Charles Johnson Becomes a Terrorist Tool

Some developments tonight in the jihad against the anti-jihad bloggers ...

From Robert Spencer, "Hamas-linked CAIR defames me again, tries to block my ALA appearance, takes material from libelblogger Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs":

I wrote the other day about how some alleged believers in free speech among American academia are trying to block my speaking at the American Library Association convention this Sunday. Now the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), true to form, has gotten into the act, sending the ALA a fresh steaming pile of defamation, lies, and distortions (drawing once again on material from its favorite useful idiot, the discredited, thoroughly dishonest Charles Johnson of that cesspool of lies and hate, Little Green Footballs), asking that I be dropped from the ALA panel.

Whatever the ALA does, I am not going to let CAIR's libels go unanswered.

Read the whole thing, here.

See also, Pamela Geller, "Robert Spencer Answers CAIR's Libel, Defamation and Lies," and Yid With Lid, "Little Green Footballs Becomes a Terrorist Tool."

Patriots Counterprotest MoveOn and ACORN

Via Michelle Malkin and This Ain't Hell (and Memeorandum), check out Gathering of Eagles - NY, "AAR – MoveOn and Acorn Meet Patriots":

Patriots from the Conservative Society for Action, Gathering of Eagles, Active and the 912 Group rallied in front of the offices of Senator Charles Schumer to counter the staged pro-nationalized healthcare rally planned by MoveOn.org and ACORN.

The first moonbats arrived and almost immediately called the police because they hate free speech and any opposition to their agenda. One of their old biddies called me a racist for opposing health care for illegal immigrants. Unfortunately for them the first amendment is still enforced in this country and the police would not interfere with our counter protest.

Things went downhill for the Soros stooges from there ....

Michelle notes of the growing conservative protest movement:

You won’t see these on the front page of the New York Times. But it’s happening more often than you think — and it’s all the more remarkable and newsworthy given that most Tea Party folks, unlike the Soros-funded astroturf protest mobsters, have full-time jobs and families ...

Check Gathering of Eagles for more pictures.

WaPo's Sally Quinn Blames Sarah Palin For Sexist Letterman Attacks

I just found this story at Gateway Pundit, "WaPo Writer Blames Sarah Palin For Letterman's Attacks On Her Children."

While searching for video I found this classic screen-cap at Free Republic. The full piece is from last September, by Jeffrey Lord, "Who Is Sally Quinn?" The highlighted part is killer:

The Sally Quinns of the world were given cachet because liberals like Ben Bradlee got to do whatever the hell they pleased with their power in the media and there wasn't a damn thing the rest of the country could do as one conservative after another from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan to Robert Bork to Clarence Thomas, Dan Quayle, Miguel Estrada, and on and on right up to today's Sarah Palin were trashed. And I do mean trashed. They were painted as idiots, warmongers, bigots, boobs, religious fanatics, wild-eyed zealots, racists, sexual harassers, and God only knows what else. This kind of garbage was bannered and blared unchallenged from every one of the three major networks, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and the rest of the liberal acolyte media organs. For decades. Until the advent of everything from conservative magazines such as the one you are reading to talk radio to the Internet to Fox collectively shattered the media monopoly.

An old but great essay!

The whole thing is here!

Recall that Sally Quinn stirred controversy over Sarah Palin during last year's campaign, "On CNN, WaPo's Quinn Questions Palin's Ability to 'Put Country First'."

She tried to walk it back later. See, "Sally Quinn Apologizes For Sarah Palin Remarks … Sort of Maybe Not-So-Much."

Controversy Over Pro-Life T-Shirt at McSwain Elementary School

I just caught word of this story on O'Reilly Factor. Megyn Kelly argued that the school had previously allowed the student to wear pro-life clothing. But the pictures of the growing fetus were probably too much, considering that small children would be attending the school. What do you think? It was "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." Jill Stanek "can't believe Fox called these images graphic'."

The background is here, "Seventh Grader Sues School Over Right to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirt":

A California mom says her public school administrators violated her daughter's First Amendment rights when they ordered the seventh-grader to take off her pro-life T-shirt.

Anna Amador has gone to court on behalf of her daughter, who she says was ordered by her principal to change her shirt on "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." The shirt the girl was wearing displays two graphic pictures of a fetus growing in the womb.

The incident occurred in April 2008 at McSwain Elementary School, a K-8 school in Merced, Calif. Amador alleges in her legal complaint that school Principal Terrie Rohrer, Assistant Principal C.W. Smith and office clerk Martha Hernandez mistreated her daughter and denied the girl her First Amendment rights when they ordered her to leave the cafeteria and change her shirt.

"Before Plaintiff could eat [breakfast] she was ordered by a school staff member to throw her food out and report immediately to Defendant Smith's office, located in the main office of McSwain Elementary School," the complaint reads.

"Upon arriving at the main office, Defendant Hernandez, intentionally and without Plaintiff's consent, grabbed Plaintiff's arm and forcibly escorted her toward Smith's office, at all times maintaining a vice-like grip on Plaintiff's arm. Hernandez only released Plaintiff's arm after physically locating her in front of Smith and Defendant Rohrer ...

"Smith and Rohrer ordered Plaintiff to remove her pro-life T-shirt and instructed Plaintiff to never wear her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Elementary School ever again ...

