked" over the dispute.

Different publications have different capitalization rules. The Wall Street Journal uppercases the "the" in its own name but lowercases it for other publications. As for the musical group, it is "the" Beatles.

I wrote "the" Wallflowers yesterday, so I guess I'll just keep it at that.

More from WSJ at the link.

Sunday Cartoons

Via Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – One Heartbeat Away."

I don't see Wordsmith's "Sunday Funnies" up yet, but I'll update (from Flopping Aces).

But see Jill Stanek, "Stanek Sunday funnies: “Joe just being Joe” edition."

And Nate Beeler's cartoons are at Cagle.

More later...

Rosie Jones Filming BigD Peanuts 2013 Calendar (VIDEO)

Lovely.

And there's more from yesterday at the Sun's Page 3, "2013 looks Rosie!"

Space Shuttle Endeavor Completes Move to California Science Center

The Los Angeles Times has had pretty amazing coverage of the shuttle Endeavor. I love this picture below, from the front page of today's paper. The caption reads, "TRAYMOND HARRIS, left, and Ryan Hudge play basketball as the shuttle Endeavor passes by in Inglewood on Saturday." And here's the report there, under the photograph, "Shuttle crawls obstacle course."

ABC News 7 had live coverage of the final stage of the move today, and the here's the update at the Times, "Endeavour within sight of Exposition Park."

And from yesterday, "Space shuttle Endeavour rolls on toward its new home."

Former Senator Arlen Specter Has Died

The New York Times reports, "Arlen Specter, 82, Dies; Former Senator From Pennsylvania."

And at WND, "FORMER SEN. ARLEN SPECTER DIES AT 82: Chief architect of 'single-bullet theory' in JFK assassination."

That So-Called Racist Mitt Romney 'Dog-Whistle' T-Shirt is Almost Certainly Photoshopped

I personally don't believe that someone would wear a shirt like that to a Mitt Romney rally. I attended dozens of tea parties on 2009-2010, and I only once saw controversial posters, at the protest against Nancy Pelosi at the Orange County Airport --- and I denounced those in a series of posts identifying the San Diego organizer, Roger Ogden, who later apologized for the misunderstanding and claimed his posters were not racist.

This story was all over Memeorandum yesterday, most conspicuously at Crooks and Liars, where the hopelessly idiotic Dave Neiwert claims this one, utterly suspicious t-shirt "proves" Mitt Romney's running a "dog-whistle" campaign. But the photo, which is licensed to Getty Images, got traction at more reputable outlets, such as New York Magazine, "Check Out This Mitt Romney Supporter’s Horrendously Racist Fashion," and originally at the much-less reputable BuzzFeed, "Man At Romney Rally Wears Mindblowingly Offensive Shirt."

Well, it goes without saying that some folks aren't having it --- Robert Stacy McCain, for example, "False-Flag Troll, IRL":

I can pretty much guarantee that this man photographed at a Romney rally in Lancaster, Ohio, is not in fact a Republican, but rather is a plant sent out by the Democrats as a dirty trick.

Clue #1: Wearing a “Romney/Ryan” sticker on the back of his T-shirt. Nobody does this. Nobody.
Clue #2: It’s kind of chilly in Ohio this time of year, and the guy’s wearing only a T-shirt, while those around him are wearing coats.
My guess is that this guy also wore a coat when he entered the rally, then stationed himself toward the back of the crowd (in front of the riser where the press photographers are stationed) and then removed his coat to expose the T-shirt, with the explicit purpose of having it photographed.
. . . aaanndd, Clue #3: No name? A press photographer is going to take a picture like this and make no effort to ID the guy? Nuh-uh.

Actually, it's even less credible.

See Wordsmith's post at Flopping Aces, "Racist Romney/Ryan supporter in Lancaster, Ohio?" Click through for the analysis, but bottom line: Wordsmith's calling bullshit. And what's more, one commenter says that he went through the Getty photographer's slideshow from the Romney/Ryan rally and there are no crowd images, or any other images, with this man wearing that particular t-shirt. But most interestingly, one commenter links to a "photo forensics" site that claims to have a date-stamp for the digital file as "Profile Date Time 2012:01:25 03:41:57" (here).

If the "forensics" data is accurate, the photo's from January of this year, and thus is not only Photoshopped but is also not a picture from a recent Romney/Ryan rally in Ohio.

