Newt Goes All 'Dede Scozzafava' on Immigration!

Remember Dede?

Michelle has the refresher: "An ACORN-Friendly, Big Labor-Backing, Tax-and-Spend Radical in GOP Clothing."

Old Newt's getting a little too comfortable up there in the frontrunner's spot, it turns out. He's already angling for the independent vote and we're still weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. Can you say "RINO"? See The Hill, "Immigration exchange during GOP debate nudges Gingrich toward the center":

Newt Gingrich ended up to the left of his GOP rivals on immigration during a CNN debate on Tuesday, defending his position that the United States shouldn't deport every illegal immigrant while the other presidential hopefuls accused him of supporting magnets that attract illegal immigration.

"I don't see any reason to punish someone who came here at 3 years of age and wants to serve the United States of America," Gingrich said, adding that those whose parents brought them to the country illegally but want to serve in the U.S. military should be included in a program that lets foreigners earn citizenship through military service.

Gingrich said he found it hard to believe that Americans would support deporting millions of people and that visas should be made available for those with math and science skills.

But he also made it clear that flexibility would apply only to those who had been contributing positively to the nation for years, not to those continuing to flout U.S. immigration laws.

"I do believe if you've come here recently and you have no ties to the U.S., we should deport you," he said.

Basically, come here illegally, don't get caught and live in the shadows for a decade or two, and you're good to go!

Yay Newt! We knew you still had the old RINO spirit!

Also at Politico (and Memeorandum).

Hamas Gains Momentum in Palestinian Rivalry

Wonderful news!

At New York Times, "New Winds in Mideast Favor Hamas":

GAZA — For years, the imposing black gate that sealed the border between Egypt and Gaza symbolized the pain and isolation that decades of conflict have wrought on this tiny coastal strip, especially under Hamas in recent years.

But recently, the gate has come to represent a new turn for the increasingly confident Hamas leadership. The twin arches of the border crossing have swung open twice in recent weeks for V.I.P. arrivals, first to receive hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as one captive Israeli soldier moved in the other direction, and a second time for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood to visit Gaza for the first time in decades.

Both instances lifted the fortunes of the Islamists at a critical time ahead of negotiations scheduled to be held in Cairo this week with their main rival, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who leads the Fatah party.

Hamas’s leader, Khalid Meshal, arrives at those talks with a sense of regional winds at his back. Dictators have fallen, replaced by protest movements and governments that include the Islamist movements those dictators suppressed. Hamas has lost no opportunity to highlight this development as it basks in the growing regional importance of its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest and most powerful Islamist movement in the world.

“This is a hot Arab winter that has not until now ripened into spring,” a Hamas official, Dr. Mahmoud Zahar, proclaimed in Gaza last month as he claimed the Arab revolutions for Islamic revivalism. The campaigns to oust corrupted leaders have reached a “critical stage,” he said, before concluding, “With God’s help, next year we will see the flowering of Islam.”

That should read, "With God's help, next year we'll see the flowering of terrorism."

But continue reading.

New Trove of Stolen E-Mails From Climate Scientists Is Released

At New York Times:

The anonymous hacker who shook the world of climate science two years ago by posting a trove of stolen e-mails delivered a new batch on Tuesday, stirring up climate-change contrarians a little more than a week before global negotiations on greenhouse gases are to begin in Durban, South Africa.

The new e-mails appeared remarkably similar to the ones released two years ago just ahead of a similar conference in Copenhagen. They involved the same scientists and many of the same issues, and some of them carried a similar tone: catty remarks by the scientists, often about papers written by others in the field.

Climate scientists said the release was likely intended to torpedo any potential progress in the Durban negotiations, though not much progress had been expected anyway given that countries have been reluctant to commit to binding emissions limits.

The University of East Anglia, the British institution at the middle of the previous hacking episode, confirmed that at least some of the newly released e-mails were authentic. The cache released in 2009 appeared to have come from a file someone obtained by hacking into the university’s computers, a crime for which no charges have been filed or suspects named. The new batch of more than 5,000 e-mails is evidently a fresh selection from the same set of records.