Here's this commentary from the Gadsden Times:

The case of free speech in schools goes back to the Vietnam War era, when students wore black armbands, at that time in violation of many schools’ policies. Later, the Supreme Court ruled students could engage in protest as long as it "did not materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school."

The same seems to be true in the case of the girl’s T-shirt. Each day, there are worse, and more distracting, items of clothing worn to school by boys and girls. Sometimes, the distraction comes from a lack of clothing.

But a girl exhibiting her right to free speech, by supporting a cause she believes in — that a large portion of the entire country backs and believes in — should not lead to the girl being forced to change her shirt.

Breaking Update: July 9th Protesters Gassed and Beaten; Khamenei Seizes Revo Guard, Sarkozy at G8 Rejects Israeli Strike on Iran!

Pamela Geller has a full report, "Iran Revolution Day 26: Thousands Return To The Streets In Iran, Shootings Reported."

And from Mere Rhetoric, "Khamenei Seizes Control Of Iranian Republican Guard Militias, Installs Son As Head Thug." (Related Reference: "Mojtaba Khamenei, Revolutionary Guard, Key to Power in Iran.")

Plus, from ABC's Lara Setrakian in Iran:

tear gas & beatings, people chant "don't be afraid, we're in this together" & "ya Hussein, Mir Hussein." Cars honk in support. #iranelection

Here's video from Tehran, "Intersection of Taleghani and Valiasr. Anti riot forces attacking with teargas (6:23PM July 9th)":

Protesters are overcome by tear gas:

Second from bottom, via Rotten Gods, "we are children of war (They mean Iran-Iraq war), if you fight we'll fight back!" At bottom, people running, shouting, "death to dictator!"

Also, CNN, "Protesters in Iran Met With Tear Gas, Batons," and "In Iran, New Demonstrations Bring New Violence."

Gateway Pundit, "CRACKDOWN IN IRAN- Police Clash With Protesters On 18th of Tir Anniversary (Video)."

Plus, Reuters, "Sarkozy Urges Israel Not to Attack Iran," and Jerusalem Post, "Sarkozy: Unilateral Israeli Attack on Iran Would Be 'Catastrophe'."

See my earlier entry, "Iran Warns of 'Crushing Response' to July 9 Protests." And Michael Ledeen has more, "Today Is a Crucial Day For Iran."

Stay tuned ... rolling updates through the evening ...

Democrats' Partisan Porkulus - And, Americans Rejecting Obamanomics!

From USA Today, "Billions in Aid Go to Areas That Backed Obama in '08":

Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election.

That aid — about $17 billion — is the first piece of the administration's massive stimulus package that can be tracked locally. Much of it has followed a well-worn path to places that regularly collect a bigger share of federal grants and contracts, guided by formulas that have been in place for decades and leave little room for manipulation.

The story is at pains to indicate that no "political considerations could be at work." But that hardly matters. If race, rights, and spending are seen as driving Democratic policy (as is always the case), then we'll see a backlash. (For more, see Gateway Pundit, "Shocker!... BILLIONS In Stimulus Aid Went to Obama Supporting Counties")

Check out Ben Smith, "Independents Begin to Edge Away From President Obama":

In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest.

Obama’s job approval rating hit a — still healthy — low of 56 percent in the Gallup Poll on Wednesday. And pollsters are debating whether Obama’s expansive and expensive policy proposals or the ground-level realities of a still-faltering economy are driving the falling numbers.

But a source of the shift appears to be independent voters, who seem to be responding to Republican complaints of excessive spending and government control.

“This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican.

“They’re saying, ‘Costing too much, no results, see the downside, not sure of the upside,’” he said.

The White House denies there’s been any real shift.

And remember from earlier this week, "New Gallup Poll Indicates that Americans are becoming more Conservative."

And the week before that, "More Americans See Democratic Party as “Too Liberal”." And related, from Pew Research, "Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era."

Plus, see Ed Morrissey, "Confidence in Obama, Economy Still Dropping," and Foon Rhee, "Obama's Poll Numbers Drop" (via Memeorandum).

The icing on the cake: Michael Barone, "Getting Cold Feet Over Big Government."

Related: Michelle Malkin, "Culture of Corruption Watch: “Put Nothing in Writing ... Ever”."

More at Memeorandum.

Allegations of Racism in Philadelphia Swim Club Controversy

Well, at least James Joyner's consistent. He's got a post up on the controversy in Philiadelphia over allegations of racism, "Swim Club Racism in Philly?" Joyner's introduction is worth quoting at length:

A rather thinly sourced piece in the Philadelphia News alleging racism at a private swim club is getting quite a bit of attention.

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

“I heard this lady, she was like, ‘Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?’ She’s like, ‘I’m scared they might do something to my child,’” said camper Dymire Baylor.

So, a kid claims “some lady” was wondering about the presence of black kids at a private club that, one gathers, tended to not normally have large numbers of black kids?

“When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,” Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. “The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately.”

So, the white kids reflexively exited the pool en masse? Because they’ve never seen black kids before? In Philly?

And pool attendants — in 2009 Philadelphia — not only carried out a policy of excluding blacks from the club but had the incredibly poor judgment to tell the blacks that that’s what they were doing?!

Well . . . maybe:

“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club,” John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

Now, frankly, if I’m paying for membership in a private club so that I can take my kids swimming in peace, I don’t want said club to sell season passes to large groups of non-members. Not only does that make the pool more crowded but it rather diminishes the “club” aspect of the experience. Typically, members are vetted and recommended by other members; having a busload of kids coming in from outside the community makes it, in essence, a public pool.

Yet Joyner's views are consistent, as noted. In June, he hammered critics of Sonia Sotomayor, who had attacked the judge for her membership in an all-women's social club, "Sotomayor Quits Women’s Club." (See also, the Wall Street Journal, "Court Nominee Sotomayor Quits Women-Only Group").

The question for Joyner is how identity politics creates its own vicious loop of discrimination and recrimination. There should be no place for any of this in a colorblind society.

Interestingly, today's lead editorial at the Los Angeles Times' attacks conservatives for their alleged indifference to the "continuing realities" of discrimination in the country today. "In the Struggle Against Racism, We Haven't Overcome Yet":

As many conservatives see it, we're living in a chastened, post-racial America in which discrimination has been largely dismantled, Jim Crow is dead and gaps are being narrowed. With a growing black and Latino middle class -- not to mention a "beiging" of America thanks to intermarriage -- it's time to end our obsession with righting the wrongs of the past. More specifically, we should do away with morally troublesome policies such as affirmative action, minority set-asides and "pre-clearance" that aid minority groups at the expense of the majority, and revert, instead, to the sounder principle of colorblind justice for all.

Well, yes ... absolutely. Unfortunately, the Times' board goes on to decry (phantom) "de facto" segregation and then concludes with lame arguments for race conscious equal protection, saying "it's not so clear that the battle is over."

So what to say about the Philly case? Sorry to Mr. Joyner, but this is inexcusable bigotry. Folks can't be quoted on the record with worries about "changing the complexion" of the neighborhood pool. Public, private ... it doesn't matter. This smacks of racial insensitivity, at least, and I'm not one to tag along on the racial victimology bandwagon. The question for me is why did the club sell access to the pool for non-member families? The offer of summer swimming to outside groups must have been made with the consent of the club's membership. They can't come along later and say, "Hey, these kids are all black. We can't have them here. We have an image to keep, you know? ... 'complexion' matters."

As Nice Deb puts its, "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!":

What the heck?! This story reads like something out of Birmingham Alabama circa 1958:

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

I heard this lady, she was like, ‘Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?’ She’s like, ‘I’m scared they might do something to my child,’” said camper Dymire Baylor.

Well, if that kid’s telling the truth, I’d say, yeah, duh! Race was the reason.

Nice Deb is one of the most stalwart conservatives I know. I have to agree. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. There are times for discerning motives and nuance, but this isn't one of them.

What's a bummer, of course, is how an isolated case of racial insensitivity like this gives ammunition to the racial grievance masters who see Jim Crow hiding behing every corner (see, for example, pandagon.net, Jack & Jill Politics, Gawker, Unreported and Alas, a blog).

The administration and members of the Valley Swim Club need to get on the same page, and they need to get in step with the rest of the country. This is pure idiocy. This should NOT be taken for a larger statement on the contemporary (phantom) endurance of some long-ago repudiated pattern of entrenched racial hierarchy.

Conservatives are right to condemn both the swim club's stupidity, as well as the racial grievance lobby's opportunistic reaction to it.

The full video is at the link, "Pool Boots Kids Who Might 'Change the Complexion'." More at Memeorandum.

**********

UPDATE: Skye from Midnight Blue e-mails:

I read this report yesterday, Donald.

Something does not feel right with this story. Too many statements from the alleged victims seemed to be boilerplate racial statements. My intitial gut feeling on this is that there is more to this story than what has been reported. Let me be clear - I will be the first to condem this action if it is indeed true - but I need more evidence that what has been reported.

And to reiterate Nice Deb, "Well, if that kid’s telling the truth ..."

**********

UPDATE II: John Duesler, the president of the Valley Swim Club, is a Barack Obama supporter!

See Moe Lane, "Yes, the President of the Valley Swim Club is a John G Duesler, Jr."

See also, Sweetness and Light, "Philly Pool Kids Booter Is Obama Fan."

Remember, racism's always cool and hip on the Democratic side!

As they say at Alas, a Blog, "A whole lot of folks in “post-racial” America are still spouting the same old bigotry."

Well, those "whole lot of folks" would be Democrats!

See, "Mainstream Bigotry and Racism on the Democratic-Left."

Added: Dan Riehl, "Uh Oh! Duesler Founder Of The Chocolate Squad?"

Iran Warns of 'Crushing Response' to July 9 Protests

From the New York Times, "Iran Warns Foes of ‘Crushing Response’ to Protests."

Also, at Pajamas Media, "Iran Launches Preemptive War Against July 9 Protests."

Plus, Michael Ledeen, "Today Is a Crucial Day For Iran":

Maybe it’ll be a turning point. Maybe not. It’s the anniversary of the massacre of students in Iran ten years ago, when they defied their tyrants and called for freedom. There are certainly a lot of people around the world who will turn out to show their contempt for the Tehran regime. I can’t keep track of them all, but there should be significant turnouts in the Hague, Vienna, Rome, Paris, Washington, New York, Irvine and Santa Monica, Seattle and Hamburg…and more and more. In Iran itself, the regime’s opponents have called for “the biggest turnout yet,” totally silent, no posters or banners, just silence.

