Here's a Real Shocker

According to the AP:

Attorneys for embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick say they won't try to have his travel restrictions lifted in time for him to attend the Democratic National Convention.

Spokesman Marcus Reese says Kilpatrick is focused on "serving the citizens of Detroit, not on presidential politics."

Kilpatrick can't leave the Detroit area as a condition of his bond on two assault charges.

I wonder how many other superdelegates and close friends of the Dalai Bama will not be able to attend the convention without violating the conditions of their parole?

Speaking of Democratic sleaze, neither John "Two Timing Americas" Edwards, nor his love child, appear on the convention schedule.

Nor does the Good Reverend Jesse JacksoN-word, who has spoken at every Democratic National Convention since 1984, presumably because of Secret Service concern over the security of the Democratic presidential nominee's genitals. However, Jackson's son, Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., will speak, ironically enough, on the "One Nation" theme today.

Jon Voight Is Now My Favorite Actor

Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight (aka Angelina Jolie's dad) had an op-ed piece published in Monday's Washington Times.

I love what Voight has to say:

Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset.

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

What is Barry Doing Right Now?

From Power Line:

If you Google the word "Facebook," the first entry that comes up, naturally, is the main Facebook site. The second is Barack Obama's Facebook page.

The RNC has now parodied Obama's use of social networking quite cleverly with a page called BarackBook. The site is a useful guide to Obama's friends, with videos and a news feed. What is Barack doing right now? (Facebook users will get the reference.) "Barack is hoping to settle on an Iraq policy before November."

BarackBook is also an application that you can add to your own Facebook page. Well done, RNC!

HT: Mike D.

Obama Flip Flops on Afghanistan and Iraq

Patrick Bell of the Washington State Republican Party sent along this exhaustive fact check of Rep. Adam Smith's (D-WA) statements about Obama's views on Afghanistan and Iraq from last Wednesday's Hannity & Colmes.

FACT CHECK: REP. ADAM SMITH ON HANNITY & COLMES

SMITH, OBAMA AND AFGHANISTAN

Obama Surrogate Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) Claimed Obama Has Been To Many Hearings And Spoken To Many Commanders To Form His Views On Iraq And Afghanistan:

Smith Claimed Obama Had “Been To Many, Many Hearings” On Iraq And Afghanistan, And “Has Talked To Many Generals, To Many Of Our Troops About The Position There.” Smith: “Senator Obama has taken the position on Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been to many, many hearings on both issues. He has talked to many generals, to many of our troops about the position there. The idea that someone would run for president without having thought seriously, listened, and learned on the issue is ridiculous. You can point to one aspect of it and say well, he didn't do that. He has articulated a clear position on Iraq, on Afghanistan based on his belief, and that belief is very straightforward. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the central front in the war. That is where we need to be concerned. We have taken our eye off the ball and placed too much emphasis on Iraq.” (Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes,” 7/23/08)

Obama Failed To Hold A Hearing As Chairman Of The U.S. Subcommittee Overseeing The NATO Mission In Afghanistan, And Missed 2 Of 3 Full Committee Policy Hearings On The U.S. Strategy In Afghanistan:

Obama Has Served As Chairman Of The Subcommittee On European Affairs From 2007 - 2008. (U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Website, www.senate.gov, Accessed 2/15/08)

The Subcommittee On European Affairs Has Jurisdiction Over The Countries Of Europe As Well As NATO Activities. “Jurisdiction: The subcommittee deals with all matters concerning U.S. relations with the countries on the continent of Europe ... and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.” (U.S. Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Website, foreign. senate.gov, Accessed 2/27/08)

However, Obama Has Held Zero Hearings As Chairman Of The Subcommittee On European Affairs. “Doubts about Barack Obama’s presidential credentials have crystallized during the past two weeks over his stewardship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs, which has convened no policy hearings since he took over as its chairman last January.” (Joe Conason, “Obama’s European Problem,” www.salon.com, 12/29/07)

Obama Could Have Held Hearings On The Role Of NATO In Afghanistan. “[A]mbassador John Ritch, who served for two decades as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s senior staffer on European affairs and East-West relations ... [P]oints out that as subcommittee chair, Obama could have examined a wide variety of urgent matters, from the role of NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq to European energy policy and European responses to climate change...” (Joe Conason, “Obama’s European Problem,” www.salon.com, 12/29/07)

