Assassinating the Leader of Islamic State Is a Meaningful Step Toward Destroying the Group, Insiders Say

At National Journal.

Actually, there's some evidence in the scholarly literature that leadership targeting doesn't work. See, Jenna Jordan, "Attacking the Leader, Missing the Mark: Why Terrorist Groups Survive Decapitation Strikes." A great piece of research.

Shop for Thanksgiving Dinner

At Amazon, Shop Amazon - Thanksgiving Dinner and Desserts - Prepare the Perfect Feast.

Fumiko Hayashida, Among First Japanese American Internees, Dies at 103

A tragic, yet fascinating, story, at LAT, "Fumiko Hayashida dies at 103; among first Japanese American internees."

Interesting obit: Fumiko Hayashida, 103, one of the 1st Japanese Americans in internment camps http://t.co/LGdtXRFOlx pic.twitter.com/TpuzUauGjM

— Lauren Raab (@raablauren) November 16, 2014

Dead Democrat Walking

Heh, that has a nice ring to it, especially the "dead Democrat" part.

 VIDEO: "The Atlantic's Molly Ball: Mary Landrieu Is a 'Dead Democrat Walking'."

4 killed, 15 Hurt in Chicago Shootings from Saturday Afternoon Into Early Sunday Morning

Chicago, the model of leftist gun control effectiveness (not).

At the Chicago Tribune, "4 killed, 15 hurt in city shootings":

Three men and a woman died and at least 15 people, including seven teenagers, were wounded in shootings across the city from Saturday afternoon into early Sunday morning.

In the latest fatal shooting, a 27-year-old man died after being shot around 3:15 a.m. Sunday in the Old Town neighborhood on the Near North Side, said Chicago Police Department spokesman News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.

The man was found inside a vehicle in the 400 block of West Evergreen Avenue with multiple gunshot wounds, Alfaro said. The car he was in crashed into several parked cars before coming to a stop.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Alfaro said...

RELATED: At Town Hall, "Despite Gun Sales Being Banned in Chicago, Police Superintendent Still Blaming Lack of Gun Control For Violence."

Islamic State's Most Barbaric Video

Not more barbaric, actually.

They just showed more of the barbarity than they usually do.



PREVIOUSLY: "Peter Kassig: Poor Bastard."

'I've never given them money, in case you're wondering why they send me email...

That's Ann Althouse, in a disclaimer on the idiotic email she received from NARAL Pro-Choice America: "'We just learned that TIME magazine apologized for including 'feminist' on their poll of words to ban. What a victory!'"

Seriously.

Breakfast at 8:33am, Brunch at 9:10am, and Lunch at ... Hell, Repsac Eats Every Hour on the Freakin' Hour!

Because eating is so fundamental you've got to stuff your fat face every time the minute-hand strikes twelve.

Damn, Reppy, stuff that bride mofo! She deserves a reward for you rolling on top of her and smothering her flat, ftw!

And dude, you better up those fitbit stats before it's too late! It's for the children! Wait, no, you don't have any children. Well, it's for revolution!

The weekly shop, 'cause eating is fundamental. (with Kate at Stop & Shop) — https://t.co/zdgfnpjjw9

— Walter James Casper (@repsac3) November 16, 2014

Brunch with my bride, 'cause shopping deserves a reward. (with Kate at Mastic Sports Deli) — https://t.co/7aj4dmKyOc

— Walter James Casper (@repsac3) November 16, 2014

New Holiday Deals Every Day

At Amazon, Shop Amazon's Electronics Holiday Gift Guide - New Deals Every Day.

Leftist Baloney

From William Voegeli, at National Review, "Liberal Bullshit":

Conservative critiques of liberalism sometimes concede that liberals’ aspirations are laudable before insisting that the means liberals favor are insufficiently practical and at least potentially destructive. The way liberal compassion lends itself to liberal bullshit, however, argues for a less forgiving interpretation. Liberals’ ideals make them more culpable, not less, for the fact that government programs set up to do good don’t reliably accomplish good. Doing good is often harder than do-gooders realize, but doing good is also more about the doing and the doer than it is about the good. Too often, as a result, liberals are content to treat gestures as the functional equivalent of deeds, and intentions as adequate substitutes for achievements.

