The General rules!

This is some funny stuff (and be sure to check the comments by clicking on "Report to the General" at the bottom.)

Whiny white men

Oh, pity the poor white man these days!

What with all your uppity women taking jobs that used to be the exclusive province of guys, and what with all your dusky minorities turning up all over the place, and what with your John Waynes being few and far between anymore -- well, Jeez, a white dude can hardly catch a break.

And now they tell us that the disfavor for the Democratic Party among most white men is just tough toast, because the demographic groups that lean toward the Democrats increasingly outnumber the white guys.

Incredible!

Bob Somerby (left) over at the Daily Howler did a brilliant job the other day exposing the ridiculous lengths to which certain celebrated political pundits (Tim Russert, David Broder, David Gregory, et al) will go to cast doubts on Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy.

The subject is baseball, and the important background factor is that Clinton grew up in the Chicago area but now represents New York in the U.S. Senate. I'm using the text from Somerby's piece in addition to a link (which brings up some extraneous material):

DAMNED FOR THE YANKEES: The first person we saw who took it seriously was the New York Times’ hapless Gail Collins. On Saturday morning, Collins was typing very hard about the way vile Hillary Clinton just won’t take any firm stands. We thought the column was weak through and through. But then, dear God! She typed this:

COLLINS (9/29/07): It's one thing to refuse to answer a hypothetical question about whether there is any circumstance under which you might ever use nuclear weapons against Iran. It's another to refuse to commit on who you'd root for if the Yankees played the Cubs in the World Series. No young person is going to fall in love with politics because of a candidate who says: ''I would probably have to alternate sides.”

Good God—Collins actually seemed to be serious! She actually seemed to be criticizing Clinton for the joking remarks she made when Russert asked her, in last week’s debate, who she’d root for if the Cubs played the Yankees in the World Series. But then, Collins perhaps didn’t understand that Clinton was joking about those “alternate sides”—making a play on the way the commander-in-chief used to switch sides at half-time at the Army-Navy football game. (Prexies no longer attend that game.) Maybe Collins just didn’t know that this whole thing had been a damn joke.

But then, good lord! The very next day, a doddering Dean voiced the same complaint—and he too seemed to be playing it straight! Here’s where The Pundit Dean ended up as he bleated about Clinton’s “evasiveness:”

BRODER (9/30/07): "It went on like that through several more topics, until a final question about baseball fandom. Clinton identified herself as a Yankees fan, saying she knew it would not help her with the Red Sox Nation supporters in New Hampshire. But what if it is the Cubs vs. the Yankees, Russert asked. "I guess I would have to alternate," she said, triangulating once again.

"This dodginess got her through the two hours. Whether it can get her through the next three months is a different question..."

There are no words for such phony conduct. It was clear that Clinton was joking throughout this pointless exchange with Russert. But to Broder, when Clinton joked about her two favorite teams, this meant that she was “triangulating again!” It was a mark of her “dodginess,” the tired old Hill-hater said.

And then, it was time for Meet the Press—and the Head Raccoon had summoned some lodge-mates to sit agreeably on his panel. Like Digby (hurrah!), we’ll post a substantial chunk of what happened. It defies the things we think we know—to see that people will gather in a group, on TV, and pretend to be this stupid. The Head Raccoon was shedding real tears as this ludicrous segment began:

RUSSERT (10/1/07): I tried to get these candidates to take positions on Iraq, on Social Security, on the big issues.

PAT BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

RUSSERT: We talked about baseball. And I found this exchange particularly interesting. Let's watch.

(Videotape) RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, what about a World Series, Yankees and Cubs?

CLINTON: Well, you know, I've worried about that because I think, given the Cubs' record, which—of course I, I hope it happens, but it could very well be a sign of the coming apocalypse were that to ever occur. It would be so out of history that you'd have the Cubs vs. the Yankees. Then I'd be really in trouble. But I—

RUSSERT: But who would you be for?

CLINTON: Well, I would probably have to alternate sides. (Laughter)(End videotape)

RUSSERT: Well, the Cubs are in the playoffs, David.

DAVID GREGORY: Yeah.

