Joke of the Day

The President's Morning Briefing:

Gates briefed the President this morning.

He told Bush that 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq.

To everyone's amazement, all of the color ran from Bush's face, then he collapsed onto his desk, head in hands, visibly shaken, almost whimpering.

Finally, he composed himself and asked Gates: "Just exactly how many is a brazillion?"

H/T: My Aunt Charlotte, via e-mail.

Can I have your autograph Mr. President?

I found an interesting post over at The American Mind: Congressmen as Autograph Hounds and Groupies

After President Bush’s State of the Union speech a few Congressmen acted quite un-Congressman-like. President Bush walked out of the House of Representatives only to be barraged with requests for autographs. It’s like grown men and women were at baseball Spring Training begging players to sign their baseballs and cards.

I've never paid that much attention to the President leaving the House floor before, so I can't say with certainty if it is normal of the SOTU Address or not, but it certainly struck me as odd when I saw it.

The post also points out the behavior of Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann;

she attached her hand to President Bush’s shoulder and wouldn't let go for 30+ seconds. It appears she was using her “schoolgirl-crush moment” to try to get a photograph with Bush. But it also looked like she was too close to a person she has a deep crush on. She ended up kissing the President in a way that would make Laura flare slightly.

I must have missed the kiss, but I definitely noticed the shoulder holding move. I was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to let him go. The article links to a clip of the incident if you are interested in seeing it.

After viewing the clip, the kiss didn't seem that different from the person who kissed him just before her, but combined with the whole shoulder-holding thing it did seem very odd in total.

Partial lifting of martial law in Thailand

BBC - Thailand partly lifts martial law

Martial law has been lifted in more than half of Thailand, two months after the move was authorised, a government spokesman said.

The move means Bangkok and 41 of Thailand's 76 provinces are no longer under the special restrictions imposed in the wake of September's coup.
. . .
Martial law continues in northern and border provinces, including Chiang Mai.

The lifting of martial law would seem to be a step in the right direction, however:

While the military leadership has been under international pressure to lift martial law, in practice few Thais have felt the restrictions, correspondents say.

This gives the impression, and it is the impression I have gotten all along, that the coup was only viewed as a bad thing by a portion of the population, while the rest seemed largely unaffected. That doesn't give them a pass for what they have done, but it adds an element of complexity to the situation.

Unbelievable

Brian over at Flashpoint has an interesting post on Alabama state representative John Rogers, Jr. and the Alabama Black Legislative Caucus (ABLC). Check it out, it is definitely worth a read.

What's next?

CNN - New York to tout official city condom

NEW YORK (AP) -- Available soon: an official New York City condom.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration wants to reduce rates of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, and part of the strategy is the aggressive promotion of free condoms. Officials say more people will use them if they have jazzy packaging.

One idea is a subway theme, with maps on the wrappers.

Yeah, jazzy packaging with a subway theme, that will make all the difference. Who comes up with these ideas, really?

Revisiting the Hobbits

BBC - Hobbit cave digs set to restart

Archaeologists who found the remains of human "Hobbits" have permission to restart excavations at the cave where the specimens were found.

Indonesian officials have blocked access to the cave since 2005, following a dispute over the bones.

But Professor Richard "Bert" Roberts, a member of the team that found the specimens, told BBC News the political hurdles had now been overcome.

I remember reading about this find back in 2004. It is a very controversial subject. My time as an anthropology student leads me to doubt that any definitive answer will ever be found. As much as they like to believe they are being objective, it is always actually a very subjective process.

Hunter makes it official

CNN - It's official: Rep. Duncan Hunter kicks off presidential run

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina (AP) -- Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, best known for his advocacy on behalf of the military, launched a longshot bid for the presidency Thursday in this early voting state.

"Let's begin this race for the American presidency and let's win," Hunter, said, wrapping up 25 minute speech.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Hunter has been a familiar face on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon. Until Democrats took control of Congress this month, he was chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, the powerful panel that oversees military policy.

However, Hunter is little known outside of Congress and his San Diego district. He is a strong opponent of illegal immigration who wants fences extended along the U.S.-Mexico border and supports the prosecution of smugglers bringing illegal immigrants across the border.