Continue reading.

I honestly don't pay heed to the global warming scaremongers these days, not that I ever much did in any case. The science is not settled, and it's just not even what academics call "normal science" anymore. That is, the scientific community long ago abandoned the rigorous methods of inquiry and morphed into a quasi-religious cult ready to burn heretics at the stake. Go back and read this post from October: "Dr. Martin Hertzberg Letter at the Vail Daily Skewering the Gore-Hansen-IPCC Climate Change Clique." And then check the instant classic from 2009, Steven Hayward's, "Scientists Behaving Badly," at the Weekly Standard.

And then back to the current controversy, check Watt's Up With That?, "Climategate 2.0 emails – They’re real and they’re spectacular!" And James Delingpole, "Uh oh, global warming loons: here comes Climategate II!" (At Memeorandum.)

Now, That's What I'm Talking About! — Occupy Protesters Heckle Obama in New Hampshire

At London's Daily Mail, "'Banksters are destroying America!': Obama heckled as Occupy protesters drown out President in New Hampshire."

Also at Memeorandum.

Place the Super Committee Blame Where it Belongs: On the Democrats

Look, idiot progressives are in denial, but the fact is Democrats have pushed for higher taxes all year and the GOP hasn't budged. Here's GOP Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling, at Wall Street Journal, "Why the Super Committee Failed:

Even if Republicans agreed to every tax increase desired by the president, our national debt would continue to grow uncontrollably. Controlling spending is therefore a crucial challenge. The other is economic growth and job creation, which would produce the necessary revenue to fund our priorities.

In the midst of persistent 9% unemployment, the committee could have enacted fundamental tax reform to simplify the tax code, help create jobs, and bring in over time the higher revenues that come with economic growth. Republicans put such a plan on the table—and even agreed to $250 billion in new revenue by eliminating or limiting most of the deductions, credits, loopholes and tax expenditures mainly enjoyed by higher-income Americans. We offered this to avoid the even larger tax increases already written into current law that will intensify the pain Americans are feeling during these difficult economic times.

Republicans were willing to agree to additional tax revenue, but only in the context of fundamental pro-growth tax reform that would broaden the base, lower rates, and maintain current levels of progressivity. This is the approach to tax reform used by recent bipartisan deficit reduction efforts such as the Bowles-Simpson fiscal commission and the Rivlin-Domenici plan.

The Democrats said no. They were unwilling to agree to anything less than $1 trillion in tax hikes—and unwilling to offer any structural reforms to put our health-care entitlements on a permanently sustainable basis.

Unfortunately, the committee's challenge was made more difficult by President Obama. Since the committee was formed, he has demanded more stimulus spending and issued a veto threat against any proposed committee solution to the spending problem that was not coupled with a massive tax increase.

RTWT.

Jennifer Rubin places blame directly on the president: "The consequences of presidential weakness" (via Memeorandum).

Additional thoughts at Left Coast Rebel.

Mila Kunis is GQ's Knockout of the Year

A full-size pic at London's Daily Mail, "Sexy Mila Kunis scores a one-two punch as she's dubbed Knockout of the Year by GQ." And of course, at Gentlemen's Quarterly, "Mila Kunis: GQ Men of the Year 2011: The Knockout."

PREVIOUSLY: "Smokin' Mila Kunis Attends Marine Corps Ball."

Thanksgiving Day Gets the Jump On Black Friday

At Los Angeles Times, "Black Thursday is replacing Black Friday as more stores open on Thanksgiving":

Black Thursday is becoming the new Black Friday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer, will for the first time launch its holiday sale kickoff at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, joining Toys R Us Inc., Kmart and other chains that have already thrown their doors open while holiday turkeys are still warm.

Other big retailers — including Target Corp., Best Buy Co., Macy's Inc. and Kohl's Corp. — have decided for the first time to open at midnight.

Chain stores have been advancing their opening times for several years, but analysts say it has reached a tipping point this season, with Thursday night poised to upend Friday morning as the official holiday kickoff.