That's a snippet of Voegeli's book, The Pity Party: A Mean-Spirited Diatribe Against Liberal Compassion.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

#RedMeat #PJNETMT @peddoc63: Voters pushed you off plank! GOP - Not time 4compromise! #MakeItRight pic.twitter.com/aQ9jCneaW7

— Judy Stines (@jstines3) November 14, 2014

Also at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Nite Funnies (The Very Late Edition!)," and Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies."

Still more at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – The Miserable Monster," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Round Up..."

Mitt Romney on 'Face the Nation': Obama, Dude, You Lost the Midterms

Obama "poking a stick in the eye" of Republicans is "not a good idea."

Yeah, Obama's got to learn that "he's lost this election," heh.

Bob Schieffer 'Dumbstruck' by Jonathan Gruber's Brutal Honesty, LOL!

Even good old Bob Schieffer is gobsmacked --- gobsmacked I tell you --- by the audacity of the honesty of Jonathan "Stupid Americans" Gruber!

You gotta love it!

43 Dartmouth Students Suspected of Cheating In Ethics Class Designed for Athletes

Ethics schmethics!

At Instapundit, lol.

Ellison Barber and Sharyl Attkisson on #GruberGate

Sweet ladies --- and smart!



And ICYMI, "#ObamaCare Architect Exposes Progressive Totalitarianism — And Repsac's Too!"

Smokin' Rule 5 Sunday — Democrat Dishonesty and Denial Edition!

I could do "Democrat Dishonesty and Denial" roundups 24/7, but this oughta hold us for awhile, lol.

President Obama is emphatically claiming that his administration did not, in fact, mislead the American people on ObamaCare. Noah Rothman has the rundown, "Gruber-gate gets to Obama: ‘No, I did not’ mislead Americans." (Via Memeorandum.)

In this regard, the President's no better than the most dishonest and venal leftist fever-swamp trolls, like Scott Lemieux of Lawyers, Lies and Grubbing. Patterico has the smackdown in the leftist liar Lemieux, "Fun with Scott Lemieux on Halbig, " and "I F*cked Up, I Trusted Scott Lemieux."

Yeah, well, you never want to "trust" those deranged f-ks at LGM. Never.

But enough about leftist lies and derangement. Bring on the beautiful babes!

Okay, see Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a sea that has flooded liberal cities hundreds of feet, you might just be a Warmist."

Also at the Other McCain (from last week, "Rule 5 Sunday: Flowtation."

More at Goodstuff's, "GOODSTUFFs BLOGGING MAGAZINE (164th Issue)."

Animal Magnetism has "SATURDAY GINGERMAGEDDON."

Also from Ms. EBL, "Space exploration, Sexism, Feminism and Fashion Rule 5."

Also at First Street Journal, "Rule 5 Blogging: Sea Duty."

At Knuckledraggin', "Noon Titty Squish," and "Somebody’s getting a nice homecoming."

And at Fishwrapper, "Katy Perry’s naughty photos (and huge breast) have leaked… damn!"

More at the Chive, "Emma Watson goes topless… sweet baby Jesus!"

At Maggie's Farm, "Saturday morning links."

From Bob Belvedere (the consummate breast-master), "On Saving America — What to Do?"

More at Classy Bro, "13 Reasons Why We Love Dat Gap."

At 90 Miles From Tyranny, "Morning Mistress."

And from Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "#ShirtGate Rule 5: Chicks in Space!"

In a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World has the "Friday Pinup."

The Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

And at Odie's, "EXCELLENCE ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

Finally, from Doug Hagin, "DALEYGATOR DALEYBABE JESSI MALAY."

Peter Kassig

Poor bastard.

Thought by going to Syria he'd be performing some noble humanitarianism. Instead, they doffed off his bloody head.

At Atlas Shrugs, "New Islamic State VIDEO shows beheading of US hostage Kassig."

And at Bare Naked Islam, "Peter Kassig, American aid worker in Syria beheaded by ISIS Islamic State (WARNING: Graphic Video)." The caption at the video page reads:

Islamic State murder video of 18 Syrian soldiers in a brutal and deliberately cruel fashion as the camera stares into the eyes of the condemned. The video production is smooth and a moment is taken to quash any idea that this is a “fake video” as ‘Jihadist John’ looks into the camera mid beheading with a menacing full metal jacket stare.

More at Telegraph UK, "Peter Kassig may have defied captors' demand to film propaganda video before he was murdered."