Last week, Hunter filed a bill calling for a congressional pardon of two U.S. Border Patrol agents who are both serving more than a decade in prison for shooting a Mexican drug dealer as he fled, then covering up the crime.

So he's a supporter of the ridiculous fence idea and he supports covering up crimes. Sounds like the right man for the job to me. . .NOT!

I guess I'm just feeling a little sarcastic this morning. . .

Primary Fever

NYT - Big States’ Push for Earlier Vote Scrambles Race

As many as four big states — California, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey — are likely to move up their 2008 presidential primaries to early next February, further upending an already unsettled nominating process and forcing candidates of both parties to rethink their campaign strategies, party officials said Wednesday.
. . .
The developments mark the latest upheaval in a political calendar already in disarray. The Democratic Party voted last year to allow Nevada and South Carolina to move their nominating contests into the narrow period at the beginning of the process that once was confined to just Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s primary.

The developments mark the latest upheaval in a political calendar already in disarray. The Democratic Party voted last year to allow Nevada and South Carolina to move their nominating contests into the narrow period at the beginning of the process that once was confined to just Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s primary.

It has always seemed unfair to me that Iowa and New Hampshire had so much pull in the nominating process. The idea of adding a state from the South and a state from the West to the early process makes sense. I really don't feel like New Hampshire and Iowa are necessarily representative of the views of the nation as a whole. I do feel like smaller states need some advantage in the process or else they get almost completely ignored. It seems like a difficult balance to strike.

The New Hampshire reaction seems almost childish, however:

But New Hampshire officials, protective of their first-in-the-nation primary status, have responded by saying they will schedule their primary as early as it takes, even before Jan. 1, to protect its traditional role. And no one seems to know where the scramble for influence among the states will end.

Early primaries do have a major impact on later voters and everybody wants to have a chance at influencing that impact. As a voter in Alabama, I've always felt like my vote in the Presidential primary was meaningless. Now that Alabama has moved its primary forward I have felt like the change has improved our position and increased the attention we receive from candidates, so I can understand NH not wanting to loose that power. But just insisting on continuing to move theirs forward if other get too close could escalate into utter nonsense.

Another interesting part of this whole process for me, considering my current study of party politics and candidate selection processes, is the loss of power the party is experiencing:

The developments suggest that the national parties are losing any control they have had over the calendar by which they will nominate presidential candidates in 2008.
. . .
It has sowed unease and confusion among campaign staff members as they have tried to measure its implications, and has prompted them to begin making moves now to prepare for a whole different nominating system.

I wonder what that last comment could foreshadow.

Update: For more commentary on the unfairness of the current system check out what Steven Taylor has to say on the subject over at Poliblog.

Uranium Smuggler Caught in Georgia

CNN - Russian smuggled nuclear-bomb uranium, officials say
Now before anyone gets too worked up, I'd like to make clear that it is the Republic of Georgia (the former Soviet Republic NOT the state next to Alabama).

Republic of Georgia authorities, aided by the CIA, set up a sting operation last summer that led to the arrest of a Russian man who tried to sell a small amount of nuclear-bomb grade uranium in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket, U.S. and Georgian officials said.

The operation, which neither government has publicized, represents one of the most serious cases of smuggling of nuclear material in recent years, according to analysts and officials.

The arrest underscored concerns about the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear bomb-making material on the black market, although there was no suggestion that this particular case was terrorist-related.

This is obviously very serious, even if it is in Eastern Europe not the Eastern United States. The penalty for the act is what actually surprised me the most:

The man was arrested and sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison on smuggling charges. His accomplices were sentenced on lesser charges.

Although the CIA was involved, the arrest took place in the Republic of Georgia and is therefore subject to their laws, I'm sure. It just seems to me that if such a thing had happened in the US, the person would be in Guantanamo right now and treated as a terrorist. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but it seems likely to me.

Real or Hoax?

BBC - 'Jungle girl' attempts to speak

A woman believed by some to have lived in the jungle for 19 years has tried to speak, says a Spanish psychologist who visited her in north-east Cambodia.

. . .

She was reportedly discovered 10 days ago, naked and scavenging for food in the forests of Rattanakiri province.

A family claims she is their daughter, Rochom P'ngieng, who went missing when she was eight.

They say they identified her from a scar on her arm.