But again, the main reason this as a completely manufactured controversy is the past record of conservatives utterly rejecting any racist paraphernalia at campaign events and tea parties. Where there's been racism it's been completely repudiated. When the famous photo of so-called Texas tea party "leader" Dale Robertson emerged, the absolute renunciation was swift. Newsbusters has the flashback, "TPM Trumpets Racist Rebuffed by Tea Party Groups as 'Prominent' 'Leader'." And of course folks will remember that the leftist media was jonesing for racist tea-partiers so badly that it had to invent them, for example, Contessa Brewer, "Guy With AR-15 at Obama Rally Was Black Dude: MSBNC Kinda Leaves That Part Out."

The so-called racist Mitt Romney "dog-whistle" t-shirt is almost certainly a scam. It's bogus. We've seen this movie before and the ratings are in: total flop. The "race card" doesn't work anymore, if it ever really did. The left's goal is to falsely delegitimize criticism and silence dissent. This photo below, seen early in the tea party era at Gateway Pundit, captures what's really going been going on with race on the right:

I'll update if more information becomes available, but I'll tell you again, it's a scam. Just one look at that "Romney/Ryan" picture and you can see that's an obvious Photoshop.

Donna's Diner in Elyria, Ohio

I don't worry about the national polls. My biggest concern is Ohio. And while I discount PPP's Democrat-leaning surveys (the poll's a Daily Kos joint, with new numbers out today having Obama up by 5 points, unrealistically), I'm not sure if the first debate was enough to give Romney a decisive advantage there. Things look pretty good at RCP's polling average for the state, and even there the NBC/Marist poll along with PPP is skewing the average to the Democrats.  And more on these two polls at AoSHQ, "Pollsters: 1/5 of Ohio Vote Already In! Me: Bull."

In any case, more later on the polling numbers --- especially a week or so from this Tuesday and the next presidential debate. Meanwhile, here's a ground-level report from Ohio, at the New York Times, "At the Corner of Hope and Worry":

ELYRIA, Ohio

Another day begins with a sound softer than a finger-snap, in an Ohio place called Elyria. In the central square of this small city, the gushing water fountain applauds the early-morning chorus of sparrows. A car clears its throat. A door slams. And then: click.

The faint sound comes as 7:00 flashes on the clock of the Lorain National Bank building, looming over the square. The pull of a string — click — has sent life pulsing through a neon sign, announcing to all of Elyria that, once more, against the odds, Donna’s Diner is open.

Its proprietor, Donna Dove, 57, ignites the grill that she seems to have just turned off, so seamlessly do her workdays blend into one endless shift. She wears her blond hair in a ponytail and frames her hazel eyes with black-rimmed glasses that tend to get smudged with grill grease. She sees the world through the blur of her work.

A dozen years ago, Donna found a scrap of serendipity on the sidewalk: a notice that a local mom-and-pop restaurant was for sale. After cooking for her broken family as a child, after cooking for county inmates at one of her many jobs, she had come to see food as life’s binding agent, and a diner as her calling. She maxed out her credit cards, cashed in her 401(k) and opened a business to call her own.

Donna’s Diner. Donna’s.

You know this place: It is Elyria’s equivalent to that diner, that coffee shop, that McDonald’s. From the vantage point of these booths and Formica countertops, the past improves with distance, the present keeps piling on, and a promising future is practically willed by the resilient patrons.

It is where the recession and other issues of the day are lived as much as discussed. Where expectations for a certain lifestyle have been lowered and hopes for salvation through education and technology have been raised. Where the presidential nominees Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each hope that his plan for a way back will resonate with the Donna Doves, who try to get by in places like Elyria — where the American dream they talk about can sometimes seem like a tease.

Continue reading, on some of the hardship Donna and her patrons are facing, and then this:

The fresh aroma of coffee face-slaps the air. Soon the Breakfast Club regulars, that gaggle of Elyrian past and present, will be here to renew their continuing discussion of what was, is and isn’t in this city of 55,000. The presidential election sometimes serves as a conversation starter, like a curio placed between the salt and pepper shakers.

The talk will continue as yolk stains harden and refills turn tepid. Their Ohio is a swing state, after all, and their Elyria sits precariously on that swing. More Democratic than Republican, it has several global companies and the memory of many more; an embattled middle class and encroaching poverty; and the faint sense that the Next Big Thing better arrive before even its beloved park fountain, visible from the diner’s front window, gets shut off...