In March, The Hill Reported Obama Missed Three Of Four Meetings On Afghanistan, Two Policy Hearings And A Nomination Hearing. “But since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a ‘new strategy’ in Afghanistan, a country he has never visited. Obama was absent from a January 31 meeting this year, and also was not present for a hearing on Sept. 21, 2006. He did attend a March 8, 2007 hearing on a new Afghanistan strategy. On Feb. 15, 2007, Obama also missed a committee hearing on U.S. ambassadors to Iraq and Afghanistan.” (Sam Youngman, “Obama Absent At Afghanistan Hearings,” The Hill, 3/1/08)

Obama’s Overseas Trip To Afghanistan Was His First Ever, After Skipping An Opportunity To Visit Afghanistan In 2006:

The Obama Campaign Pointed To His Trip To Iraq In Response To Criticism For Not Holding Any Oversight Hearings On Afghanistan.CNN’s Jessica Yellin: “Obama’s campaign points out the senator has visited Iraq...”(CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” 2/27/08)

“Obama’s Second Trip Abroad As A U.S. Senator Starts In Qatar And, In Addition To Iraq, Will Include Stops In Kuwait,Jordan, Israel And The PalestinianTerritories, According To A Statement From His Washington Office.” (“Obama To Visit Middle East, Including Iraq,”The Associated Press, 1/4/06)

“[Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)] Is Traveling With U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. Christopher ‘Kit’ Bond, R-Mo., And Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn. Their Weeklong Trip Including A Stop In Israel For Meetings With Israeli And Palestinian Officials. Other Stops Included Kuwait, Qatar,Afghanistan And Pakistan.”(Rick Callahan, “Bayh: Next Six Months Crucial To Iraq’s Future,” The Associated Press, 1/7/06)

“After A Two-Day Iraq Tour, Obama Is To Travel To Jordan And Israel On His Own.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama Making 1st Visit To Iraq,” Chicago Tribune, 1/5/06)

Obama Voted Against Providing Funding For Operations In Afghanistan:

Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

The Emergency Supplemental Provided The Following For U.S. Operations In Afghanistan:

$40 million for new power generation
$314 million for rural road rebuilding
$155 million for rural development
$19 million for agriculture
$174 million for Provincial Reconstruction Teams
$25 million for governance capacity building
$10 million for a Civilian Assistance Program
$79 million to support Diplomatic and Consular Programs
$16 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance
$16 million for International Disaster and Famine Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons Assistance
$47 million for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement activities
(Stephen Daggett, Amy Belasco, Pat Towell, Susan B. Epstein, Connie Veillette, Curt Tarnoff, Rhoda Margesson, and Bart Elias, “FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations For Defense, Foreign Affairs, And Other Purposes,” Congressional Research Service, 7/2/07)

SMITH, OBAMA AND IRAQ

At A Hastily Arranged Press Conference, Obama Denied His Statement That He Would “Refine” His Policies Meant He Would Alter His 16 Month Timetable To Withdraw Troops. Question: “What did you mean when you said you might refine your Iraq policies? Does that mean no 16-month timetable?” Obama: “No that's not no, not refine the 16-month timetable, what I just referred to. For example, there's been a major debate in terms of how we should structure training for Iraqi military and police what kinds of troop presence will we need in order for that to occur. What kind of troop presences will we need in order for that to occur? What kind of troop presence do we need in order to provide a counterterrorism strike force in Iraq that assures that al Qaeda does not regain a foot hold there? Those are all issues that obviously need to be determined by facts on the ground.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Press Conference, 7/3/08)

Smith Claimed Obama Has Been Consistent In Calling For Withdrawal From Iraq:

Smith Claimed Obama Has Said “Clearly” That He Would Withdraw U.S. Troops, But Added “Now, Is That Going To Be 16 Months Or 18 Months Or 17 Months? He Supports Getting Us Out Of Iraq.” Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “He said 16 months. Then he said he'd listen to the generals. Then he said he'd refine his position, and then he went back.” Smith: “He's going to. He believes clearly.” Hannity: “And you say he never changed his position.” Smith: “He believes -- he believes clearly...” Hannity: “Clearly.” Smith: “... that we need to draw down our forces in Iraq. Now, is that going to be 16 months or 18 months or 17 months? He supports getting us out of Iraq. (Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes,” 7/23/08)

But Obama Has Shifted Positions On The Pace Of His Withdrawal Plan And Whether He Would Listen To Commanders On The Ground:

In April, Obama Committed To Withdrawing Troops From Iraq In 16 Months, Agreeing It Was A “Rock-Hard Pledge” Regardless Of The Advice He Received From Commanders On The Ground. ABC’s Charles Gibson: “And, Senator Obama, your campaign manager, David Plouffe, said, ‘When he is’ -- this is talking about you – ‘When he is elected president, we will be out of Iraq in 16 months at the most. There should be no confusion about that.’ So you’d give the same rock-hard pledge, that no matter what the military commanders said, you would give the order to bring them home?” Obama: “Because the commander-in-chief sets the mission, Charlie. That’s not the role of the generals. And one of the things that’s been interesting about the president’s approach lately has been to say, ‘Well, I’m just taking cues from General Petraeus.’ Well, the president sets the mission. The general and our troops carry out that mission.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

In July, Speaking To The Military Times, Obama Said He Would Withdraw Troops “At A Pace That Is Determined In Consultation With General Petraeus And The Other Commanders.” Obama: “If current trends continue and we’re in a position where we continue to see reductions in violence and stabilizations and continue to see some improvements on the part of the Iraqi army and Iraqi police, then you know my hope would be that we could draw down in a deliberate fashion in consultation with the Iraqi government, at a pace that is determined in consultation with General Petraeus and the other commanders on the ground and it strikes me that that’s something we can begin relatively soon after inauguration. If on the other hand you’ve got a deteriorating situation for some reason then that’s going to have to be taken into account.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks To The Military Times Editorial Board, 7/2/08)

The Next Day, Obama Said He Would “Refine” His Iraq Policy Based On Conditions On The Ground. Obama: "I've always said that I would listen to commanders on the ground. I've always said that the p ace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed. And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies." (Sen. Barack Obama, Press Conference, 7/3/08)

Springtime for Obama!

This is a German language poster from the Obamalord's current victory lap in Europe:


My question is, what office is he running for and in what country?


Yikes. The Obama campaign thinks this is a good idea? Patrick Ruffini has more.

Quote of the Day

Michelle Obama brought her husband's message of change to Seattle Thursday, raising money for his presidential bid and for Gov. Christine Gregoire's re-election effort.

But when it came to Gregoire's campaign, Obama cautioned, "This election isn't about change for change sake."

And she added, "Don't change it if it ain't broken."

- "Michelle Obama brings change message to Seattle fundraiser," Seattle Times, July 18, 2008

BWWHAHAHAHAHA!! "This election isn't about change for change sake!!!" You'd better believe we're voting for change we can believe in in Olympia come November, Obamamama! It is broken, and we're gonna fix it.

Democrats Push for End of Free Speech

To welcome Michelle Obama to Seattle yesterday, the Washington State Republican Party produced this video of Washingtonians stating how they were proud of their country (since Mamaobama stated earlier this year that she was proud of her country for the first time.)



Queen Christine called the video a part of "shameful attacks" by the Republican Party and demanded that Dino Rossi denounce them. The Obama campaign referred to the video as part of a campaign of "false and mean-spirited attacks."

Huh? How is expressing love of your country "shameful" or "mean-spirited?" These people are aware of Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, and Move on.org, right? Pretty tame by comparison to what goes on there day after day. Heck, down in Moonbat Central, San Franciscans are going to vote this fall whether to name a sewage plant after the President of the United States as a demonstration of their contempt for him (and the office.)

So Michelle Obama makes herself a public figure by campaigning for her husband, and nothing she says on his behalf can be refuted or criticized?

Yep, thus sayeth the Obamessiah. In an interview published in this month's Glamour magazine, the Obamalord proclaims that, even if the McCain campaign isn't doing it

...but I would say that the apparatus of conservative columnists, blogs and the like. Talk shows, talk radio....When you see in the span of two or three or four weeks essentially the same talking points being used on a whole variety of shows or a whole variety of columns, over and over again....Hillary Clinton was subject to this, others have been subject to this in the past...It is part of our political environment that I'd like to change.

Change the political environment? In what way? Revoking the First Amendment? Thought crimes? Informers? Kangaroo courts? Reeducation camps?

Many Obamaniacs believe that the Dalai Bama is a "enlightened being" not of this world. It's only natural then that heretics and non-believers be purged in an Inquisition.

A cult of personality, a la 1930's Germany. Scary times ahead for the Republic, folks.

Say What?

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and others said they will meet with TV networks, film companies and musicians to discuss the "n-word."

"We want to give our ancestors a present," Jackson said at a news conference. "Dignity over degradation."

Jackson also asked the public not to buy a DVD box set of the seventh season of the TV show "Seinfeld" that was released last week.

- "Jesse Jackson Urges Boycott of 'Seinfeld' DVD Box Set in Wake of 'Kramer's' Racist Rant," November 28, 2006

Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson also spoke on Thursday afternoon outside CBS' offices and called for Imus' firing.

"This is not the first time this has happened on this show," he said, and spoke of previous Imus comments that Jackson characterized as racist and sexist.

"'Three strikes you're out' ought to apply to this position," he said.

- "Newly fired Imus meets with Rutgers players," April 13, 2007

The Rev. Jesse Jackson denounced the rapper's remarks about his desired album title.

"The title using the 'N' word is morally offensive and socially distasteful," Jackson said in a statement. "Nas has the right to degrade and denigrate in the name of free speech, but there is no honor in it.

"Radio and television stations have no obligation to play it and self-respecting people have no obligation to buy it. I wish he would use his talents to lift up and inspire, not degrade, making mockery of racism."

- "Record Label Denies Rap Star Nas' Claim of Forthcoming Album Called 'Nigga'," October 16, 2007

Barack...he's talking down to black people...telling ni**ers how to behave.

- Reverend Jesse Jackson, off-air comments, Fox & Friends Weekend, July 6, 2008

Jesse Jackson is the true face of racism and race-based hypocrisy in this country. He has no place in any kind of civil rights movement anywhere. He is an utter disgrace and a joke. Why he is relevant at all anymore is a mystery to me.

And Fox News is the face of real cowardism in journalism for attempting to cover up the good Reverend's racism. I have lost all respect for them.

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said:

I’m not in the business of hurting Jesse Jackson — because it does hurt Jesse Jackson — and I’m not in the business of creating some kind of controversy that’s not relevant to the general subject: one civil rights leader disparaging another over policy. So we held it back. Some weasel leaked it to the Internet.

Not relevant???? This man has made a career of destroying other people's careers over use of the "N-word" and it's not relevant?? I'm not a huge Michael Savage fan, but I can't wait to hear him tear into "The Leprechaun" over this.

Castrate the Dalai Bama?

Don't mess with the good Reverend....

Click "Read More" for the aftermath (Warning: NSFW)

They Call Me MISTER Hussein

I am now demanding that I be called Thomas Hussein Forbes. My middle name does start with an "H," but to paraphrase one starstruck suburban worshipper of the Obamessiah quoted in the New York Times, “My name is such a vanilla, white-boy American name.”

Speaking of the New York Times article, don't these poor brainwashed slacker rejects from Superbad II realize that the poster of the Obamalord that they are holding up is a little too reminiscent of the controversial Cuban flag featuring Che Guevara hanging in Obama's Houston headquarters?



Maybe this is the one I'm thinking of:

Uh Oh, Even More Scandal Brewing for the Dems

You knew this was coming: Obama Received Sweetheart Loan Deal and Campaign Contributions from Illinois Bank .

Why would BHO act any differently than the other Dem senators caught with their snouts in the trough?

As usual, the lamestream media will completely ignore this story. Nothing can be allowed stop the ascension of the Obamessiah to his heavenly throne.

Will Palousitics Be Next?

Blogger blogs with bad things to say about the Obamessiah are being shut down. From Publius' Forum:

Apparently, this campaign merely took advantage of Google/Blogger’s flawed system of finding spam blogs. So, it looks like what we have here is an Obama dirty trick to shut down political opposition. Looks like Obmatons aren’t much for that whole democracy thing, eh?

Stay tuned. Looks like I may be making the move from Blogger sooner than I had planned.

The Fall of the Republican Party

An election of John McCain will do more harm than good.

Hello from Ellensburg. I am the newest contributor here, and would like to thank Mr. Forbes. I have long considered myself a Republican, going so far as to be President of the CWU College Republicans for a time. Lately, however, I feel as though I am not so welcome in the party.

My first vote was cast in 2000, and it was an easy decision. George Bush was my guy. Eight years ago, the competition was fairly stiff, with Dan Quayle, Steve Forbes, and Pat Buchanan all being in the running. Solid, accomplished candidates all.

Which brings me to our present situation. This year, after sorting through a field of the half-crazed (Ron Paul) to the half-dead (Fred Thompson), to the half-liberal (Rudy Giuliani), we have settled on the greatest enemy Senate Republicans face, John McCain. In the process, we discarded Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, and Tom Tancredo. I am not very excited to vote.

I define my views as those of a paleo-conservative first, and a Republican second. Not too very long ago, the Republican Party was the vehicle for advancing the cause of conservatism. Currently, it is a convenient way to convince people that you are any sort of conservative. It has been betrayed by the likes of Arlen Specter in their quest to be elected. John McCain stands to be the final nail in the coffin for any sort of return to viable conservatism in the next twenty years.

Can anyone honestly say that John McCain appeals to the base? Who among us wants an open-border, anti-growth, tax-hiker claiming the Republican label? Why should we settle for the weakest Republican and one of the most easily defeated horses in this race? His military record is dubious, and has even gone so far as to work with the Brady folks. (See links below for more information)

Should John McCain get elected, the Republican Party will be fundamentally changed for all time. The platform will be composed of 'whatever it takes to get elected' and there will be no unified set of values to work toward. Democrats have nothing to fear from John McCain, he would rather work with Ted Kennedy or Russ Feingold anyhow. Taxes will rise, deficits will continue their out-of-control spiral, and our policy of pointless entanglement into foreign affairs will continue. Aside from alienating those within the Party, it gives Republicans a very bad name.

The obvious question is, would you rather see an Obama presidency? And my answer is without a doubt, yes. Either of these two clowns is gonna screw it up and screw it up hard, why not let a Democrat take the fall? In 2012, maybe the Republicans will have pulled their heads out and realized that electing weak Republicans, liberal Republicans, and phony Republicans got us into this mess, and it's probably not the way to get us out.

Links:
http://www.vvof.org/mccain_hides.htm
http://www.vdare.com/awall/080202_memo.htm
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/art ... rticle=231
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/graham/080224
http://www.usvetdsp.com/mcianhro.htm
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
http://offthegridgirls.wordpress.com/20 ... hn-mccain/
http://bconservatives.blogspot.com/2008 ... about.html
http://journals.aol.com/sazzylilsmartaz ... erica/2570
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/earlhopp ... eb08.shtml
http://www.gunowners.org/pres08/mccain.htm

Wampumgate

Queen Christine's sleazy payoffs from Indian casinos have state Republicans calling for an investigation.

This certainly is bad enough news for the Dems when the most competitive governors race in years is at stake. Even Gregoire's own party is apparently appalled. According to Seattle Times political reporter David Postman, the day after the story of the deal broke, the Queen's supporters had to stage a "spontaneous" floor demonstration at the state Democratic convention in Spokane. But as Mrs. Gregoire is Obama's most visible supporter in Washington State, it has national repercussions as well.

As we all know, the Obamessiah has promised a change from "politics as usual." However, James Johnson, the former Fannie Mae CEO, who is leading Obama's Veep search has come under fire for some shady deals of his own. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Johnson received some quid pro quo mortgages worth more than $7 million from a lender, including at least two loans below market average. Combined with the Queen's troubles, the stench could be overwhelming come November.

HT: Patrick Bell, WSRP

Quote of the Day

In a campaign stop in Oregon, Obama called for the U.S. to "lead by example" on global warming. "We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say 'OK.' … That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen," he said.

A President Obama apparently would decide how to regulate the pantries, thermostats and modes of personal transportation of his fellow Americans based on the emotional temperature of every non-American who happens to harbor an opinion on how we should live.

Steven Milloy, "Global Warming's New 'Consensus'", May 23, 2008

Sarah Palin for President

Sandpoint native and University of Idaho graduate Sarah Palin, the Republican Governor of Alaska, has been mentioned as a possible VP candidate.

The thought goes that the young (44), snowmobiling, socially conservative, pro-life, former beauty queen would balance out McCain's stuffy, staid, grumpy old RINO image.

It turns out Palin may be too much of a maverick for Maverick.

Palin announced yesterday that Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species. Palin fears the listing will cripple Alaska's oil and gas industry, the bread and butter of the 49th State. She stated:

The listing of a currently healthy species based entirely on highly speculative and uncertain climate and ice modeling and equally uncertain and speculative modeling of possible impacts on a species would be unprecedented.

Predictably, the environmentalist wackos started an immediate ad hominem smear campaign as they do to all global warming heretics:

She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."

Siegel said it was unconscionable for Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to sea ice, the polar bear's habitat.

"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," she said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

On a side note, Palin participated last October in the grand opening ceremony for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in her former hometown of Wasilla, where she said:

But we are hard working, very unpretentious, just good, salt of the earth people that live here and are working in this store.

Forget about VP. An elected official gutsy enough to publicly buck the Global Warming Hysteria Express AND support Wal-Mart deserves to be President.

Is That Where Homer Simpson Works?

Obama's been to "57 states", but he's never heard of Hanford. Now we can see how much he knows about nuclear energy...

Spoktopia

In today's New York Times, Timothy Egan has a unintentionally hilarious elegy to the "lost small town" of Spokane (metro area population around 625,000) that was "devastated" when Kaiser Aluminium collapsed. I'm sure Spokane seems like Dogpatch to the New York urban sophisticates sipping their skinny, half-caf, soy milk, no foam lattes and tut-tutting the plight of the poor rubes out there in flyover country. If only they would vote Democratic!

Conspicuously absent from Egan's apologia of the Obamessiah is the role labor unions and asbestos lawsuits played in Kaiser's demise. So is the fact that none of the natural resource industries that built Spokane (timber, mining, etc.) would be possible now under current environmental regulations, not to mention concern over "climate changing" energy usage and emissions and the lawsuit-happy NIMBY-state Washington has become. All these business- and job-killing factors, promulgated and championed by liberal Democrats, are somehow Dubya's and the Republican's fault.

And in Egan's eyes, the sins of Crackerquiddick are washed away, because rock star and patron saint of the working class Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Obama. After all, "The Boss" once sang a song that had the line "these jobs are going boys and they ain’t coming back.”

I especially like some of the online comments on the article:

"The bad lands of eastern Washington have been dead and gone for years."

"From my perspective, there is a cultural inbreeding and resistance to change and better ideas in small-town heartland America that is more responsible for the decay there than any of the factors many inhabitants of the heartland blame."

"Another aspect of small town living is their isolation. Making a sweeping generalization you can say that the people between the mountain ranges are different than those that are on the coasts. The former are protected and look inward the latter are unprotected and look outward. Spokane is even more isolated."

You know, come to think of it, I did see a boy playing a banjo on a front porch the other day while I was driving around Pullman...

As the Dems focus on class and culture, instead of the economy, Iraq, immigration, etc., they are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Obama’s Waterloo

Ed Morrisey has a must-read review of last night's Dem debate over at Hot Air.

I don't know which term I like better now: "Bittergate" or "Crackerquiddick."

Meanwhile, McCain has pulled even with Obama and leads Clinton in the latest Reuters/Zogby and AP-Yahoo polls.

So Easy a Felon Can Do It

Prison inmate to appear on Idaho Democratic Presidential Primary ballot with Obama and Clinton

Boy, talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Too bad I can't vote in that primary.

We like to kid our neighbors to the east...