For all things relative to politics.

[ccangelopearl1362]

(staring blankly for few minutes, then clearing throat) Well, what have we here? I will admit to having been in the middle of pondering a comprehensive argument for freedom, optimism, innovation, and curiosity. Due to some... intervention a little over a week ago, I've transformed from a simple, ordinary Pearlshipper into a political junkie. Perhaps it will be appropriate for me to return to the factors shaping those interests in the first place, and I can clearly remember what I've done in the Bulbagarden Forums toward that end, from David Souter's retirement to the continuation of the Taliban's preemptive jihad in Pakistan. Yet, for now, another piece of the geopolitical puzzle I've been tracking in the Middle East has revealed itself.:

Iraqi Shiite jihad leader Mookie, er, Muqtada Al-Sadr resurfaces in... Turkey

The same Turkey in which President Barack Obama launched his new attempt at "dialogue" with the Islamic world mere weeks ago? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu have gotten to be quite prominent to me in my efforts to keep track of international jihadism's more nonviolent approaches. It was Ihsanoglu who demanded that the United Nations ban criticism of Islam, and Erdogan has been imposing submission to Allah in Turkey step by step, regulation by regulation. At the same time, Erdogan has sided with Iran in what Daniel Pipes called a "Middle Eastern cold war".:

Does Turkey Still Belong in NATO?

To answer Mr. Pipes' question, I don't think so. In fact, now that I realize this, I have an easier time envisioning Turkey as the emerging leader of Islamic civilization, making Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu my favorite emerging villains of the early 21st century. David Souter's upcoming retirement may be notable by itself, but with Barack Obama prostrating himself in front of the world, including no less than the King of Saudi Arabia, I can only assume that Turkey would be all too eager to seize this opportunity to reestablish itself, creating a grim future for freedom in the realm of 21st century international and American politics. The possibility that Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will be among the considered nominees to replace Souter might only reinforce my point here.:

Napolitano Declines to Rule Out Interest in Supreme Court Appointment

Justice Napolitano?

The homeland security secretary might just like the ring of it. Janet Napolitano declined to rule out being interested in an appointment to the Supreme Court when she was asked on "FOX News Sunday" about speculation that she might be on the list of potential candidates to replace outgoing Justice David Souter.

"I've got my hands full with the flu right now, and I'm just going to stick with that," she said.

When host Chris Wallace told Napolitano, "That's a non-answer," she replied: "That's all you're gonna get."

She added: "I think the president has many, many excellent choices before him and that's his choice to make."

Anyone for wondering what could happen with Supreme Court Justice Janet Napolitano, including the whole "right-wing extremism" bit that those Tax Day tea party protesters in my home city ridiculed a few Wednesdays ago?

 

[BigLutz]

I havn't seen anyone else post this juicy piece of meat but...

Condi Rice versus Anti War/Torture Nut

Yes Condi beat him, creamed him, anyone that doesn't think so really just doesn't have the courage to admit it. It looks like she is prepared for this kind of stupidity, and I would think this video would be fair warning to Obama and other Democrats. Do not go after the Bush Administration on Torture Charges. You. Will. Lose.

Edit: Notice how the whole room goes silent as she begins to tear in.

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

I havn't seen anyone else post this juicy piece of meat but...

Condi Rice versus Anti War/Torture Nut

Yes Condi beat him, creamed him, anyone that doesn't think so really just doesn't have the courage to admit it. It looks like she is prepared for this kind of stupidity, and I would think this video would be fair warning to Obama and other Democrats.

Ooh. Go, Condi, go. If second-guessing would've led to three thousand more American deaths at the hands of "murderous tyrants", as she rightly put it, like Al-Qaeda, then one would like to be certain that such deaths can be prevented by any legal means. I am struck to realize that George Walker Bush himself authorized waterboarding, with Condi carrying his authorization. I will thank Condoleezza Rice for clearing up that issue as a reference point for those of us who may not have seriously considered waterboarding before... but for now, I will separately thank Abigail Esman for clearing up the issue of Turkey.:

Should Turkey join the European Union? Obama says yes. He's wrong.

Incredibly, if Mat Herben is correct, then with Turkey in the European Union, the Arabs will have a serious headache. Violent international jihadists like Al-Qaeda are already furious at the United States, but what will stop them from targeting Turkey if they begin to ally with, say, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Arabia's royal family in believing that Erdogan has turned against the Islamic world? Yet, once the Arabs launch their attack, the rest of Europe will opine that the Arabs are attacking them. The rest will be history from there.