The Lies That Are Central to Obama's Agenda

From Kyle Smith, at the New York Post:

What’s important about [Jonathan] Gruber’s words is that they highlight the fact that ObamaCare isn’t just “controversial” or “divisive” or “hotly debated.” It is fraudulent. Being based on lies, it is illegitimate.

Word.

But RTWT (via Memeorandum and RCP).

#Shirtstorm: Glenn Reynolds' Column on #Shirtgate Brings out the Leftist Crazy

At Twitchy:

Heh. Shrinkage: More charges of 'doxxing' by Instapundit 'downsized' by accuser http://t.co/yJKfEEBC1e Leftists are simpletons straight up.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) November 16, 2014

Jonathan Gruber's 'Stupid' Budget Tricks

The totalitarian progs are all, "Nothing to see here. Move along!"

But see WSJ, "His ObamaCare candor shows how Congress routinely cons taxpayers":

#GruberGate basically: a) Exposed Obama as a liar b) Gave the supreme court the underpinnings to gut #Obamacare in the spring.

— RockPrincess (@Rockprincess818) November 16, 2014

As a rule, Americans don’t like to be called “stupid,” as Jonathan Gruber is discovering. Whatever his academic contempt for voters, the ObamaCare architect and Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his candor about the corruption of the federal budget process.

In his now-infamous talk at the University of Pennsylvania last year, Professor Gruber argued that the Affordable Care Act “would not have passed” had Democrats been honest about the income-redistribution policies embedded in its insurance regulations. But the more instructive moment is his admission that “this bill was written in a tortured way to make sure CBO did not score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies.”

Mr. Gruber means the Congressional Budget Office, the institution responsible for putting “scores” or official price tags on legislation. He’s right that to pass ObamaCare Democrats perpetrated the rawest, most cynical abuse of the CBO since its creation in 1974.

In another clip from Mr. Gruber’s seemingly infinite video library, he discusses how he and Democrats wrote the law to game the CBO’s fiscal conventions and achieve goals that would otherwise be “politically impossible.” In still another, he explains that these ruses are “a sad statement about budget politics in the U.S., but there you have it.”

Yes you do. Such admissions aren’t revelations, since the truth has long been obvious to anyone curious enough to look. We and other critics wrote about ObamaCare’s budget gimmicks during the debate, and Rep. Paul Ryan exposed them at the 2010 “health summit.” President Obama changed the subject.

But rarely are liberal intellectuals as full frontal as Mr. Gruber about the accounting fraud ingrained in ObamaCare. Also notable are his do-what-you-gotta-do apologetics: “I’d rather have this law than not,” he says.

Recall five years ago. The White House wanted to pretend that the open-ended new entitlement would spend less than $1 trillion over 10 years and reduce the deficit too. Congress requires the budget gnomes to score bills as written, no matter how unrealistic the assumption or fake the promise. Democrats with the help of Mr. Gruber carefully designed the bill to exploit this built-in gullibility.

So they used a decade of taxes to fund merely six years of insurance subsidies. They made-believe that Medicare payments to hospitals will some day fall below Medicaid rates. A since-repealed program for long-term care front-loaded taxes but back-loaded spending, meant to gradually go broke by design. Remember the spectacle of Democrats waiting for the white smoke to come up from CBO and deliver the holy scripture verdict?

On the tape, Mr. Gruber also identifies a special liberal manipulation: CBO’s policy reversal to not count the individual mandate to buy insurance as an explicit component of the federal budget. In 1994, then CBO chief Robert Reischauer reasonably determined that if the government forces people to buy a product by law, then those transactions no longer belong to the private economy but to the U.S. balance sheet. The CBO’s face-melting cost estimate helped to kill HillaryCare.

The CBO director responsible for this switcheroo that moved much of ObamaCare’s real spending off the books was Peter Orszag, who went on to become Mr. Obama’s budget director. Mr. Orszag nonetheless assailed CBO during the debate for not giving him enough credit for the law’s phantom “savings.”

Then again, Mr. Gruber told a Holy Cross audience in 2010 that although ObamaCare “is 90% health insurance coverage and 10% about cost control, all you ever hear people talk about is cost control. How it’s going to lower the cost of health care, that’s all they talk about. Why? Because that’s what people want to hear about because a majority of Americans care about health-care costs.”

More.

And see Gateway Pundit, "BOOM! Gruber White House Meeting Included CBO Director, Robert Gibbs, Axelrod and Barack Obama."

BONUS: "#ObamaCare Architect Exposes Progressive Totalitarianism — And Repsac's Too!"