The silence of the demonstrations would be a counterpoint to the nightly chants from the rooftops and prisons of the nation. Chants of “Allah is great,” along with “Death to the Dictator.” If you believe the folks on Twitter, those chants have been louder with each passing night, despite the violence of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards, which ranges from snipers shooting from one rooftop to another, armed thugs breaking into homes to seize computers, cell phones and other communications devices, and arrest one or more family members. Meanwhile, horribly maimed bodies have been showing up all over the country. Some of the gouging of the bodies seems to have been done to remove all evidence of bullet holes, but whatever the “explanation,” the bloody savagery is well documented.

If you want some detail about the horrors inside Iranian hospitals, have a look at Le Figaro’s account.

Over the objections of medical staff, bodies from the demonstrations were quickly moved elsewhere. “We believe they were transferred to the Baqiatollah military hospital or some other undisclosed location”, notes the doctor. Then, under the pretext of “organ donation”, all traces of bullets were removed from the bodies. “The parents were force to accept this if they wanted to retrieve the body for burial”.

And yet, the protest goes on. For the past three days, a general strike has been in effect, with significant results. Indeed, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei preemptively admitted defeat when government offices and factories were shut down in the name of a religious observance. But the strikers only expanded the range of their actions, notably by shutting down electrical grids in several cities, including parts of Tehran. Great swathes of the nation were plunged into darkness. This sort of thing is likely to continue, whatever happens on the 9th.

Most of the protesters fear the worst, warning of snipers preparing to shoot into the crowds, and a massive buildup of security forces in Tehran. There are rumors about possible countermeasures from the demonstrators, but, like the stories about massive repression, these remain to be confirmed.

More at the link.

Also, Gateway Pundit, "CRACKDOWN IN IRAN- Police Clash With Protesters On 18th of Tir Anniversary."

ADDED: Atlas Shrugs, "Iran Revolution Day 26: Thousands Return To The Streets In Iran, Shootings Reported."

Let's Not Overstate What Obama Accomplished in Moscow...

From Christian Brose at Shadow Government, "What Did Obama Accomplish in Moscow?":

Patrick Barry and my colleague Josh Keating think I’m understating the importance of what President Obama accomplished in Moscow. So let me be clear: The arms reduction agreement and the Russian air corridor into Afghanistan aren’t small peanuts. Indeed, the latter is quite important because it will help to advance a key national interest -- success in Afghanistan. Still, we’d better not put too many of our eggs in that basket, because what Moscow giveth, Moscow can easily taketh away. And considering how many conflicts of interest we still have with Russia, even after our reset buttoning, U.S. military planners are probably not taking that air corridor as a given indefinitely.

As for negotiating an update to START, which expires this year -- of course we should do it, and it’s not unimportant. But would anyone drawing up a list of U.S. national interests put the negotiation of a bridge agreement for the START treaty at the top, or anywhere near the top? That’s all I’m saying. It’s a worthwhile step, but let’s put it in perspective.

Now, nonproliferation more broadly IS a national interest that I'd put at or very near the top of my list, and U.S.-Russian arms reductions are a piece of that. Furthermore, Josh is right that if your goal is "a nuclear-free world", then you have to start somewhere. Well, yes, as far as that goes. Still, no matter how clearly we meet our obligations under the NPT, and no matter how much legitimacy that adds to our argument that others should follow suit, I just don’t think that will markedly advance those goals in the real world. So by all means, let’s restart START, let's wrap our policies in whatever added legitimacy that gives us, but let’s not overstate the importance of doing so.

Read the whole thing, here.

Marc Andreessen Has Silicon Valley Buzzing Again

From Fortune Magazine, "Marc Andreessen puts his money where his mouth is: The original web whiz kid today advises Twitter, Facebook, and others. Now he has a new venture fund. Will he bankroll the next Netscape?":

Over the past two years Andreessen has emerged as the most connected, prescient, right-place-right-time force in Silicon Valley. In addition to his Twitter stake, he sits on Facebook's board and advises the CEOs at both companies. He is co-founder and chairman of Ning, a service that lets people create their own niche social networks, like 50 Cent's ThisIs50.com. Ning, co-founded with CEO Gina Bianchini, adds 2.5 million members a month. Andreessen owns stakes in Digg, LinkedIn, and Will Ferrell's Funny or Die comedy site. He recently joined the board of eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500) to help that company turn around, and he is the author of a hugely influential blog that went on hiatus in August 2008. By the time this story appears, he promises, the blog will be back with a new design.

Entrepreneurs and investors seek him out for his blunt advice and because he's experienced the ups and especially the downs of life in the Valley. Netscape got trounced by Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500). Loudcloud, a too-early stab at so-called cloud computing services, had to retrench and lay off five-sixths of its employees before stabilizing under a new name, Opsware. Just five years ago Andreessen's image was more that of a smart, amiable billionaire playboy who dabbled ineffectually at technology's fringes. He seemed more Paul Allen than Bill Gates. "Marc is like a rock star who had his first album hit big, and then the next ones were not quite the same," says Steve Case, who ran AOL when it bought Netscape in 1999 and made Andreessen AOL's chief technology officer. "There's a lot of respect for the fact that he persevered. He evolved a couple of times and ultimately succeeded."