 

[BigLutz]

Well ABC News now has a DNI Report backing up the Washington Post, backing up Porter Goss' op-ed, and basically calling Pelosi a lier. The woman lied to the American people, and I would say its time for her to step down. She is probably the worst Speaker of the House we have ever had, and should step down.

Meanwhile Specter continues to be the horrible person he is, and the Republicans have nominated a Conservative to his spot in the Judicary so Obama cannot get a nomination through with out going through a Conservative.

To all the Democrats, good luck! You guys are going to need it...

 

[Carlisle]

Well ABC News now has a DNI Report backing up the Washington Post, backing up Porter Goss' op-ed, and basically calling Pelosi a lier. The woman lied to the American people, and I would say its time for her to step down. She is probably the worst Speaker of the House we have ever had, and should step down.

I HAVE NEVER AGREED WITH YOU MORE. Lmao. I can not STAND Nancy Pelosi. She has screwed the Democrats and bipartisanship over so many times, it's a disgrace.

Meanwhile Specter continues to be the horrible person he is, and the Republicans have nominated a Conservative to his spot in the Judicary so Obama cannot get a nomination through with out going through a Conservative.

A nominee for a supreme court justice is what you are referring to, right? Who do you it will be? A woman? An African American? A moderate or a liberal?

PS I will be replying to our PM discussion very soon.

 

[BigLutz]

A nominee for a supreme court justice is what you are referring to, right? Who do you it will be? A woman? An African American? A moderate or a liberal?

PS I will be replying to our PM discussion very soon.

Awesome!

Yeah I am talking about a Supreme Court Justice, the odds on favorite right now is Sonia Sotomayor. She matches the big three for Obama:

Woman: Check
Hispanic: Check
Extremely Liberal: Check

Mind you she would be a nightmare at any hearing, saying things like "Courts are where policy is made" and "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life"

The woman has been described as "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench" as one Clerk has put it.

So if anything we get some Summer Fireworks from Capital Hill.

Edit: Words of Stupidity from Howard Dean: “I think we’ve had quite enough capitalism in the last eight years.”

Remember everyone, it's wrong and untrue to call the Democratic Party, Socialists...

Edit 2: Bond Market in the US was killed today, apparently the Chinese weren't there but never the less, it's a bad omen for the near future.

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

2002 DNI report: Shameless liar Pelosi was briefed on Zubaydah’s waterboarding

So much for being kept out of the loop on waterboarding. In fact, now that I think about it, one thing I actually liked seeing Nancy Pelosi do -- and see within my mind -- was compile that "Capitol Cat Cam" video of hers. Otherwise, I wouldn't be too surprised if Pelosi requested some aspirin for the combined headache that she no doubt will get between any MoveOn.org or Code Pink protesters demanding the heads of those who waterboarded those poor, defenseless, impoverished, sensitive jihadists and any Republicans supporting Senator Jeff Sessions in doing everything possible to block any and all Supreme Court nominations that prefer "empathy" over the United States Constitution itself.

 

[Mercutio]

Woman: Check
Hispanic: Check
Extremely Liberal: Check

Woman: I can see it happening, obviously he needs to avoid the sexism card being played against him so he has to tread carefully.
Hispanic: The most likely if he decides to go with an ethnic group other than Caucasian.
Extremely Liberal: Can't see it. Sure, he's replacing a Liberal, but the fact is that if he's too partisan about it he's going to p**s off every Republican for miles. I predict a Centre Left candidate- keeps the balance up but doesn't leave him open to attack.

Totally did not know there was a debate forum on Serebii

 

[BigLutz]

Extremely Liberal: Can't see it. Sure, he's replacing a Liberal, but the fact is that if he's too partisan about it he's going to p**s off every Republican for miles. I predict a Centre Left candidate- keeps the balance up but doesn't leave him open to attack.

Except Obama hasn't given a damn about pissing off Republicans, remember as he told Republicans "I won".

Totally did not know there was a debate forum on Serebii

Welcome!

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

From ACORN, a mighty GOP fight

In the meantime, the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now continues its nutty (pun intended) evasions of curiosity on Republicans' part. I have wondered just what it was doing in the weeks leading up to the 2008 American presidential election, and thankfully, so has Glenn Beck.:

Glenn Beck, May 7, 2009: ACORN Responds to Voter Registration Charges
Glenn Beck, May 6, 2009: Nevada Files New Voter Registration Charges Against ACORN

Talk about a verbal wild goose chase. Even the transcript of ACORN's response has given me some clues as to the level of confusion initiated by that organization. I can remember Barack Obama's ties to it, as documented by Stanley Kurtz.:

Stanley Kurtz's NRO 2008 archive

ACORN has continually pressured banks and companies into donating to it, giving it an awful lot of money with which it can fund any campaign it wants against American free enterprise. I wouldn't be surprised if, say, the Muslim Brotherhood "copied" the intimidation tactics of the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now if it seeks to protest President Barack Obama's upcoming speech in Egypt.:

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood dismisses Obama speech
Obama to address Muslims in Egypt

Apparently, that speech in Turkey after the G-20/NATO summit was insufficient for Obama's purposes. Are we to assume that he will attempt another apology tour rather than promote and defend the attributes that made and make the United States a great country and global superpower? Each new demonstration of (perceived) weakness can only embolden America's enemies, whether overseas... or right here at home.:

Top Pelosi Aide Learned Of Waterboarding in 2003

Nancy Pelosi's resignation can only give Barack Obama a new series of headaches, and I can envision the jihadists laughing at his (apparent) squeamishness about waterboarding. I am wondering just how bitter he might be at this moment, with the world increasingly ready to go up in flames... by the day.

 

[Mercutio]

He's picked Sonia Sotomayor apparantly.

 

[BigLutz]

And let the war begin, because there is going to be one. Republicans are going to go nuts from this woman.

'I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male'

"The Law does not look different to you because you are Hispanic, the law doesn't look different to you because you are a woman" - Mark Davis

With Blue Dog Democrats looking at a extreme left Democrat, and Republicans looking for a win against the Obama Administration this could be the first smack down against Obama. Then again I expect Liberals to automatically scream "Republicans hate her because she is Hispanic" or "Republicans hate her because she is a woman!"

 

[Carlisle]

With Blue Dog Democrats looking at a extreme left Democrat, and Republicans looking for a win against the Obama Administration this could be the first smack down against Obama. Then again I expect Liberals to automatically scream "Republicans hate her because she is Hispanic" or "Republicans hate her because she is a woman!"

It's sad that people have to resort to that. :\

Anyway, I don't have much to say on this issue. Frankly, I could care less. The Supreme Court is filled with idiots anyway, we even have a homophobe in there, so it's not like this woman could affect my life at all. We have more important things to worry about such as North Korea or even the economy.

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Funny. North Korea’s ballistic/nuclear tests may be precisely why Obama made the announcement that he would nominate Sotomayor to replace David Souter today rather than, say, this upcoming Thursday. Kim Jong-Il can only continue to perceive weakness out of Obama for timing this announcement as he did, but at the same time, there may be less to Sotomayor’s judicial opinions that we would like to see out of her, despite Tom Goldstein’s argument that these most likely criticisms against Sotomayor will not work.:

United States Supreme Court Blog: Tom Goldstein: The Dynamic of the Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor
Hot Air: Allahpundit: Law professor: Sotomayor lacks “intellectual depth”

If leftists wanted someone who could frame the intellectual foundations of America’s judicial system to their advantage, then Jonathan Turley’s observations about the importance of “lasting influence” through written opinions may be notable, at best. Perhaps Goldstein and any other lawyers operating that official blog for the United States Supreme Court will need some memos about sincere differences in judicial philosophy because Sotomayor’s idea of “intellectual depth” may really be more about racial and gender experiences than simple legal precedents.:

Hot Air: Allahpundit: Video: Rush calls Sotomayor a racist, gets called a racist in return

I’d say that BigLutz essentially called the left’s reaction quite nicely, right after no less than Rush Limbaugh essentially used one of the left’s usual modes of attack against them. Racial redistributionism can only foster more and more resentment on the part of those seeking genuine opportunity for themselves, leading to a (possible) strike or even a foul for Obama himself. The baseball puns are deliberate, given Sotomayor’s role in ending a baseball strike at least fourteen years ago, apparently.:

Fox News Channel: Sotomayor’s Judicial Record Could Be Battlefield for Critics, Advocates

If Barack Obama wanted to turn attention back to him and away from events outside the United States, then at least for today, he succeeded. Then again, who is to say that Kim Jong-Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won’t have the last laugh -- at Obama’s expense?

 

[Carlisle]

Funny. North Korea’s ballistic/nuclear tests may be precisely why Obama made the announcement that he would nominate Sotomayor to replace David Souter today rather than, say, this upcoming Thursday. Kim Jong-Il can only continue to perceive weakness out of Obama for timing this announcement as he did, but at the same time, there may be less to Sotomayor’s judicial opinions that we would like to see out of her, despite Tom Goldstein’s argument that these most likely criticisms against Sotomayor will not work.

You can delude yourself into believing that, but it's been expected for days for this announcement to come this week, specifically early this week. I doubt Kim Jong-Il will view this as a weaknes, much less will this even be publicized in South East Asia to a bigger extent. A public announcement about our courts by the president is suddenly a weakness? Uhm, okay...what do you expect Obama to do? Forget the publicized issue and talk about nothing but North Korea?

 

[BigLutz]

I doubt Obama scheduled this to take the flak off the North Korea decision, like Carlisle said the possibility of this happening has been coming for weeks.

That being said just hours after the announcement came out, the transcript of Blago and Burris came out, showing that Burris agreed to give money to Blago as well as other favors if he got the seat. So that is obviously going to be dominating some of the news cycle these next few days instead of puff pieces on Sotomayer.

Also and I hate to take ccangelopearl1362's job but

Chrysler dealers shut down in Obama bankruptcy are mostly Republican?

I am not going to believe this yet for three reasons

A: It comes from a blogger, and we all know they have little in fact checking
B: We havn't seen any hard proof yet
C: It would be so stupid, it would mean the end of the Obama Administration

That being said here is what the guy found, take it with a grain of salt: To quickly review the situation, I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list. And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn’t an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified.

However, I also found additional research online at Scribd (author unknown), which also appears to point to a highly partisan decision-making process.

Also in I guess a related story, and one that is verified, the lawyer for the car dealers made a statement to Reuters

Which pretty much said that Crystler was placed under political pressure from the Obama White House's Automotive Task Force. Which seeing how many stories in the past of Obama putting pressure on private companies, I CAN believe that.

So really I don't know what to believe. Did he really target Republican Car Dealers? And if so, that really would be the end of his Administration.

Edit: I wanted to add that some of the Republican Dealerships that are being targeted, are very successful dealerships.

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Also and I hate to take ccangelopearl1362's job but

Chrysler dealers shut down in Obama bankruptcy are mostly Republican?

I am not going to believe this yet for three reasons

A: It comes from a blogger, and we all know they have little in fact checking
B: We havn't seen any hard proof yet
C: It would be so stupid, it would mean the end of the Obama Administration

That being said here is what the guy found, take it with a grain of salt: To quickly review the situation, I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list. And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn’t an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified.

However, I also found additional research online at Scribd (author unknown), which also appears to point to a highly partisan decision-making process.

Also in I guess a related story, and one that is verified, the lawyer for the car dealers made a statement to Reuters

Which pretty much said that Crystler was placed under political pressure from the Obama White House's Automotive Task Force. Which seeing how many stories in the past of Obama putting pressure on private companies, I CAN believe that.

So really I don't know what to believe. Did he really target Republican Car Dealers? And if so, that really would be the end of his Administration.

Edit: I wanted to add that some of the Republican Dealerships that are being targeted, are very successful dealerships.

No need to worry, fellow political junkie. My mind has been focused on certain political events around the world anyway, and Obama himself said that he wanted a confirmation by the time the Supreme Court opened its new term… namely, in October. Thus, Obama could still have had enough time to get Sotomayor confirmed in deciding to wait one more week to announce her nomination, and many have predicted smooth sailing for her in the Senate. I can only suppose that Obama is more interested in showing empathy according to group identity than according to political opposition, and I can’t imagine that South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso are particularly enthusiastic about noting America’s practical absence from a crisis instigated by a tyrant with a weapon powerful enough to turn millions of people into radioactive dust in a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, a handful of Democratic Chrysler dealerships from the partial list at that website at Hot Air are crossing my mind at this moment.:

Doug Ross: Did anti-Obama campaign contributions dictate which Chrysler dealers were shuttered?

Russ Feingold, John Edwards, Evan Bayh, and Hillary Clinton are the main Democratic senators mentioned as having received money from these dealerships, and as of that partial list, only one Obama donor was found. The bloggers themselves may end up overtaking whatever remnants remain of the old guard of American news organizations should they coordinate whatever fact-checking they do, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Fox News Channel -- most likely Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, or Sean Hannity -- launched an investigation into this matter. Somehow, I doubt that this is going to be over any time soon.

 

[Squirtle85]

I usually don't post and just read Biglutz thoughts(I love your arguments, btw!

But I wanted to post this interesting editorial from the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053102079.html

"The Media infatuation with Obama"

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Hot Air: Ed Morrissey: GM enters bankruptcy, creditors howl
Investor’s Business Daily: A Matter of Law

So, today is June 1, 2009, and today’s biggest political news item was General Motors’ new declaration of bankruptcy. Evidently, the United Auto Workers got a bigger stake in this governmental rearrangement than did the company’s bondholders, and Obama saw fit to include a stake for Canada’s government, as if that could mean anything. Hugh Hewitt is recommending Ford and Toyota purchases to protest this move and defend private enterprise in the United States, and Investor’s Business Daily is expressing serious skepticism that what Obama just did is even legal, stating that “we call it theft”. One can increasingly suspect that this dynamic of taking control of a car-manufacturing company hasn’t worked in, say, Romania, according to a man who tried it himself during his years in the Soviet Union.:

Wall Street Journal: Ion Mihai Pacepa: What I Learned as a Car Czar

Ion Mihai Pacepa described leading Romania’s industrial espionage program and receiving a mission from Nicolae Ceaucescu “to mediate the purchase of a minimum, basic license for a small car from a major Western manufacturer, and then to steal everything else needed to produce the car”. Try guessing what Ceausescu’s response to the resulting car was: “The car that finally hit the market was a stripped-down version of the old, stripped-down Renault 12. "Perfect for the idiots," Ceausescu approved.”, a clear reference to the people he’d been tyrannizing. Pacepa went on to describe the decline of Britain’s car industry under Clement Attlee’s nationalizations, sapping that country of its “economic vigor”. As of this moment, Pacepa is a defector from the Soviet Union – which might tell us something about his opinion of that totalitarian monstrosity – living under political asylum in this country, and his experiences I consider most invaluable in figuring out exactly what President Barack Obama seeks to do with America’s greatest car companies.

 

[Carlisle]

Well, another state just legalized same sex marriage - New Hampshire. The California court made a fair compromise on the issue, though it's only a matter of time before it returns on the ballot. It will be legalized eventually.

The OAS has also lifted Cuba's 47 year suspension.

Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh are also reversing their call of Sotomayor being a racist - which was ridiculous in the first place, one subjective comment that was taken way out of context does not make one racist. However, I believe choosing Sotomayor was a very political choice on Obama's part, rather sneaky if you will. The Republicans can NOT afford to deny her access to the Supreme Court, she would be the first Latina. Block her and criticize her, there goes the Hispanic vote even more down the drain, and as things stand, Republicans are in need of any voter they can get. The Supreme Court as it stands I would say it is moderate-right leaning. With the addition of Sotomayor, it goes to the middle. One or two more justices that are liberal or moderate would swing the court middle-left to left. So when social issues come into play, such as gay marriage, it certainly favors a Democrat's agenda.

The governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, has also stated he is not running for another term, highly indicating that he might be considering a run for president in 2012. However, with his low and sinking approval ratings in Minnesota, the Minnesota deficit being blamed on him, and anger from Minnesotans rising due to his refusal to sign over the election certificate to Al Franken, (60% of the state believes Al Franken should be seated) I doubt he has much of a chance in 2012. The Republican party seems to be trying to center itself over to Palin, Jindal, Michael Steele, and Mitt Romney somewhere in there. Palin and Jindal have the charisma and leadership , but who shall pop up in the Republican party who has those two qualities, but intelligence and a back round full of experience as well? As the economy is slowly picking up, and many economists saying we should be out of the recession next year, definitely by 2012, the issue that seems to be becoming the new focus is that of national security. With North Korea being blatantly defiant and dangerous, and attention shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan, the idea of rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran may be the issue at hand for our next general election.

Edit: Something else I was also thinking about. Obama has kept his promise of putting Republicans into his administration. He has kept Robert Gates, and he has now assigned the governor of Utah to be an envoy to China, and I can't remember names or titles, but I know he just assigned some important Republican to an army position? I find it interesting how potential candidates for 2012 are being assigned jobs from Obama. Perhaps Palin shall be assigned the next Supreme Court justice opening?