RUSSERT: Cubs, Yankees. You going to seat—sit behind each dugout?

GREGORY: You can't have it all. In the sports world, you can't have it all.

BUCHANAN: But, Tim—

GREGORY: That reeks of calculation, which is a potential downside for her.

BUCHANAN: The term "Nixonian" comes to mind on that response.

Russert even played the tape, so people could see that Clinton was joking. (The term “laughter” after Clinton’s remark appears in the Nexis transcript.) But Gregory, playing it totally straight, said her answer “reeked of calculation”—and Buchanan went with “Nixonian.” As we watched, we still thought the whole group might be joking. But as this lodge of fools continued, it became clear that they actually weren’t. Even Tavis Smiley played along, earning his spot in The Brotherhood:

RUSSERT (continuing directly): How so?

BUCHANAN: In the good sense of the word.

RUSSERT: How so, Pat?

BUCHANAN: Well, I mean, which—"on the one hand, on the other."

TAVIS SMILEY: That sounds like Romney is what it sounded like.

RUSSERT: But, Dan Balz, it's been tough getting these candidates to, to one, one, talk to the press and take real positions. They want to hide out in the Internet, they want to hide out on their blogs, they want to put out prefab commercials and brochures. But when you say to them, "Where are you on Social Security? How are you going to save that program? Where are you on Iraq? Where are you on immigration?" sometimes you get answers like that.

Good Lord! To his semi-credit, Tavis smiled grimly as he spoke—but he played along with the klan, comparing Clinton to flip-flopping Romney. And Russert made it clear at the end—this was meant to be an example of phony pols who just weren’t willing to play it straight. The Head Raccoon was showing his pain. “It's been tough,” he sobbed to Balz, “getting these candidates to...take real positions.” “Sometimes you get answers like that,” he complained—talking about a joking reply to his stupid-ass question about the Cubs versus the Yankees.

Insane? Deranged? Is our language too strong? Too strong when this stable of millionaires makes such a ludicrous joke of our discourse? David Gregory—he of the millions per year—was playing along with the Head Raccoon, and Smiley—a major self-promoter—was willing to get stupid too. But what are liberals and Dems to do, when this cult of multimillionaires starts down this troubling path once again? We have put up with these people for year after year—we’re in Iraq because of their conduct—and they have played this game the whole time, and seem to be gearing up once again. Now, the crying King of the Nantucket nabobs introduced a very familiar notion. As usual, the Dem front-runner was a big fake—even when she told a joke about the Cubs and the Yankees.

Rudy speaks

Funny:

Compassionate conservatism

By the way, if you're from the Rockford area, you should know that Don Manzullo voted against the State Children's Health Insurance Program and almost certainly will vote to uphold President Bush's veto.

POSTSCRIPT: Paul Krugman says conservatives generally regard the problems of the downtrodden -- sick kids among the poor, for example -- as funny.

Is Larry Craig a political genius?

Josh Marshall says he is.

Iowa sucks!

Why do we allow this small, unrepresentative state to have a disporportionate say in our presidential politics?

My homework

I'm busy studying this photo for body-langauge tips and overall style because, you see, I'm only three months younger than Frederick of Hollywood, and I, too, might someday want to land me a lovely lady who's 24 years my junior.

If and when that happens, I'm also going to run for president on a platform of not knowing much about anything, which I will demonstrate by delivering boring speeches. And I'll expect to be endorsed by Don Manzullo (as Frederick has been).

Yes, siree. Senior citizenship can be a lot of fun, if you play it right. God bless America.

Olbermann on Limbaugh

Keith Olbermann on MSNBC has offered the most concise smackdown of Rush Limbaugh's efforts to weasel out of his slander of antiwar troops as "phony soldiers."

It's important to note that Limbaugh says he used the infamous term only in reference to one guy who was caught lying about serving in the military, and he's supported that contention with a conveniently edited tape of his remarks.

Here's what Keith said the other night:

OLBERMANN: First the background. Comedian Rush Limbaugh has stuck to the standard scripture for fringe extremists—never apologize, attack anyone who criticizes you.