Could Andreessen end up becoming the next great tech investor? He certainly is taking a great leap: There's a huge difference between dabbling in startups with your own pocket change and investing big slugs of institutional money. Expectations for Andreessen's venture may be especially high. Venture capitalists are always on the lookout for the "next Netscape," a game-changing company that can produce off-the-charts financial returns for its initial investors; now imagine the pressure the co-founder of the original Netscape faces. Sure, Andreessen has been on a roll of late, but can he maintain his startup-picking hot streak? And so, at the ripe old age (by Silicon Valley standards) of 38, Andreessen is once again having to prove that he still has not only tech chops, but financial and management savvy too.

More at the link.

Also, the New York Times, "Venture Capitalists Look for a Return to the ABC's."

Obama Betrays Freedom in Iran

From FrontPage Magazine, "Freedom Betrayed":

How much damage did Barack Obama do to the incipient Iranian revolution—and by extension, to peace in the Middle East and to the U.S. national interest—when he failed to support the Iranian protesters, and instead poured cold water on Moussavi as an alternative to Ahmadinejad? ....

In a situation like this, Barack Obama was not powerless to affect the outcome, as his defenders suggest. As spokesman for the most powerful nation on earth, he was in a position to make a real difference to the all-important psychology on both sides—and that is exactly what he did. But instead of building up the confidence of the protesters (and simultaneously undermining that of the security apparatus) with encouragement and a ringing endorsement of what they were doing, what he actually did was to give comfort to the forces of repression and undermine the confidence of the Iranian people.

See also, Atlas Shrugs, "For the first time in US history, we have a president who hates his own country. A president who is on the side of America's enemies, not on the side of America."

**********

UPDATE: Cold Fury links Thanks! Plus, I forget to link a credit to William Warren.

Senate Democrats Still Seeking GOP Support

From the Washington Post, "Senate Democrats Still Seeking GOP Support: Balance of Power Not Changed Much By Supermajority":

Senate Democrats spent their first full day holding 60 votes just as they have spent the previous 2 1/2 years without such a supermajority: scrambling to find Republican support for their key initiatives in order to choke off potential filibusters.

In short, Tuesday's seating of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) did little to change the balance of power in the chamber.

Democrats still have a large enough majority to pass bills without any GOP support, but they are grappling with internal divisions on key issues such as health care, climate change and union organizing. In addition, caucus leaders and President Obama would like at least some Republican backing on key measures so they can say they are enacting a bipartisan agenda, which then-Sen. Obama made a cornerstone of his 2008 campaign.

Some conservative Democrats who live in GOP-leaning states believe that getting Republican votes on controversial bills provides them with a line of defense against political attacks back home.

Moreover, two members of the Democratic caucus, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.) and Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.), have not cast a vote in months. It is not clear whether the health of either elder statesman -- Kennedy, 77, has brain cancer and Byrd, 91, is battling the effects of a staph infection incurred during a hospitalization in May -- will allow him to participate in any key matter before the Senate.

In greeting Franken to Capitol Hill this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) sounded a conciliatory note.

"Democrats aren't looking at Senator Franken's election as an opportunity to ram legislation through the Senate," he said Monday. "In turn, Senate Republicans must understand that Senator-elect Franken's election does not abdicate them from the responsibility of governing. That is why we have and will continue to offer Senate Republicans a seat at the table. It is up to them to decide whether they will sit down and work for the common good or continue to be the 'Party of No.' "

But the arrival of a 60th Democratic vote has been accompanied by increasing pressure from liberal groups nationwide that have helped bankroll the party's electoral successes the past few years. They are now demanding Democrats follow through on their campaign promises, with or without Republican votes.

"When it comes to health care, energy and the economy, Democrats have no excuses not to deliver on the changes that voters wanted last November," said Justin Ruben, executive director of the liberal group MoveOn.org. "On health care and on energy . . . you have conservative Democrats saying we have to compromise. That dynamic has just changed. Really they don't" have to compromise.

More at the link.

See also, Megan McArdle, "A Public Plan and the Law of Unintended Consequences":

Hilzoy is mad at conservatives talking about rationing in the public plan. She says that no one's really rationing care with a public plan; anyone can buy what they want. It's just that the public plan will ration for those in its care in order to make coverage affordable.

Megan wins that debate hands down, but read both posts (via Memeorandum).

Cartoon Credit: William Warren.

The Obamafication of Great Power Arms Control

Conservatives knew Barack Obama lacked gravitas over two years ago. And now we're starting to see the rest of the country catch on. Folks are getting hip to the Democrats' epic electoral fail of 2008.

Recall, during the first Democratic debate, in April 2007, "Obama failed to cast himself as a forceful commander in chief." As one headline reported at the time, "Lightweight Senator Overwhelmed By Grown-ups at Adults-Only Function." And who can forget Obama's Berlin speech last summer? Der Spiegel asked, "Is Obama Speech Site Contaminated by Nazi Past?" And we saw this from Michelle Malkin, "Next Stop, Germany: Ich bin ein beginner!":

So, let's just consider President Obama's U.S.-Russia summit this week. It's one more indication of the woeful unseriousness of this man and his administration. The highlights are at Memeorandum. CNN has a story on Sasha and Malia Obama, "Obama Girls Take Russia by Storm." Plus, the New York Times follows up with, "Family Night for Obamas Miffs Some in Moscow."