"It's no longer Black Friday, it's going to be Black Thanksgiving from here on out," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group. "Retailers recognize the importance of being convenient, and one of those conveniences is opening earlier so people don't have to wait in line at 4 in the morning in the cold."

The trend in part reflects the tougher environment for brick-and-mortar retailers, who face increased competition from Internet sales that run on a 24-7 basis.

The late-night shopping hours also appeal to coveted younger customers, many of whom prefer to do a midnight shopping run Thanksgiving Day instead of having to leave their warm beds before dawn the day after.

"Young adults are the ones who really come out in force on Thanksgiving Day," said Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation. "They may have three hours free after dinner, and they want to get some shopping done and be home by midnight."

The earlier hours are a big help to Jacob Nieto, a 35-year-old stylist who scours the circulars on Thanksgiving to plan his shopping strategy. The Koreatown resident, who saved more than $1,000 last year on Black Friday, said waking up before dawn to shop is "just torture."

PREVIOUSLY: "Shoppers Angry as Black Friday Sales Push Into Thanksgiving."

Russian News Anchor Tatiana Limanova Gives President Obama the Finger On Air

At BCF, "Russian Newschick Gives Obama the Finger On Air":

Also at Honolulu Civil Beat, "Russian News Anchor Gives President Obama the Finger Over APEC."

UPDATE: At Blue Collar Philosophy, "Russian Woman Who Flipped Off Obama During Broadcast Has Been Fired."

Rihanna's Videos Present Challenges

At LAT, "Pespective: Rihanna's videos present challenging issues":

The runaway success of the melancholic retro-rave "We Found Love" certifies Rihanna as one of the most successful pop singers of all time, according to Billboard magazine. It's her 20th Top 20 hit, amassed faster than any other solo artist in chart history. But it's the video that really dazzles. On Oct. 20, film director Dennis Dortch ("A Good Day to be Black & Sexy") tweeted the clip along with the comments, "Wow. I believe this to be flyest music video ever by a major (black) recording artist." He later added, "I wish someone would cast her in an indie film."

Directed by Melina Matsoukas, who also directed videos for Rihanna's "S&M," "Hard," "Rude Boy" and "Rock Star 101" and whose résumé includes videos for Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, the "Love" clip centers on a modern-day, melanin-infused Sid and Nancy, played by Rihanna and boxer-turned-model Dudley O'Shaughnessy. We see the drug-addled couple at a skate park, outdoor rave, fish-and-chips spot, rampaging through a convenience store, and passed out on sidewalks. While filming the video in Ireland, Rihanna tweeted, "This is probably one of the deepest videos I've ever done. Its all about love and love being like a drug."

BONUS: "Album review: Rihanna's 'Talk That Talk'."

Obama Rushes to Blame GOP for Super Committee Failure

Via Gateway Pundit:

Gilboa Assault Rifle

Via Double Tapper:

Newt Gingrich Surges to Top of Pack in Presidential Nomination Polling

I'm not surprised. Folks are looking for the alternative to Mitt Romney --- and Gingrich's wonkishness is a needed dose of gravitas.

At Gallup, "Romney, Gingrich Now Top Choices for GOP Nomination" (via Memeorandum). Gingrich beats Romney 22 to 21 percent among Republican-leaning registered voters at Gallup. And at CNN, "Gingrich at top of pack for first time in CNN polling."

The question now is whether Gingrich can maintain the momentum over the next six weeks until Iowa, or will he fade from the spotlight like every other Republican alternative to Mitt Romney all year? See, for example, USA Today, "Rising from the pack, Gingrich invites scrutiny."

PREVIOUSLY: "Newt Gingrich to Occupy Wall Street: 'Go Get a Job Right After You Take a Bath'."

Mozy Infographic: 'Storing the World's Nuclear Weapons'

This graphic features a functional integration of geographic and tabular information on the distribution of the world's nuclear weapons. Changes in the U.S. nuclear inventory are displayed at the second and third images. The problem of storage facilities is highlighted with attention to the United States at the map at bottom.

Via: Mozy

UC Davis Students Protest Pepper Spray Incident

This picture gives you an idea of the large size of the protest: "I've never seen so many people on the #ucdavis quad."