This time, Limbaugh claims that Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, who went to the floor yesterday asking Limbaugh's boss to repudiate his comments, took those comments out of context. It is the standard claim, debunked easily enough by listening to it. Something Limbaugh has denied his own listeners the ability to do when he later played an edited clip in his defense.

We will play the unedited clip in a moment. When you hear it, keep in mind, Limbaugh later claimed he was referring to one soldier whom he did not mention until two minutes after the clip you will hear has ended.

And the caller he speaks with, specifically says, prior to this clip, that he called as a, quote, "retort to the previous caller," an antiwar Republican military veteran.

Keep in mind, also, that you will hear Limbaugh agree with a definition of real soldier, which confirms the obvious interpretation of the term “phony soldier.”

(Audio tape)

LIMBAUGH: What is the imperative for pulling out? What's in it for the United States to pull out? They—I don`t think they have an answer for that other than, well, we've got to bring the troops home?

MIKE: Yeah, and, you know what?

LIMBAUGH: Keep the troops safe or whatever. It's not possible intellectually to follow these people.

MIKE: No, it's not. And what's really funny is they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and stuff.

LIMBAUGH: The phony soldiers?

MIKE: The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they're proud to serve. They want to be over in Iraq because they understand their sacrifice. And they're willing to sacrifice for their country.

LIMBAUGH: They joined to be in Iraq.

(End of audio clip)

OLBERMANN: Real soldiers joined to be in Iraq.

Jon Stewart cuts Chris Matthews a new one

This is too, too sweet:

Strike?

Just a thought.

UPDATE: They're thinking about it here, too.

El Rushbo redux

Lest we forget, a look back at an interesting story.

McCain not aware of what he'll say

Am I the only one who's noticed this?:

The Associated Press has a story this morning about remarks prepared for delivery later today by John McCain. The subject of those remarks strikes me as less important than the fact, buried down in the AP story, that McCain doesn't know what he'll be saying.

Here's the key passage:

The Associated Press obtained excerpts of McCain's remarks Tuesday from his campaign.

Later Tuesday, McCain said he had not yet seen the remarks. "But I will look at them very carefully," he said.

The Arizona senator was to deliver the speech Wednesday at a South Carolina military academy. Campaign spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said while McCain had not seen the language in the speech about Hillary Clinton, he still plans to deliver the critique.

UPDATE: It turns out that McCain won't deliver that speech today after all.

Political power of religious right fading

The theocrats are in disarray, which gives us cause to shout "Hooray!"

GOP party of business?

A piece in the Wall Street Journal, no less, suggests that the Republican Party is losing its lock on the business vote.

Writes Jackie Calmes:

Some business leaders are drifting away from the party because of the war in Iraq, the growing federal debt and a conservative social agenda they don't share. In manufacturing sectors such as the auto industry, some Republicans want direct government help with soaring health-care costs, which Republicans in Washington have been reluctant to provide. And some business people want more government action on global warming, arguing that a bolder plan is not only inevitable, but could spur new industries.

Those damned illegal immigrants are going to be the death of us all

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, one of the greatest leaders of our time, warns that littering by illegal immigrants "is the worst thing you can do to the environment."

The worst thing? Worse than all those greenhouse gases and all that other stuff?

Who knew?

Yipes!

Deep down, I understand that it's unfair to judge a person by his or her looks or clothing. But I'm nonetheless taken aback by this photo of Debra Cagan, deputy assistant secretary for coalition affairs to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

(No, this pic wasn't snapped at a costume party or any other such affair.)

I'm also taken aback at Cagan reportedly having said: "I hate all Iranians."

Bona fide right-winger turns on Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh's feeble attempts to deny that he slandered countless U.S. troops with his rhetoric about "phony soldiers" are seen for the bullshit they are -- even by this genuinely conservative pundit.

Your "liberal" media (cont.)

Bob Somerby does a good job trashing the likes of Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, David Broder of the Washington Post and Tim Russert of NBC for some of the nonsense they peddle.

Hey, c'mon! Slavery wasn't so bad!

That's what right-wing blatherer Michael Medved (who occasionally fills in for Rush Limbaugh) says here.