It turns out that the Russian people haven't lost their faculties over this American president. As Fausta indicates, "The Russians ...having lived with centuries’ worth of narcissistic egotists passing as heads of state, were underwhelmed by Obama..."

The president himself remains inside a narcissisitic bubble and the rest of the world can only watch dumfounded as this administration sleepwalks through history.

Compare that meme to this article on earlier eras of superpower arms control, "U.S.-Russia Talks Yield No Breakthroughs":

There was a time when an American president would travel to Moscow for a summit and the world watched intently to see if history would be made.

These days, most people seem prepared to settle for more modest outcomes.

That was the ambiguous result of Barack Obama's first trip as president to meet with his Russian counterparts. Obama came away from two days of talks with important, if not momentous, agreements to renew nuclear arms talks and allow U.S. warplanes to fly through Russian airspace on their way to Afghanistan.

But long-standing differences -- on U.S. missile defense plans, human rights and the response to Iran's nuclear ambitions -- remained unbridged.

Nor was it certain that Obama succeeded in his attempt to overcome years of deteriorating relations and alleviate wider Russian mistrust of U.S. aims by speaking over the heads of the country's elite to those outside the realm of power.

In a bit of characteristic stagecraft, the president took his message to a large assembly of the young and educated, speaking at the commencement ceremonies of the New Economic School. He reminded Russians of their nation's shared sacrifice with the United States in defeating fascism in the mid-20th century, and said that 21st century America was not trying to hold the country back.

"Let me be clear: America wants a strong, peaceful and prosperous Russia," Obama said. "This belief is rooted in our respect for the Russian people, and a shared history between our nations that goes beyond competition."

But none of Russia's domestic television channels carried the speech live. And the event was more heavily attended by Western-leaning intelligentsia and business community representatives than by members of Russia's ruling elite. News programs later played clips of the speech -- with newscasters adding pointedly that Obama's arrival onstage interrupted the distribution of diplomas to the school's students.

Behold the Obamafication of great power arms control.

The Russians don't care about this man, despite the president's displeasure at not being feted like a Victorian-era European head of state.

Meanwhile, the enduring logic of international politics continues its unavoidabe grind: "Russia Itches for Another Georgian War."

Election 2012 can't come fast enough, especially for those who called this a massive presidential fail before the Democrats sealed the deal.

Mom Leaves Kids in Maggot-Filled Home to Get High; L.A. Cracks Down on Pot Dispensaries, No Word From Will Wilkinson!

A mother in Cypress, California, allegedly left her two young daughters alone overnight in a maggot-infested house. Toilets were overflowing and trash piled everywhere. The Los Angeles Times has a report, "Mom Allegedly Leaves Kids in Maggot-Filled Home." Here's the video from KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, "Police: Mom Leaves Kids Alone in Maggot-Filled Home, Smokes Pot":

In other local news, the City of Los Angeles is cracking down on the area's unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries, "L.A. Targets Cannabis Clubs":

Daniel Halbert moved here from Phoenix this year to invest his life savings in what he hoped was a golden opportunity: the medical-marijuana business.

But on Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council told him to shut down his dispensary, part of a broad crackdown against a growing and unregulated marijuana industry. More than 600 dispensaries have taken advantage of a loophole in city regulations to open shop here in the past two years.

The unchecked growth has alarmed some city leaders.

"They were like a rash," said City Councilman Ed Reyes, who is leading the effort to shut down many of the dispensaries. He said a colleague told him that at one dispensary near a high school, the student crowds outside made the pot store look "like an ice cream shop from the 1950s."

Once again, I'm going to express my disagreement with the libertarian/legalization crowd. Remember, "I Don't Smoke Pot, and I Don't Like It."

No report on this yet from Will "I'm a Stoner" Wilkinson, who has argued that "the drug war is stupid." Probably out rolling a fat one at this moment!

Related: R.S. McCain, "Attention, police: Arrest Will Wilkinson!"

Can Palin Ever Come Back?

From Camille Paglia's, "Can Palin Ever Come Back?":

Whether Palin has a national future or not will depend on her willingness to hit the books at some point and absorb more information about international history and politics than she has needed to know in her role as governor. She also needs a shrewder, cooler take on the mainstream media, with its preening bullies, cackling witches, twisted cynics and pompous windbags. The Northeastern media establishment is in decline, and everyone knows it. Palin should not have gotten into a slanging match with David Letterman or anyone else who has been obsessively defaming her or her family. Let surrogates do that stuff.

The vicious double standard is pretty obvious. Only the tabloids, for example, ran the photos of a piss-drunk Chelsea Clinton, panties exposed, falling into her car outside London clubs a few years ago. If Chelsea had been the scion of Republican bigwigs, those tacky scenes would have been trumpeted from pillar to post in the U.S. as signals of parental failures or turmoil in clan Clinton. As a Democrat, I detest the partisan machinations that have become standard in Northeastern news management and that are detectable in editorial decisions at major metropolitan newspapers nationwide. It's why I, like a host of others, have shifted my news gathering to the Web.

See also, Dan Riehl, "Paglia's Advice For Sarah Palin." And Memeorandum.

Plus, my take is here: "Can Palin Win the 2012 GOP Nomination?"

Cynthia McKinney: 'Letter from an Israeli Jail'

The background is here, from AP's recent report on Cynthia McKinney, "Israel Deports Gaza Boat Activists, Including Former US Congresswoman, Nobel laureate."

Now former Representative McKinney has released a statement in the mold of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Letter from an Israeli Jail":

During Operation Cast Lead, U.S.-supplied F-16's rained hellfire on a trapped people. Ethnic cleansing became full scale outright genocide. U.S.-supplied white phosphorus, depleted uranium, robotic technology, DIME weapons, and cluster bombs - new weapons creating injuries never treated before by Jordanian and Norwegian doctors. I was later told by doctors who were there in Gaza during Israel's onslaught that Gaza had become Israel's veritable weapons testing laboratory, people used to test and improve the kill ratio of their weapons.

The world saw Israel's despicable violence thanks to al-Jazeera Arabic and Press TV that broadcast in English. I saw those broadcasts live and around the clock, not from the USA but from Lebanon, where my first attempt to get into Gaza had ended because the Israeli military rammed the boat I was on in international water ... It's a miracle that I'm even here to write about my second encounter with the Israeli military, again a humanitarian mission aborted by the Israeli military.

The Israeli authorities have tried to get us to confess that we committed a crime ... I am now known as Israeli prisoner number 88794. How can I be in prison for collecting crayons to kids?

Zionism has surely run out of its last legitimacy if this is what it does to people who believe so deeply in human rights for all that they put their own lives on the line for someone else's children. Israel is the fullest expression of Zionism, but if Israel fears for its security because Gaza's children have crayons then not only has Israel lost its last shred of legitimacy, but Israel must be declared a failed state.

I am facing deportation from the state that brought me here at gunpoint after commandeering our boat. I was brought to Israel against my will. I am being held in this prison because I had a dream that Gaza's children could color & paint, that Gaza's wounded could be healed, and that Gaza's bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.

But I've learned an interesting thing by being inside this prison. First of all, it's incredibly black: populated mostly by Ethiopians who also had a dream ... like my cellmates, one who is pregnant. They are all are in their twenties. They thought they were coming to the Holy Land. They had a dream that their lives would be better ... The once proud, never colonized Ethiopia [has been thrown into] the back pocket of the United States, and become a place of torture, rendition, and occupation. Ethiopians must free their country because superpower politics [have] become more important than human rights and self-determination.

My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the exigencies of superpower politics. They committed no crime except to have a dream. They came to Israel because they thought that Israel held promise for them. Their journey to Israel through Sudan and Egypt was arduous. I can only imagine what it must have been like for them. And it wasn't cheap. Many of them represent their family's best collective efforts for self-fulfilment. They made their way to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. They got their yellow paper of identification. They got their certificate for police protection. They are refugees from tragedy, and they made it to Israel only after they arrived Israel told them "there is no UN in Israel."

Read the full letter at the link.

See also, Fox News, "McKinney Returns to U.S. After Release From Israeli Jail."

Related: Israel Matzav, "Palestinians' Allowed to Travel Freely in Judea and Samaria."

Can Palin Win the 2012 GOP Nomination?

The ongoing Sarah Palin drama is almost as bad the media extravaganza for the Michael Jackson memorial (here)!

So what to make of Dan Riehl's latest essay, "Why It's Time To Move Beyond Sarah Palin"?

As a Palin fan, I wanted to re-visit this John Fund piece I previously linked after taking some time to consider the implications of what appears to be a thoughtful, balanced and fair analysis surrounding Palin's recent resignation. Given the facts, it is all but impossible to see her as a viable presidential contender in the near term. And we need a good one in 2012 in the face of Obama's ever growing agenda ....

I believe she is a fine person with much to give to and do for America and conservatism. But I hope it isn't about running for president in 2012. I simply can't judge her ready for that given everything we've seen. I wish it were possible to reach a different conslusion. Unfortunately, right now I can't.

My position all along has been that Palin will be the odds-on frontrunner in 2016, assuming that Barack Obama is reelected to a second term.

Yet, as Chris Cillizza laid out recently, all signs are pointing to a Palin candidacy in 2012. She's the "it girl" of American politics. She continues to have a huge block of support among the conservative base of the Republican Party. But even more importantly, from Gallup's new survey: "The poll finds 70% saying their opinion of Palin has not changed as a result of her resignation" (via Memeorandum).

That's big, and it's still two and a half years before the first caucuses and primaries. Pamela Geller is pumped, "PALIN LEADS POLLS! The Coming of the Second American Revolution." And as Jennifer Rubin notes, "If the Alaska governor can learn the hard lessons of the last few months, her career may not be over."

In fact, contrary to Dan Riehl's fears, the decisions surrounding Palin's resignation may eventually be less important than how well she positions herself for a run in the primaries. Palin's two biggest goals can be summed up thus: Iowa and New Hampshire. Politically, Palin needs money. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama raised $100 million in 2007, the year leading into the primaries. The "entry fee" for the 2012 primaries will probably be twice that.

A good early indicator of Palin's donor power will be in how quickly she retires the $500,000 in legal bills she racked up defending against ethics charges. After that, let's see how well she performs in the money race. Readers should check this long comment at Conservatives for Sarah Palin, from March of this year, speculating on a Palin 2012 run for the nomination. The main suggestion at that time? Decline a second term as Alaska's governor, then, build a massive war chest for 2012:

... I believe that Sarah Palin should not run for re-election if she means to pursue the presidency in 2012.

Folks, $100m is a lot of money. I believe that SarahPAC can raise that kind of money or even more by November 2010. SarahPAC has the potential to match the $749m that Obama raised for his entire 2008 campaign.

I have no doubt that Palin can raise the $100 million, and with $200 million she'll deter a number of other second-tier candidates from throwing their hats in the ring.

But what else? If she'll have popular support, and money, what else does Sarah Palin need? Well, as Fred Barnes noted yesterday, Palin is awash in charisma and magnetism, but she needs "experience in office and enough knowledge of foreign and domestic issues to talk about them persuasively." For 2012, she's going to have to (1) develop a compelling narrative for her campaign that also works to mute criticism of her early departure from office, and (2) build up a substantial base of policy knowledge.

These are large tasks, but not insurmountable. As for the narrative, Palin should form a campaign organization right away. Someone remind her (or her advisors) that President Bill Clinton ran an effective ad campaign against the GOP in June 1995 (pushing for an assault weapons ban). And in November 1995, Clinton hammered Republicans on "Medicare and Medicaid, education, and the environment." Since Clinton, as the incumbent president, was assured the Democratic nomination, the practical effect was that the 1996 general election campaign began in the summer of 1995.

On policy knowledge, Palin needs to write her tell-all book from the 2008 campaign. She'll need to begin a wonkish speaking tour on her specialties of energy, the environment, and free-market economics. On foreign policy, she'll help herself with travel and by gaining the advice and consent of top experts in foreign relations.

But most of all, she cannot continue to be dragged into the vindictive politics of personal destruction. After she leaves office at the end of this month, she'll need to recede from the media glare on start amassing her campaing war chest. The expertise will come in time, although as much as I love her, my hunch in that she wouldn't be damaged politically be skipping the 2012 election cycle. That situtation is looking increasingly unlikely (IMHO) so she'll need to fire up some version of the strategic plan I've laid out here.

Still More on Palin's Resignation...

From Victor Davis Hanson, "Sarah Palin and Her Critics":

Smart women do not get pregnant when it is inconvenient, especially when it interferes with one’s cursus honorum. Palin foolishly had a baby as governor, and waddled around with it the entire time-with other snotty kids in tow (just like those trashy folk at the mall who pile out of the Tahoe, in the way just as you are parking your Volvo)! And worse, in the age of sonograms and abortion, she delivered a mentally-challenged child. And worse still, the mom of five encouraged her daughter to deliver an out-of-wedlock child. (Is it in Oklahoma or Arkansas where moms and daughters have children about the same time?) And which is worse, to have a kid at 17 or one after 40? And worse, worse yet, she does not support abortion! Here is Hell in Sarah Palin’s world: I am up for a promotion at CNN, foolishly become pregnant at 42, and discover “it” has chromosomal “issues”. Am I supposed to deliver this thing? I don’t think so (nor would my daughter, should she become pregnant by her boyfriend the summer before starting off at Vassar [all that SAT camp for nothing?]).

Lots more at the link.

Helpful Vocabulary Hint: "cursus honorum."

Check also a real good piece at PoliGazette, "Feminist Hatred of Palin."

And via Memeorandum, see also, Kate Snow, "Sarah Palin: Why She Resigned," and "TIME's Interview with Exiting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin."

Plus, from the New York Times, "On Politics Reading (Too Much?) Into Palin's Resignation." And don't miss, John Fund, "Why Palin Quit: Death by a Thousand FOIAs."

Andrew Sullivan Has Truly Lost His Mind

I've been saying it for some time. But Dan Riehl's got the goods on Andrew Sullivan, "Sullivan Has Truly Lost It Over Palin":

Sullivan seems trapped in some unfortunate reality in which he so has to demonize anyone he's opposed to politically, it really does suggest serious emotional issues of some sort. Whatever Sullivan may have been at one point, people who still believe he's even a semi-honest broker in touch with objective reality are just fooling themselves ...

It's beyond funny, into the realm of the sick, or disturbed.

Yep, it sure is.

What's also beyond funny is no matter how wrong, Sullivan remains widely cited by the netroots hordes (even though he's "not really a leftist").

Dan has more.

Meanwhile, Sullivan's scheming away again, this time with a "roundup of lies."

Related: The Rhetorican, "More “Salons” In the News."

Coming to America, For Health Care!

There's currently some big attention at Memeorandum to health care politics. See, the Wall Street Journal, "White House Open to Deal on Public Health Plan." And the Huffington Post, "President Tries To Put Out Fire From Emanuel's Health Care Remarks." It turns out that President Obama's not too happy with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. See, "Obama to Rahm: Shut. Up."

Here's some video, in any case:

More at Memeorandum.

Added: Jake Tapper, "MoveOn Pulls the "Trigger" on Rahm."