Protest video here: "UC Davis Students Protest Pepper Spraying."

And at Los Angeles Times, "Hundreds of UC Davis students protest pepper-spraying by police." And at San Francisco Chronicle, "5,000 gather on Davis quad, call on chancellor to resign."

Expect updates.

Were the UC Davis Police Justified in Pepper-Spraying Students?

That's the query from Wordsmith, at Flopping Aces.

Wordsmith has a 15-minute video, which includes almost 5 minutes of footage leading up to the pepper spray incident. The students were not violent, but they were being told to leave. And when police tell you to leave you leave. All of the progressive outrage is pretty overblown. But hey, no doubt it helps the cause to have police crack down. It's a "police state," dontcha know? And the university earns itself a public relations nightmare. Investigations are coming, which drags out the drama. See New York Times, "California University Puts Officers Who Used Pepper Spray on Leave." And at KCRA-TV Sacramento, "Statewide Investigation After Officers Pepper Spray Student Protesters: Two Officers Placed On Administrative Leave, University Police Say." And from the comments there:

Why are they asking for police presence if they are going to nail the police officers on every move they make?

That's a good question. It's not like UC officials were indifferent to possible outbreaks of violence. See last week at Los Angeles Times, for example, "UC regents cancel meeting, cite security threats":

Fearing potentially violent disruptions, University of California regents on Monday canceled a meeting scheduled for this week in San Francisco, while UC and Cal State students prepared for demonstrations Tuesday at campuses across the state.

The UC board had planned to hold its regular bi-monthly meeting Wednesday and Thursday at UC San Francisco's Mission Bay campus but postponed the session after what officials termed credible threats.

University police had received reports that "rogue elements intent on violence and confrontation with UC public safety officers" were planning to join otherwise peaceful protests at the meeting, according to a statement by regents Chairwoman Sherry Lansing, Vice Chairman Bruce Varner and UC President Mark G. Yudof. "Ensuring public safety must be a top priority."

And recall that the concerns are not new. It's been a state of siege at the UC for the past few years: "Berkeley Chancellor's Home Attacked by Torch-Bearing Mob: Governor Decries 'Terrorism'; Activists Pledge, 'Burn Every Rich Man's House to the Ground'!"

Super Committee Failure

From James Pethokoukis, at The American, "Democrats’ tax-hike obsession killed the SuperCommittee":

Newt Gingrich to Occupy Wall Street: 'Go Get a Job Right After You Take a Bath'

At Radio Iowa, "Gingrich to “Occupy” protesters: “Get a job right after you take a bath”":

RELATED: At Fox News, "Gingrich Tries to Preempt Attacks as Poll Numbers Rise," and New York Times, "Gingrich Site Seeks to Allay Conservatives' Fears."

Bachmann Decries 'Bailout Socialism'

At Los Angeles Times, "Michele Bachmann says Bush, GOP embraced 'bailout socialism'."

Reporting from Urbandale, Iowa— Michele Bachmann goes after not only Democrats but also fellow Republicans in her new book, accusing former President George W. Bush and her GOP colleagues in Congress of failing to stay true to conservative, free-market principles when they supported the $700-billion Wall Street bailout.

"The Bush administration … was embracing a kind of 'bailout socialism,' " wrote the Minnesota congresswoman, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination. "It was painful to find out John McCain too favored the TARP bailout. … Here was no ‘maverick’ moment. The same disappointing stance was taken by the Republican leadership in the House."

"I knew there was no way I could vote for it, because I couldn’t find authority for it in the Constitution,” Bachmann continued. “As a constitutional conservative, I put principle over party."

Nude Egyptian Blogger Causes Outrage

At Los Angeles Times, "Egyptian activist posts nude photos to protest repression." And at Comment is Free, "Egypt's naked blogger is a bomb aimed at the patriarchs in our minds."

And the Twitter hashtag is still humming: "#NudePhotoRevolutionary."

Occupy America: Leftists and Islamists United

At Answering Muslims.

Asshats: