Celebrating Obama’s swearing in will cost about $150 million. How come this time no one is asking how much good that would do if it were spent instead on, say, curing disease, feeding the hungry, [add your noble cause here], etc…
(H/T: Drudge)
Updates from January, 2009 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Jehuda
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Jehuda
Mexico as bad as Pakistan? “In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico.”
Didn’t seem to me that way when I was there last month, but what do I know?
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Jehuda
Culper Ring: Iran using “front” businesses to acquire bomb parts from the US.
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Jehuda
I just heard consumer guru Clark Howard on the radio ask “Why do people in California think government should give everything to everyone at every moment?”
Why indeed. Some people in California do think that way. Unforunately, it’s people in government or with a lot of leverage over government. But a majority of the citizenry is to blame for our current situation as well, everytime a stupid “tax and spend” or “borrow and spend” measure is approved by referendum.
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Jehuda
Now this is crazy: Obama having dinner with Bill Kristol and David Brooks.
Yes. As in The Weekly Standard. As in “conservative opinion leaders”. Awesome.
Obama is such a heartbreaker. He’s like the new cool guy in school whom all the girls want to go out with, but to whom the cool girls feel entitled. And then one day they see him at the table with…with…those…nobodies! How could he?!
It’s almost like the plot of a classic John Hughes film.
UPDATE: “This could ruin their reputation”. That’s another way to look at it, but – assuming the thought was not written in jest – I think the implication that conservative thinkers of such stature very well may have the next President’s ear would actually enhance their reputation in more than one circle.
After all, conservatives were expected to be lost in the wilderness after Obama’s victory, put out to pasture, irrelevant. A nice dinner with Obama at George Will’s pad would put the lie to such a premise.
(H/T: Drudge)
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Jehuda
Via Drudge: Obama’s Treasury Pick Geithner Failed to Pay Taxes.
The transition team knew about this and they still picked him.
Hmm. Maybe not paying your taxes is just what passes for perfectly acceptable behavior in Washington these days. That would go on to explain why Charlie Rangel hasn’t resigned yet.
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Jehuda
Hmm: STRATFOR says Russia can handle not selling gas to Ukraine just fine; and that its interests in Ukraine are too important not to play this gas game.
I guess I was wrong.
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Jehuda
So the AP published this story yesterday about the increase in the number of people leaving the Golden State.
But the story doesn’t really go very much in depth into the why for this trend. Yes, it’s very expensive to live here and there seems to be less and less economic opportunity. But when you follow the news carefully you can see that this didn’t just happen one day all of a sudden like a wild mushroom on the lawn. There’s a reason behind it all.
H/T: Instapundit
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Jehuda
Then DIY!
Disappointment at Sundance (or at another major film festival) doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line.
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Jehuda
She has good taste!
And here’s a Q&A with her about her last days on the set of BSG
.
The show returns for its final 10 episodes this Friday, only on the Sci-Fi channel.
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Jehuda
At least in terms of becoming a hated figure among Muslim radicals.
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Jehuda
Great, just what we need in a wartime President: An Obama nominee who wants to tie down the executive branch.
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Jehuda
Just in case that isolated track from last year left you wishing for more: the Diamond Dave Soundboard!
Via VSL.
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Jehuda
So Dr. Fiancee and I caught the season premiere of 24
last night.
We had never seen 24 before. It never quite aroused my interest, personally. But there was nothing else on last night.
It was sufficiently entertaining, although I found the over-protective FBI boss and the First Gentleman characters incredibly annoying. I doubt we’ll watch again.
Still, I couldn’t help cheer for Jack Bauer, whose reputation precedes him. I know he’s the man, especially in conservative circles, and I can see why. Looks like Joel Surnow is still on as E.P., too. I thought he was long gone. Good for him.
Just one question: What was Janeane “Air America” Garofalo doing there? Talk about playing against type. She’s an FBI staffer on 24??? Janeane Garofalo? I would have thought she would be nauseated at the mere idea.
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Jehuda
Senator Durbin Learns an Economic Lesson: Is Dick Durbin losing faith in Keynesianism? Might he possibly soon come around to believe lower taxes are better for the economy? Or are we dreaming here?
UPDATE: The L.A. Times is – on the other hand – celebrating Keynes imminent return.
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Jehuda
Idealism hits the hard wall of reality: “It Is More Difficult Than I Think a Lot of People Realize”.
The recent electoral victory must be a strange one for the Left. So many of their hopes and dreams crushed so quickly. This transition must feel to them like opening presents on a Christmas morning and realizing Santa brought them clothes instead of toys.
H/T: Instapundit
UPDATE: RELATED – No abject disillusionment at Newsweek, where it seems that the Bush-Cheney ways will be OK, as long as it’s Obama implementing them. Or is it just media battlespace preparation?
was elected partly to cleanse the temple of the Bush-Cheney stain, and in his campaign speeches he promised to reverse Cheney’s efforts to seize power for the White House in the war on terror.
It may not be so simple…The flaw of the Bush-Cheney administration may have been less in what it did than in the way it did it—flaunting executive power, ignoring Congress, showing scorn for anyone who waved the banner of civil liberties. Arguably, there has been an overreaction to the alleged arrogance and heedlessness of Bush and Cheney.
What do you know? The bugaboo of the Unitary Executive (which isn’t an unconstitutional interpretation of the Executive Power to begin with) wasn’t the problem. It was just a matter of style! Too arrogant, too heedless.
It’s the magic of double standards: quick and convenient!
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Jehuda
Figures and analysis from Steve Mason.
Looks like Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is cleaning up now that it’s expanded to more screens; and it could become the biggest-grossing wide release of Eastwood’s career.
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Jehuda
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Jehuda
Another Meet the New Boss Moment: Trend: Obama gives CIA interrogators a pass on torture and names hardcore CIA veteran as top adviser on terror (no Senate confirmation required).