But others are sceptical, saying she could be somebody with mental problems, or have gone missing more recently.

An interesting story, however, it seems unlikely to me that an 8 year old girl could have survived for that long all alone in the jungle.

The story continues:

He [the girls alleged father] has said he will have DNA tests taken to prove she is the daughter he lost when she disappeared while tending buffalo in 1988.

It will be interesting to see how the story develops. It would seem to me that even if this woman is their daughter, it doesn't necessarily mean that she had been in the jungle this whole time.

To Flea. . .Get over it!

BBC - Hendrix energy drink upsets fans

"To see his image and the beautiful feelings it has created in me cheapened by advertising is very disappointing," said Red Hot Chili Peppers star Flea.

I'll agree that it can be disappointing to have the music you know and love corrupted into the fallen art of advertising, but it happens everyday. It's not like it is some great tragedy that requires public lament. And personally it surprises me that Flea was so influenced by Hendrix. I mean really, Jimi Hendrix didn't feel the need to use the same rhyme all the way through every verse of his songs, did he?

Kerry Keeps His Hat

BBC - Kerry will not seek White House

Senator John Kerry, who lost to George W Bush in 2004, will not run for US president in 2008, he has said.

The Massachusetts Democrat had been thought to be considering another run, and had kept campaign staff and a fundraising operation in place.

But he would have faced an uphill battle for his party's nomination, given the likely candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

A visibly emotional Mr Kerry made the announcement on the Senate floor.

I think it is just as well that he's not running. I was not happy that he won the nomination last time around. If he couldn't beat Bush in 2004 he has no business running again.

The SOTU Address

I watched the State of the Union Address last night, but really didn't feel like I had enough to say about it to merit a blog post. I've thought about it some during the day today, and decided to make a brief commentary. Obviously, as one can find in multiple comments elsewhere, the President really had very little to say that was anything new or exciting. Give war a chance and all that. I was a little surprised to hear him refer to global warming as a serious threat after so many years of down-playing the issue, however.

The thing that stood out the most to me was just the pomp and circumstance of it all. I know this is always the case, but I think I was just especially paying attention this time. I spent a lot the time focused on Nancy Pelosi's reactions. She was obviously quite happy with the attention that she was rightly given at the beginning of the speech. Throughout the speech, even in places where she stood and clapped, her face was nearly expressionless (in fact, at times I wondered if she was chewing gum or just sucking on her teeth, I'm not sure what she was doing). The only time after the opening sequence that I saw her appear genuinely pleased was when Bush was introducing the "everyday heroes" in the audience. At that point she smiled like when she was introduced.

Anyway, back to the pomp and circumstance, the whole ordeal largely amounted to ceremonial rising and falling with the tide, at least the tide of one's party. It was like watching an Episcopal church service (stand, sit, stand, etc., but at least no one had to kneel). It all seemed so perfunctory.

I did like how Jim Webb, in the Democratic response, referenced Teddy Roosevelt. Pointing out that Republicans of the past had been willing to take on big business and do what was right for the lower classes.

Overall, however, the whole experience was less than exciting.

News on The Class

For those of you who have been watching The Class, you may have noticed Holly Ellenbogen (played by Lucy Punch) was missing from last night's opening sequence. Apparently she has left the show (see The Class Drops a Mate). I, personally, am not too sad to see her go. She really didn't fit that well into the rest of the storylines. I wonder if she might still make some guest appearances as the producer says:

"Due to creative changes, Lucy Punch is no longer a cast member. She is a superb actress and did a fabulous job. We hope to work with her again in the near future."

Also, the article indicates that Perry, Holly's husband, will "stick around."

In case you were wondering

For those of you out there who are wondering who all has thrown their hat into the ring at this point (as so many have it is hard to keep up), I found this website that seems to have a comprehensive list of declared candidates (in bold) and possible candidates. There is an abundance of them.

A theory on Heroes

After tonight's episode, I'm wondering if Linderman actually knows about the heroes. It seems that if he wants to get as many of Issac's paintings as he can get and he has the sword that Hiro needs, it seems like he is too connected to whole thing to not know something. I'm thinking that maybe Linderman is the mystery guy that Claire's dad works for.

Manning gets his first Super Bowl

Manning caps Colts' title game comeback

A comeback, a drive, a legacy. And, yes - finally - Peyton Manning gets his Super Bowl trip. So does Tony Dungy.

Football's most prolific quarterback put on a show for the ages Sunday, rallying the Indianapolis Colts from 18 points down and driving them 80 yards for the winning score in a wildly entertaining 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots.

It was quite an exciting game. I went into the game not really pulling for either team, but before it was all over I was definitely anxious to see the Colts win it. The reasons:
1) I love to see a good comeback.
2) The Patriots have been to the Super Bowl too many times recently.
3) I wanted to see Manning get his much awaited Super Bowl.
4) I like the idea of both teams in the Super Bowl having an African American coach.

That we all may be one

An article in today's Washington Post caught my attention: Carter, Clinton Seek To Bring Together Moderate Baptists. The article talks about President Carter's desire to form a Baptist coalition that would rival the Southern Baptist Convention. He stresses the fact that he is not looking to form a wholly political group with a religious affiliation, but to change the image of Baptists in the world's mind.

"We hope . . . to emphasize the common commitments that bind us together rather than to concentrate on the divisive issues that separate us," Carter said. "There's too much of an image in the Baptist world, and among non-Christians, that the main, permeating characteristic of Christian groups is animosity toward one another and an absence of ability to cooperate in a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood."

It was this particular part that struck me. I'm not a Baptist, I'm currently a member of the Episcopal Church, but the Episcopal Church has quite a bit of division within it at the moment as well. Today, in the "Prayers of the People" (a prayer lead by a lay reader and read responsively with the entire congregation) the prayer began:

Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church;
That we all may be one.
(Prayer of the People, Form III, page 387, Book of Common Prayer)

And this should be the desire of all good Christians, that we can put our differences aside and see the common thread that binds us. I don't know what political goals Carter and Clinton may have in mind for this new organization, there are some undoubtedly. I'm not sure how setting up a rival group will promote unity. But I do understand the desire to present a more tolerant image of the Baptist religion than the SBC gives. And, if the SBC is going to be political, which they obviously are, there is no reason this group can't do the same.

Are We Ready?

Washington Post - Far From a Hindrance, Gender Could Be Key for Clinton

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton enters the presidential arena as the most viable woman ever to seek the office and at a propitious moment.

More women hold elected office than ever before, and 9 million more women than men voted in the last presidential election. The New York Democrat's candidacy will test whether she can turn excitement over gender into a powerful political advantage.

"Over the last 35 years, the political climate has changed to make women more acceptable to Americans at all levels of office," said Ruth B. Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. "And now, finally, the moment has arrived when we have a candidate ready to make that leap and a public that can see a woman in that role.

I agree that it is high time the United States elected a female president, at least in theory. Many countries less "developed" than we are have had female leaders. That said, I'm not willing to vote for Hillary just because she is a woman.

The articles continues:

"I like her because she's a Democrat and a woman, and it's time for a female president," said Rene Davis, 23, of Gloucester, N.J. "If I have a daughter, I want to know that she can run for president."

I don't think that it is right to vote against someone based on race, ethnicity, religion or gender, but I don't think it is right to vote for them for those reasons either. When it comes time to cast a vote, I think it should be based on the merit of the individual and I'm not yet convinced that Hillary is the right person for the office. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, but just being a Democrat and a woman is not sufficient to merit my vote.

Issue Ads in the spotlight

CNN - High court takes 'issue ad' cases

Jumping into a heated free-speech dispute a year before the presidential primaries, the Supreme Court on Friday accepted a pair of appeals over a sweeping campaign-finance reform law that limits "issue ads."

Oral arguments in the cases will be held in late April, with a ruling expected by late June -- six months before the 2008 election officially kicks off with primaries and caucuses in such states as Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

The question for the high court is whether issue ads aired mainly on television -- and funded by businesses, labor unions, and other groups -- can be banned 60 days before a general election, and 30 days before a primary.

That restriction was a key part of the McCain-Feingold congressional bill setting strict limits on political spending and the message behind it.

The issue ads are widely used to promote particular causes such as environmental protection or tax reform, and they specifically cannot endorse or even mention any particular candidate or political party.

I have to admit that I was not familiar with that part of the McCain-Feingold bill. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.