The Left really shouldn’t whine and moan in disappointment over this one. Especially after Obama voted for that much commented FISA bill a mere few months before the election.
Elections have consequences, folks. Projecting all your desires onto one single figure via the cult of personality has consequences, too.
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Jehuda
Nikki Finke reports settlement talks have been productive so far: “Warner Bros is finally freaked out.”
On the line is whether WB will get to release the movie on March 9 at all, as originally scheduled.
Big mess. Someone didn’t do their homework or outright lied about who owned the distribution rights to Watchmen.
Stay tuned.
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Jehuda
One of Seattle’s big papers is about to go out of business.
And the L.A. Weekly, L.A.’s big alternative newsweekly (the City of Angels’ version of NYC’s Village Voice) is not faring much better.
Who will be next?
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Jehuda
Ben Shapiro lists the top 5 conservative characters on Lost.
Who knew? Dr. Fiancee and I just started watching Lost on DVD
. I think we’re hooked.
After this, I’ll probably be watching more carefully.
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Jehuda
Via Instapundit: Fabius Maximus has two new reports on Mexico’s deteriorating security situation in the midst of the Cartel Wars.
Meanwhile: The Border Reporter wonders why more Americans are not worried yet.
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Jehuda
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon faces a 12-count indictment.
And they actually acknowledge in the article that she’s a Democrat. How unusual!
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Jehuda
Coldest in years from the Plains to the East Coast: “This is about as bad as it gets folks. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it since 1994.”
Somebody tell Al Gore to bundle up!
(Via Drudge.)
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Jehuda
Worrying that Obama’s stimulus plan may not go far enough, John Judis calls for a “fiscal equivalent of war”.
A fiscal equivalent of war is something I’m all for, as long as wasteful Washington spending is considered the enemy and the arsenal of fiscal sanity consists of money in our pockets instead of in Uncle Sam’s.
UPDATE: I must quote Kudlow again: “Obama talks big government. But so far his program actually reduces the government-spending share and increases the private tax-cut share.”
Maybe that’s why Judis thinks the plan won’t do enough…
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Jehuda
Stephen Moore: ‘Atlas Shrugged’: From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years.
Alas, he’s right.
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ABC’s The Note: Obama Pressed from Left on Stimulus. Long account of where Obama stands vis a vis Democrats in Congress on the issue, but worth giving it a read.
Interesting thought from the comments: “Maybe Obama is actually trying to do what’s best for our country and not what’s best for the Democrats.”
If so, that’s what I call odd but refreshing!
Then again, that Republicans seem happy with all that spending as long as the plan includes big tax cuts is not exactly comforting.
UPDATE: Larry Kudlow observes: “What’s most regrettable is that congressional Republicans have yet to make the alternative case. They haven’t pressed for marginal tax-rate cuts as an option to Obama’s credits. So far, the GOP is me-too. They’ve offered an echo instead of a choice.” Yeah, what else is new?
Related: The disappointment continues! Obama snubs Leftie netroots darling Howard Dean.
Damn. It’s almost like the guy never existed!
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Jehuda
The Guardian: Obama Camp Prepared to Talk to Hamas.
I expect a strong denial or at least the “misspeaking” defense, even if the headline is accurate. They can conduct these talks in secret and we would never know about them, after all.
The White House carrying out direct talks with a terrorist group wouldn’t look good for Obama, as a certain Time blogger who was betting against Obama being friendly with anti-Israel interests reminded us less than two months ago.
H/T: Drudge
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Jehuda
So says Eve Fairbanks at TNR. She lists 4 reasons why.
I’d dare to say that another reason why they don’t matter yet is that the mainstream media won’t raise a stink about them, when they easily could.
(Via Instapundit)
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Jehuda
WSJ: The Best and the Worst Jobs in the USA.
Mathematician at #1?? Unexpected.
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Jehuda
THR: DGA film nominations released.
Will Chris Nolan now get nominated for a Best Director Oscar? Stay tuned.
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Jehuda
Anne Thompson has the Producers Guild list of the Top 5 movies of 2008. She’s betting the list of Oscar nominees to best picture will be identical.
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Jehuda
USA Today: Coming Soon to Cellphones…Free, Over-the-Air TV.
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Jehuda
What has the Hollywood Thought Police in store for David Mamet, now that he has defected to the right side?
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Jehuda
The Obama transition: history’s first rocky presidential honeymoon that is also an “unusually smooth and carefully coreographed transition”!!!
I guess we should get used to the mainstream media being in the tank for Obama for the next four years, at the least. It is clear they just won’t let him stand on his own two feet.
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Jehuda
So I returned from Mexico early on Dec. 31. My flight back to L.A. was quite uneventful compared to the flight into Mexico, even though I was flying Mexicana. No cancellations. And even a hot breakfast!
Lucky for me the flight was not quite full. So I got a whole three seats to myself, and on the emergency exit row! This row always has extra leg-room, so it was quite a treat.
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Jehuda
At NewGeography.com, How Detroit Lost the Millenials.
This has been some time in the making. I’m Generation X and haven’t driven a Big-Three-made vehicle for more than 15 years.
Except for SUV drivers, I don’t believe most of my peers during that same period have driven so-called American cars. I say “so-called” because corporations are owned by their shareholders; and I doubt very much the shareholders of the Big Three are exclusively American (Chrysler was part of German conglomerate Daimler-Benz for years, if you want to focus on management).
Same goes for Japanese cars. So many of them are made in the USA these days, that I think calling them “Japanese” is not entirely accurate either.
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Jehuda
At the Culper Ring: Thinking Like Thieves in Order to Catch Them.
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Jehuda
Variety: 2008 Box Office Resists Recession.
