April 05, 2008

"PINK SLIP NATION:"

Actually, though, the unemployment rate in November 1996, when Clinton rode a soaring economy to victory, was 5.4%. That's right--three tenths of a percent higher than the "grim picture" of a "pink slip nation" painted by this month's unemployment report.

That was different, because back then a man from Hope promised Change.

A LOOK AT the state of the bookstore business.

TOM MAGUIRE: "'Rocky' Was Just A Movie?"

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED to hear of a Hillary healthcare lie misspeaking:

Over the last five weeks, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has featured in her campaign stump speeches the story of a health care horror: an uninsured pregnant woman who lost her baby and died herself after being denied care by an Ohio hospital because she could not come up with a $100 fee.

The woman, Trina Bachtel, did die last August, two weeks after her baby boy was stillborn at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Ohio. But hospital administrators said Friday that Ms. Bachtel was under the care of an obstetrics practice affiliated with the hospital, that she was never refused treatment and that she was, in fact, insured.

No doubt if elected, she will be similarly scrupulous about the data on which her policies are based.

IN LIGHT OF EARLIER KNIFEBLOGGING, (also here and here) I note that prices have been slashed on Swiss Army knives. Heh. Slashed.

UPDATE: Boy, mention knives and the email pours in. What's with that? Anyway, reader Peter Gookins writes:

RE: emergency knives for the car. Take a look at this.

"Not as threatening" as a regular large knife (which is something I don't worry about) one hand opening, seatbelt cutter, tempered glass breaker. The glass breaker works by spring action - which may be handy if you're injured and can't swing a tool - I've had one in a nylon case wire-tied to the console shifter for years. We have lots of lakes, canals and retention ponds here in Florida; tying the case to the shifter keeps it centrally located so a passenger can reach it if necessary (the driver may be unconscious) and it will be in the same place even if the car is upside down. With your door pocket placement there may be other stuff placed on top of it, and if the car changes attitude severely enough there's no telling where it may wind up.

And Col. Douglas Mortimer emails: "I have one of these with only a blade - none of the cool Swiss Army Knife type attachments. Pretty cool for a stag handled Czech switchblade." Some people might find that threatening.

GODSPEED: Blogger Bob Krumm goes to Iraq.

AIRBRUSHED! A reader emails: "BBC article you mentioned was re-written to be more global warming friendly. The quotes you cited don't seem to appear any longer." Yes, if you go here and then follow the link you'll see that the passage I cut and pasted is no longer there.

Where do they think they are, Australia?

UPDATE: Dale Amon comments:

Making changes in the first few minutes after publication in this fast paced world is necessary. Going back hours or days later and making wholesale rewrites to the public record is not.

One might also note an exception: if one finds they have issued a libellous statement or accidentally published proprietary information or totally false information that is of course grounds for pulling the whole article... or striking out the offending phrase and placing a note like this one underneath. This is what the BBC should have done if they believed they had published incorrect data.

I think that's right. It seems a bit pretentious to me to add an update noting every minor change made after hitting "publish," but my general rule is not to make changes that are big enough, or late enough, that they'd make someone's post linking to me wrong. That's what the BBC did here, by eliminating the passage I quoted.

THOMAS EDSALL: What Did Bill Clinton Do To Get $15M From Ron Burkle? (Via Memeorandum).

3 A.M.: Another sleepless night for Hillary. "Jeepers, will all business during this Clinton administration be transacted at 3 a.m.? Is it some union-negotiated flex-time deal?"

PINCHED TO DEATH at The New York Times. (Via Memeorandum).

HILLARY CALLS FOR POVERTY CZAR: And the idea gets praise from Dan Collins: "History has shown that Czars are excellent at perpetuating poverty."

Okay, not exactly praise.

RUNNING AS A GROWNUP: An idea so crazy it just might work!

And the timing is certainly good.

THIS WOULD DEFY ALL CONVENTIONAL WISDOM, OF COURSE: Basra offensive a key step towards reconciliation?

Plus, this is what political progress looks like.

TRASH, COMPACTED: Walls close in on Phelpses.

UPDATE: Reader M. Simon emails: "No mention of the fact that Phelps was active in Democrat Party political activities. Why? You don't have to answer. :-)" And reader Chris Smith writes: "So now, if Phelps trots out some jeremiads of the Wright sort, will he get media sympathy?" It's doubtful. He lacks proper heritage.

INDEED: "One of the striking features of my current troubles with Canada's 'Human Rights' Commissions is the way, in the name of ersatz 'human rights', these pseudo-courts trample on one of the bedrock human rights: the presumption of innocence."

Plus, shocking charges that Australian human rights commissioner Tom Calma is racist. I encourage anyone with similar concerns to file complaints immediately. Make your voice heard for human rights!

WELL, THE GOOD NEWS FOR OBAMA is that this might distract people from the John McCain "warmonger" slur and the Phil Gramm "terrorist" slur: Obama Denies KKK Funding Charges.

PHIL GRAMM: Terrorist! Boy, this whole hope-and-unity thing sure is taking hold all over.

DIANA HSIEH GETS email from a critic.

APPRECIATING BOB SOMERBY: He has been on a roll lately.

MIXED MESSAGES CONTINUE:

This afternoon Obama says McCain "wants to continue this war in Iraq maybe for another 100 years," and his traveling press secretary says "John McCain is not a warmonger and should not be described as such."

Obama really needs to quit with that "continue this war for 100 years" line. He's been busted repeatedly on it. Is that a new kind of politics -- to keep repeating a falsehood even after it's been exposed?

BELDAR: "George Soros' head would instantly explode if Obama picked Jim Webb as his Veep nominee."

A LOOK AT the future of fusion: "The long-term future of energy may well lie in clean, plentiful fusion power - but will the reactors that produce that power carry a 'Made in the USA' label?" There's a brief mention of the Bussard fusion project, which would make that more likely.

ZIMBABWE GETS MORE ATTENTION BECAUSE IT'S A HELLHOLE of dictatorial corruption. But the BBC at least notes Botswana's success.

According to corruption watchdog Transparency International,Botswana is the least corrupt country in Africa, while the World Bank ranks it among the world's most politically stable nations.

Analysts credit the country's success to sound economic policies, and good management of its mineral wealth.

Of course, some people just can't be happy.

MORE ON OBAMA'S ANTI-GUN POSITION, this time relating to his stance against concealed-carry permits.

REMEMBERING THE ORIGINAL VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO: Those were great cars. My friend Doug Weinstein had one in college, after retiring the Grand Prix he bought from Ernie Grunfeld, and he was remarking the other day that he still misses it.

OKAY, THIS IS KIND OF COOL. I emailed the Exposure Manager folks with a question, and got this response:

I saw your D300 mention as I was driving home from the airport and figured I would drop you a note anyway, as it was your D70 review that launched our company 4 years ago. Since then it is has been quite a ride. We currently have over 3,000 photographers that sell through our system, including The Miss USA/Universe organization and the Academy awards. Your initial post definitely set the ball in motion! Thank you again!

I had no idea I had that impact. I should've asked for equity . . . .

UPDATE: Reader Robert Rafton emails:

It's not just exposure manager...I was interested in photography as a kid but started up again solely because you bought a D70. I got one too, and now (a few thousand dollars later and fourteen or fifteen cameras later) I'm into the photography big time. You can see some of my work here and at pbase if you like. I don't know if it's your type of thing though.

And yeah, I just bought a d300 and it rocks. Considerably better auto-focus than the D200.

I'm glad you're not into square-dancing........

So am I! I particularly like this shot.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Okay, here's one of mine.

THOUGHTS ON wealth and poverty.

OBAMA'S STRIKE-FORCE PROBLEM: "If his policies on the war will not be all that different from McCain's, he should stop ridiculing McCain for saying openly what his own people are saying behind closed doors. To some extent this is the result of a drawn out primary. Once the general election begins, the press will no longer give Obama a free pass on his vague statements about Iraq (the free ride may already be over). Perhaps Obama will take the opportunity to make his long-awaited pivot to the center--but that will strip the Democrats of their favored line of attack against McCain: that he would continue the war indefinitely while they would end it. Not so, apparently."

UPDATE: Related item here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Is calling McCain a warmonger the way to spread hope and unity? Note the contrast with how McCain reacted when his introducer savaged Obama a few weeks ago. Obama, however, doesn't seem able to stand up to the haters on his own team. More at Hot Air, including an explicit comparison between McCain's behavior and Obama's. It seems especially unfair -- as well as unhinged -- to be calling McCain a warmonger when Obama's people are, sotto voce pushing similar plans for a long-term presence.

MORE: Okay, I linked this Ed Morrissey post on the Obama/McCain "warmonger" issue above, but this bit is worth quoting separately:

Contrast this with John McCain’s reaction to the introduction given him by Bill Cunningham in Ohio. When McCain found out that Cunningham repeatedly used Obama’s middle name in the preceding speech, he didn’t wait for the media to ask about it. He apologized, repudiated the comments, and promised to conduct a high-road campaign. And that was just for using Obama’s actual middle name.

Does Obama believe in reciprocity? Apparently not. Obama lets his surrogates do the namecalling at his events, and then comes on stage himself to blather about setting a new tone in politics and uplifting the level of discourse in DC. He has a fabulous start on it thus far, having his campaign events serve as a springboard for slurs against McCain — a man with one son already in this conflict and another about to begin a tour shortly.

Obama heralds himself as the candidate of change. So far, we’re just seeing the same tired, hysterical anti-war rhetoric coming from his events, delivered by a classless Air America host. If Obama wants to embrace that, then voters will understand which candidate talks about changing the level of discourse, and which candidate actually works to change it. Just as with most of Obama’s policies, it’s all talk and no action.

Really, he's not even close to living up to the rhetoric.

MORE: Obama camp responds: “John McCain is not a warmonger and should not be described as such."

TOM MAGUIRE: "Can we count on Keith Olbermann's pinch-ranter, Rachel Maddow, to pick up on the now-updated/discarded ThinkProgress fantasy and describe McHenry's 'two-bit security guard' as an American soldier? Yes we can! . . . There is a simple lesson here for journalists as well as Countdown performers - if you are getting your content from lefty blogs, mistrust but verify."

I think it's a Rovian disinformation operation, to undermine the lefty media before the general election. Or else they're just dopes. Your call.

A "JUDICIAL REVOLUTION" IN WISCONSIN: The more I see of appointed judges' work, the weaker my prejudice against elected judges becomes.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S DONE NOTHING BUT RAIN around here, but apparently we're still behind from the drought.

IN THE MAIL: Noah Feldman's The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State.

A WAVE OF TINY COOL GADGETS, using the new Intel Atom chip.

I JUST POPPED BY JIM FLETCHER'S BLOG after not visiting for quite a while, and he's now selling some of his excellent Smoky Mountain photos. Worth a look.

ZIMBABWE UPDATE: "Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said today he's the clear winner over Robert Mugabe in the first round of a presidential election and there's no need for a run-off." Lawhawk comments on the desperation: "Mugabe has destroyed the country, and is still holding on to power for as long as he can. The runoff election is yet another way to try and game the results in his favor, despite losing the election. Meanwhile, opposition lawyers were being blocked from going to court to force the publication of the election results." The chance of ending this nonviolently seems to be shrinking because of this behavior. If this ends up with Mugabe and his henchmen swinging from trees, it'll serve him right.

MICHAEL HIRSH: The Basra Model.

Basra may well turn out to be Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Kasserine Pass. That notorious battle, which took place in Tunisia in late February 1943, marked the first large-scale encounter between untested American troops and the battle-hardened Germans. The Americans, to put it mildly, did not do well. But they quickly fired incompetent commanders, adjusted in tactics, and never lost another major battle. In Basra the nascent Iraqi Army—also riddled with incompetence and self-doubt—actually came out looking better against Iraq's well-established militias than the American Army had 65 years earlier against the entrenched Nazis, says retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey. "At Kasserine we got our asses kicked. These people didn't," McCaffrey says. Despite a spate of early grim assessments of Basra in the U.S. media, U.S. military observers on the ground in Iraq are more sanguine, says McCaffrey, who has long been a critic of the war.

Read the whole thing.

MORE ON THE ONGOING STATE DEPARTMENT PASSPORT SCANDAL:

In the latest blow against the agency, court documents show a State Department employee provided personal information from passport applications for use in a credit-card fraud scheme. . . .

Mr. Harris also said the fraud ring submitted credit-card applications using the names and "identifying information" of the persons listed on the passport applications, and that a postal service employee then would intercept the cards before they were delivered to the appropriate residences.

Passport application data includes details such as a person's date and place of birth, e-mail address, mailing address, Social Security number, former names and travel plans.

But get this: "He was released on his own recognizance, under the condition that he not apply for or possess any passports."

Glad to know they're taking this stuff seriously. Just wait until they get all of your health records . . . .

REAL COOKING, with a microwave oven.

MICHAEL S. MALONE: Should Drudge and Huffington Get Pulitzers?

I'd say Totten and Yon should be ahead of both.

UPDATE: As usual, Dan Collins is funnier than me.

MICKEY KAUS: "Clintons' Tax Returns: The press is focused on where all that money ($109 million) came from. Fair enough. But where did it all go? This seems like a genuine mystery. . . . If it's all invested, what is it invested in? Green companies pursuing sustainable growth and living wages? Or hedge funds seeking the highest returns?" The latter posing as the former, or I miss my guess. . . .

TRANSATLANTIC POLITICS: A NATO Summit for Putin.

DRIVING WHILE POLYGAMOUS.

CLICK-LICENSE GOOD NEWS: Adobe Relinquishes Ownership of Photos Uploaded to Photoshop Express.

DUMBEST COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CLAIM YET: Lawsuit Claim: Students' Lecture Notes Infringe on Professor's Copyright.

Okay, it's not quite as dumb as the headline makes it sound, but . . . .

April 04, 2008

SOME CRITICISM of the New York Times' Basra reporting.

AT TAXPROF, the Clinton tax returns.

I'M NOT FEELING THAT OLYMPIC SPIRIT: Chinese police kill eight after opening fire on monks and Tibet protesters.

DREAMS OF MY FOOSBALL.

BILL ROGGIO ON BASRA: A look at Operation Knights' Assault.

I'M SORRY FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING: "Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist apologized Friday for meeting with Colombian officials pushing a free trade agreement that the presidential candidate opposes."

Well, that's par for the course.

WAR PROFITEERS.

BUMPER-STICKER politics.

WELL, THIS IS COOL: I got the new Nikon D300 in the mail -- I'll be reviewing it for Popular Mechanics. Haven't had a chance to do much more than unbox it and charge the battery so far, but my first impression is of tremendous solidity. I've used the D70 and D50 and they feel good, but this just feels much more, well, solid.

If you're interested, here's Ken Rockwell's much more technical review. And here's one from DPReview.com.

UPDATE: This is a pretty detailed review, too.

And don't miss this one from Thom Hogan. Naturally, I like this sentence: "Looking inside the D300 is a bit like observing the work of a bunch of nano-bots let loose on a D200 to improve it."

ANOTHER UPDATE: Hey, here's a review from Stephen Green.

A MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OBSERVATION.

JET PLOT SUSPECTS RECORDED MARTYR VIDEOS:

In chilling videos shown to a jury Friday, men accused of plotting to bring down jetliners over the Atlantic called for revenge for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and praised Osama bin Laden.

Six of the eight defendants videotaped messages denouncing the West for what they said was its suppression of Muslims, prosecutor Peter Wright said as he outlined his case to jurors at a London court.

The defendants, all Britons with ties to Pakistan, are accused of plotting to blow up at least seven jetliners bound for the United States and Canada in 2006.

Some of the group were heard on secret police surveillance discussing plans to take their wives and young children on the suicide missions, Wright said.

Wright showed a jury clips of the so-called martyr videos, recorded for distribution after the attacks. Each man wore a black-and-white checkered head scarf and sat alone in front of a black flag inscribed with a message in Arabic.

Glad they were caught.

UKRAINE: Genocide? Or mere mass murder?

CALL IT coffin-nailgate.

UPDATE: More thoughts here. "If he cannot be honest about his personal addiction to nicotine, what else is he lying about?!?" Nacho cheese Doritos.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Is she a Cylon, or not?

KATHY SHAIDLE ON Canada's "Human Rights" Kangaroo Court.

ALTERNATIVE-FUEL CARS are taking off. "Sales of alternative fuel automobiles (hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, etc.) rose to a record of nearly 1.8 million vehicles in the USA in 2007."

MORE MIXED MESSAGES: "A key adviser to Senator Obama’s campaign is recommending in a confidential paper that America keep between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in Iraq as of late 2010, a plan at odds with the public pledge of the Illinois senator to withdraw combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office."

I'd like that to be true. But is it?

LARRY KUDLOW: "Recessions are part of capitalism. They happen every so often. We’ve had two in the last 25 years. And it looks like we are entering a third one after today’s jobs-loss report."

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: "The mainstream media are back in the tank."

CALLING A SOLDIER A "TWO-BIT SECURITY GUARD"? That's pretty lame. But hey, maybe he can get a job in journalism once the election's over.

Or, of course, Think Progress could just be wrong again. But Don Surber comments: "The guard might not have been a U.S. soldier. So what? The guy is willing to take one for you. Appreciate it."

Meanwhile, Tom Maguire has much more.

UPDATE: Oops: "ThinkProgress has now updated its post to note their apparent error regarding the security guard. But there is still no acknowledgement that the video they have posted was selectively edited to remove the self-deprecating context. BTW, for those not clicking the links, Amanda’s two sources for this story were: (1) McHenry’s opponent; and (2) a website quoting the press release from McHenry’s opponent."

Ouch.

HOW TO BE A REGULAR GUY, when you've never been one and generally look down on them. This is a problem that has plagued a lot of Democratic nominees.

IT'S A SMALL WORLD, but one with bigger people in it.

SECRET SERVICE: McCain is not protected. This is old news to InstaPundit readers.

IT'S NOT DEAD YET: "Microsoft will be making Windows XP available for Eee-class ultraportables until 2010, and possibly later. Demand for XP on devices like the Eee and Intel's Classmate machines has prompted MS to reconsider axing XP entirely this June: the company will now sell XP Home through at least June 2010, and for one year after the release of Windows 7 -- which means sales of XP could stretch into 2012."

WHAT IF THE DEMOCRATS used "winner take all?" The answer: "Clinton would currently have a 120 (1738 to 1618) total delegate lead and a remarkable 167 (1427 to 1260) pledged delegate lead."

SILENCE on Zimbabwe.

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE to note Nancy Pelosi's media battlespace preparation efforts in advance of the Petraeus testimony. Of course, she may have, er, misspoken: "So, the senior Democrat in our national government acknowledges that Iran is waging a proxy war against the United States and the government of Iraq, and yet believes (i) it is in our national interest to cede Iraq to the Islamic Republic and (ii) the United States has no casus belli against Iran."

BOINGBOINGTV: Tibetan monks forced to participate in staged Chinese videos.

UPDATE: From the comments: "Xeni -- You look like a comm operator from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!" Heh. It's true.

MICHAEL TOTTEN: Blasphemers unite!

CLINTON DONORS pile on Howard Dean about seating the Florida and Michigan delegations. "Some participants grew so angry that Gail Furman, a Democratic donor who is neutral in the race, bemoaned the divisions in the party. According to a source, Furman said that as a psychologist, she was saddened and upset that some of the party's leaders were displaying such raw and rancorous emotions."

BLUE-EYED JIHADIS:

The debate between left and right over whether "profiling" is an appropriate tool, is one of several aspects of the "War on Terror" where people talking about something that is essentially a non-issue. The debate is welcomed by al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups, since it diverts attention from more serious discussion of tactics and strategy.

Information from various intelligence agencies suggests that even before September 11, 2001, al Qaeda began actively recruiting "Western" looking people, men and women, for the purpose of circumventing any resort to profiling. They have apparently been having some success.

I suppose these efforts raise their costs of operation somewhat, but probably not enough to make profiling especially helpful.

I GUESS THAT'S COOL: The iPhone of door locks.

THE WRIGHT SAUCE IS NOT for the Chomsky gander.

ELECTED VS. APPOINTED JUDGES: "Do we like the way it's easier to believe that a governor (or President) has picked judges because of their neutral qualifications or is it better to have elections that make people see the ideology of judges? It's hard to picture elections ever moving us closer to choosing judges because of their lofty credentials and adherence to neutral principles, but it's not fair to blame the voters if they are savvy enough to see that candidates are ideological and to vote with their eyes open."

I'd just add that the balance may be different at different levels. Appellate courts -- especially courts of last resort -- inevitably make more policy. It probably makes more sense to have their members elected than trial judges, who are supposed to simply follow law.

I MENTIONED WALTER JON WILLIAMS' Implied Spaces the other day, and now here's a blog-review from Toby Buckell. Meanwhile, Buckell also reports that giving away free e-books helped his sales about as much as being nominated for a Nebula Award.

MORE NEWS ON the Chevy Volt. I hope it turns out to be good -- with all this buildup, it had better.

IN THE MAIL: Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's Marriage: The Dream That Refuses to Die.

Plus, Tony Robles' Joey Gonzalez, Great American. Here's an excerpt from the latter:

"But I don't feel different," Joey protested.

"Oh, but you are," said Mr.s Glass. "For one thing, it's a little bit harder for minorities to learn, especially if they don't have a father."

"But I'm learning just fine," said Joey. "I want to learn to be a great American."

"Don't worry, Joey," said Mrs. Glass. "There's a special way to help minorities get ahead. It's affirmative action. Soon we'll learn all about affirmative action right here in our classroom. That's a very important thing we do here at school."

It's in both English and Spanish.

MORE ON Pizza Hut and guns.

THEY TOLD ME CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD LEAD TO VIOLENT CLASHES, and they were right!

VIDEO: Rep. Brad Sherman on global anti-semitism.

IT HASN'T JUST SEEMED COOLER THIS YEAR:

Global temperatures will drop slightly this year as a result of the cooling effect of the La Nina current in the Pacific, UN meteorologists have said.

The World Meteorological Organization's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, told the BBC it was likely that La Nina would continue into the summer.

This would mean global temperatures have not risen since 1998, prompting some to question climate change theory.

But experts say we are still clearly in a long-term warming trend - and they forecast a new record high temperature within five years.

I guess it's not time to put up giant orbiting sunshades until the situation becomes a bit clearer.

"OPTIMAL SEX:" With helpful graphics.

UH OH: HarperCollins to Authors: Sorry, no money... but we will publish your book. As they say in radio, Wow! What a Deal! Actually, as a former HarperCollins author, I wouldn't say that. The best thing about them was that the checks came on time.

FEET OF CLAY NICOTINE? "Heart-ache: ABC reporter fears Obama may have lied to him about smoking."

I have to agree with this take: "What right does a presidential candidate have to lie to a nosy reporter about something that’s totally irrelevant to the election and therefore none of his business?" Say, every right in the world?

UPDATE: Or maybe not. As Tom Maguire cautions: "Well, if it were totally irrelevant to the campaign I probably couldn't find 'Quit Smoking With Obama' at his campaign website." I eagerly await the "Quit Drinking With Ted Kennedy" program.

NANCY PELOSI TRIES TO prepare the media battlespace in advance of Petraeus's testimony.

But will Hillary apologize for her remarks last time? Will Petraeus remind her of them?

UPDATE: A problem for Pelosi? Report: Security in Iraq is improving.

VIDEO: An interview with McCain's "message man."

IN RESPONSE TO YESTERDAY'S POST on David Berlinski's new book, Claire Berlinski emails: "Yep! That's my Pop! Although calling him an 'ID proponent' would be inaccurate; see, for example, this." Alas, the link is subscriber-only, but I'll take Claire's word on that -- she should know. Of course, this means that Wikipedia was wrong, but I suppose that had to happen sooner or later.

THE "PATRIOTISM PROBLEM."

Plus, Noah Pollak says there are two Americas.

THE BAD GUYS COME OUT TO DIE:

The enemy had earlier learned that, to move around, they had to do so without carrying weapons and in small groups. But this made carrying out attacks more time-consuming. When using those tactics, the AH-64s caught an armed group in the open about once every two weeks. But in the last two weeks of March, the gunships found more targets than they had over the past 13 weeks.

The Sunni Arab and al Qaeda terror networks in northern Iraq have been under a lot of pressure these the past few months. These new desperation tactics, apparently to try and increase the number of attacks dramatically, failed. And the main reason was that you can't hustle around carrying guns, day or night, while the AH-64s are up there.

There seem to be efforts to try and create a "Terrorist Tet" to influence U.S. politics. So far, they haven't worked tremendously well.

SEAN OXENDINE: No, really. Hillary has a decent shot.

DOG BITES MAN: "An unhinged tirade by Air America Radio host Randi Rhodes." The only news is, this time she attacked Hillary and got herself suspended. "In addition, Rhodes referred to former Democrat vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro as 'David Duke in drag'."

A LOOK AT THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, via the Stanford Review.

OBAMA: Opposed to legal concealed-carry.

MICKEY KAUS on mysteries of the market: "So let's see: Corn prices soar. Farmer decides to plant corn. It's the yahoos fault!"

RECESSION POLLING: "It's not an opinion."

TOM MAGUIRE: Truth, put your boots on! "Punters, do keep in mind - the print people can just rely on the bum Hamsher transcript; Olbermann and Matthews would almost surely feel obliged to play the clip and strain to mishear it. Doesn't mean they aren't capable of it."

NEW YORK TIMES: Obama’s Support Softens, Poll Shows: "Senator Barack Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has softened over the last month — particularly among men and upper-income voters — as voters have taken a slightly less positive view of him than they did after his burst of victories in February, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

April 03, 2008

JON HENKE on politicians and heritage.

MUSLIMS leaving Islam in droves? I might need more convincing.

JAMES KIRCHICK on Matthew Yglesias: "A retrospective obsession, married to an indifference to Iraq’s prospects."

GLAD THEY GOT CAUGHT, FIRST: British Muslims 'planned to kill thousands by bombing SEVEN transatlantic airliners in one go'.

VIRGINIA POSTREL: The glamour of Obama may be hard to resist, but could it get the country into trouble if he wins the presidency?

APPARENTLY, it's the Diamond Age. In light of the great engagement-ring discussion, some may be interested.

SOMEONE TELL JOHN MCCAIN:

A measles outbreak in and around the Austrian city of Salzburg has spread to about 180 people, most of them schoolchildren, authorities said Thursday. . . .

Hubert Hrabcik, director general of public health in Austria's Health Ministry, said the vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella, which are administered together, may have been "almost nil" at the school. . . . Five people between the ages of 16 and 30 have been hospitalized but all are on their way to recovery and one was released Thursday, Salzburg's Federal Medical Center said.

Once a scourge of children in Europe, measles spreads very easily, jumping from person to person through droplets emitted in sneezing or coughing. It is one of the most contagious diseases known, according to the World Health Organization.

An estimated 242,000 people, the majority of them children, died from measles in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, the WHO says.

Don't get your public-health advice from Don Imus.

DRINKING COFFEE FOR BRAIN PROTECTION? "Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests. The drink has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why."

First rate coffee, red wine, Guinness -- you won't live forever, but you may live longer. And more enjoyably!

STORING A TRILLION QUADRILLION BYTES ON A DVD using nanotechnology.

PHOTOS: Prepping the Space Shuttle for launch. (Via BoingBoing).

MICHAEL BARONE: In Terms of Geography, Obama Appeals to Academics and Clinton Appeals to Jacksonians.

PRO-GUN AND PRO-PRIVACY LEGISLATION killed in Tennessee.

HMM: "Consider this troubling question: Do mortgage lenders have any obligation to take over a property that has defaulted on its mortgage?"

ITUNES: America's #1 music retailer.

SEND IN THE STRIKE FORCE!

BRUCE SCHNEIER ON the difference between feeling secure and being secure.

SCHEDULING FEWER RERUNS, because everything's available online.

LEE SMITH: When Obama Talks to Our Enemies, What Will He Say?

ANN ALTHOUSE: "If this is Obama losing his cool, Obama is very cool."

Actually, on watching it, what strikes me is how close this guy got to Obama. He was, of course, no threat, but it does demonstrate that Obama's security -- like McCain's -- is nothing like the security that Presidents get.

SUBPOENA ABUSE, and an effort to chill bloggers' speech?

JERRY SEINFELD: "Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do."

SADR'S spring jam.

CANADIAN TROOPS will stay in Afghanistan. Plus, more troops from the French.

MORE ON OBAMA AND THE COOK COUNTY VOTE, from Tom Elia. Note the update.

YEAH, THAT'S THE TICKET: Obama-Kerry 2008!

KERRY HOWLEY: "Will no one protect French workers from their rapacious capitalist overlords?"

OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM: Hillary’s Pastor, in Interview, Sympathizes With Jeremiah Wright. "“I’ve come pretty close to saying in some sermons, I guess, what Jeremiah Wright did."

GOOD NEWS, though it's unlikely to find application in my own work: "The University of Tennessee has entered the ranks of the nation's elite in using supercomputing to solve the most significant scientific questions facing humanity. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $65 million to UT to build and operate one of the world's most powerful supercomputers and lead a nationwide partnership to put it to use."

FREE SPEECH BE DAMNED: Accreditors going after colleges for "incivility." I recommend that libertarians and conservatives who are made to feel uncomfortable on campus immediately file complaints with their schools' accreditors . . . .

JOHN MURTHA rips both Hillary and Obama.

EUGENE VOLOKH ON the legality of firing an employee for legally carrying a gun.

CORZINE FLIPFLOPPING ON HILLARY? Laying the groundwork, anyway. "While Corzine emphasized he still thinks Clinton will win the popular vote, he did open the door to a possible switch."

THE WORLD'S SMALLEST HD camcorder.

IN THE MAIL: David Berlinski's The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions. No idea if he's related to Claire Berlinski, though you would expect that an author-Berlinski living in Paris might well be.

UPDATE: Various readers email that David Berlinski is Claire and Mischa Berlinski's father.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Raymond Eckhart emails: "In addition to being Claire and Mischa’s Dad, he’s a fellow at the Discovery Institute and ID proponent. I’d love to hear a debate on ID between him and John Derbyshire. Methinks the Derb would clean up." I don't believe in intelligent design. The case for not-very-bright design, however, remains open.

CHINA'S LATEST INTERNET CELEBRITY: The government's efforts at censorship don't seem particularly successful. See this interview, too. Last night, however, the house was razed.

UPDATE: D'oh! The story's a year old. How did I miss that?

DISTASTE FOR NAPOLEON: "Over the long run, the costs to France and to Europe of Napoleon’s monumental ambition —indeed megalomania — were enormous. . . . Napoleon modestly portrayed himself as 'the savior,' and, although not a religious person, encouraged comparisons with Jesus Christ. "

BOGART, KIRK, AND MCCAIN:

Humphrey Bogart never said, "play it again, Sam," Captain Kirk never uttered, "Beam me up, Scotty" -- and John McCain never promised a hundred year war! . . . Of course, this lie isn't just spreading itself. The fact that Barack Obama and Howard Dean continue to intentionally mischaracterize John McCain's statements -- and mislead the public -- obviously creates a level of difficulty that may other misquoted victims haven't had to confront.

Indeed.

UPDATE: Other media mythmaking, more to McCain's benefit, explored at today's -- well, actually it's yesterday's -- Daily Howler.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader David Cavalier emails:

On this note, George Bush also never said that God told him to invade Iraq, although I hear this all the time when I am in Europe.

Also, George Bush never refused to sign Kyoto, as you constantly point out. Again, when I am in Europe I have to explain over and over that the U.S. Senate voted unanimously against the treaty when Bill Clinton was president, but never let the truth get in the way of a good ol' Euro Bush Bash.

Indeed.

BLOODSHED crosses the border.

PREDICTION: There will be hunger in Argentina. Well, that's the usual result of an unchecked socialist government.

UPDATE: And, also predictable, saber-rattling over the Falklands.

JON HENKE: Dark Clouds.

Related item: "McCain talking about his life? Raaaaaacist!"

ABSOLUT AZTLAN.

MICKEY KAUS: "Whether it was an incremental success or a humiliating fizzle, hasn't the Maliki government's assault on Sadr-linked Shiite militias operated, de facto, as a highly efficient purge of the Iraqi army?" Plus, Hillary hysteria!

NATO BACKS Bush's missile defense system. Apparently, we can still get some things done diplomatically in Europe.

UPDATE: Mick Stockinger notes that this makes things tough for Democratic opponents of the plan: "Making the missile defense a NATO alliance program sets a trap for the Democrats, who are on record as wanting to 'strengthen our traditional alliances'. Unilaterally abrogating the program would put them in a position of going-it-alone and having to explain to the American people what they are doing."

TALKLEFT: "I am completely unimpressed by Howard Dean's statement about seating the Florida delegates today."

SO FAR SO GOOD: Internet support for J.D. Johannes' Outside the Wire.

APPRECIATING SWITZERLAND: "They have one of the world’s most stable economies, a skilled workforce, internationally recognized export companies, a sound currency, and renowned banking and financial services. All this is combined with remarkable social harmony, given that Switzerland has four national languages and great religious diversity."

HILLARY'S "INSOURCING PLAN:" At TaxProf, a roundup of Hillary's proposals to keep jobs from going overseas.

THOUGHTS ON wealth, poverty, and psychology. "My argument is that the cause of poverty has been poverty."

So why doesn't giving people money do more good? Because it doesn't seem to have changed behavior for the better.

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? Don't skimp on your sleep:

Sleeping for eight hours a night is the secret to not putting weight on, according to scientists. They found that those who slept for less than six hours a night - or more than nine - put on more weight than those who slept for seven or eight hours each night. The research published in the Journal Sleep found those who did not get enough sleep gained almost 4.4lbs (2kg) compared to those who slept for the recommended number of hours.

It's early. Go back to bed!

April 02, 2008

ANN ALTHOUSE: "Ted Turner has become a deranged old man."

COLOMBIA'S PRESIDENT criticizes Obama. "Colombia's president sharply criticized U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday for opposing a trade deal with his country, calling the Democrat out of touch with the realities of the South American nation." I thought he was going to restore our reputation abroad.

TAYLOR MARSH: Obama is Weaker General Election Candidate.

L.A. TIMES ON PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PORK: Hillary Clinton's tops in pork spending, Barack Obama's 2nd, but John McCain had none!

IT'S 3 A.M., and you'd better milk those Hillary jokes before it's too late!

VIDEO: The current state of the art in space defense.

REZKO UPDATE: "This afternoon, in the courtroom where Illinois political fundraiser Tony Rezko is on trial for corruption, prosecutors played a recorded phone call in which two of Rezko's alleged co-schemers discussed Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's knowledge of a conspiracy to extort a businessman named Tom Rosenberg. This is a pretty big deal." More here.

AMAZON IS PUSHING ITS SPRING FITNESS GEAR SALE, including lots of treadmills and elliptical machines. I don't know that I'd want to buy something like that over the Internet, though. I've bought lots of small stuff, but returning a treadmill if I needed to would be a major pain. Or am I wrong, and is it worth it?

UPDATE: A reader emails:

I bought a Sony 46" LCD from Amazon. They assured me if there was a problem or I didn't like it they'd arrange return shipping with the same trucking company. Didn't need it though, it was a great TV over $1000 less than I would have paid at Best Buy.

Hmm. I don't see that offer on treadmills. Am I missing it? I followed up with him to ask about that and he responded:

My recollection is that there was a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and that I called them to verify because there was an issue of clouding on some of the sets. They said they'd take it back in 30 days for any reason, and pay for return shipping. Some people that had posts on the web site said they had used this and had exchanged or gotten refunds. There were a number of people unhappy with the product, but no one unhappy with Amazon's service, which is why I went ahead and bought it.

(I checked and I don't see the 100% satisfaction in writing on the web site now)

I did have one problem with the delivery, the trucking company only wanted to come during the day, and they couldn't deliver it for a week. When I emailed amazon and complained, Amazon hired a third party to pick up the TV and bring it to me in the evening. Amazon's service was exemplary. I do most of my shopping at amazon now, (I have the amazon prime) and never have had a problem with any return for any reason.

Sounds better than I thought. Anybody else got any experience here?

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Pat Ramsey emails:

My wife ordered the Bowflex Series 7 treadmill (http://tinyurl.com/yuhdfj) from Amazon a year ago and we had no problems with either Amazon's shipping or the machine itself. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quality treadmill and I'm like many other readers regarding Amazon. If I need to purchase anything besides grocery items, I take a moment to think about whether or not I can get it from Amazon.

I've always liked 'em, but I've always been a bit afraid of big items. Meanwhile, a reader who would prefer anonymity writes:

I don't really have any experience with Amazon, but as a long time employee of Best Buy, I can confirm that all the horror stories that you hear about our horrible customer service are true. We would have to get much, much better to merely suck. The philosophy of our corporate staff for the last few years has been, "We would rather save a penny than earn a dollar." and it shows.

I believe that James Lileks had a series of posts to this effect. And Douglas von Roeder writes:

I've been buying items from Amazon since 1997 and I highly recommend them.

Last year, I purchased a Panasonic 58" plasma TV. The delivery men helped secure the TV in the stand and then lifted the 100+ lbs. TV into the entertainment center. In addition, they carted away the boxes saving me a lot of time and trouble from having to cut the shipping carton down to size with a box cutter.

I ordered a 50" Panasonic TV last week. The original delivery date was April 8 but an email update indicated that it would be delivered on April 4. Yesterday, I got a phone call from the shipper to set up an appointment for either April 3 or April 4!

A note about pricing - the price on the TV was the best that I could find either locally or on the Internet, including companies that don't have Amazon's 10+ year history. When I placed the order, the price for the TV was $1,508. However, while writing this email, I checked the price again and it's now $1,424. I called Amazon and the CSR told me that they offer price protection for 30 days after placing the order - all you have to do is call them and they will post a credit to your credit card for the difference.

I use Amazon for most of my significant purchases. They have excellent pricing, a wide selection of commodity items, fast order fulfillment, and 2nd day shipping is free for a $75 per year fee. It's as close to "too good to be true" as…a Macintosh.

Well, possibly. Plus, Jeanne Marie Lynch writes:

For Christmas I bought my husband a Sony 40" flat screen. I had already checked out the set's picture at Best Buy and knew I wanted it. But after checking Amazon and seeing that their shipping was free, there was no sales tax and the sales price was $500 less than Best Buy (to whom I would have had to pay sales tax and delivery fee), I ordered it from Amazon.

I also remember going ahead and ordering it, because it would not cost me any money to have it replaced if it was damaged or didn't work. That was my one fear.

The delivery company phoned my home number, cell number and emailed me all within a couple hours in their attempt to set up delivery. They were able to schedule me the very next day. The delivery guy was clean, polite, efficient and knowledgeable.

The set worked. I was a happy camper. So was my husband.

I wouldn't be afraid to order large items from Amazon.

Sounds good.

STILL MORE: Lots of people are emailing here:

I too have had nothing but good experiences from Amazon purchasing large items. I once purchased a large gas grill for my husband's birthday, only to find out
that it had already been purchased by another family member. It was too late to cancel the order, but Amazon told me all I had to do was refuse delivery, and they'd send it back, no charge, and I wouldn't even have to pay restocking or shipping. Problem solved!

After that, when we remodeled our house, I purchased nearly all of my kitchen appliances through them. Their prices were fantastic, and their delivery people were always prompt. No problems with dents, and no problems with anything else.

And reader Aaron Westcott writes:

I purchased a 46' lcd and had to return 2 of them (bad luck). No problems with the return and the service that I got from amazon has only encouraged me, in other words, excellent.support from amazon.

Bad luck, indeed. But glad to hear it worked. But note, by the way, that purchases from Amazon aren't really "tax free." You're supposed to pay, in most states, a "use tax" on these that is equivalent to your state's sales tax. That's the case in Tennessee, and I have the bill to prove it.

IT'S NOT THE YEARS. It's the mileage.

BILL'S BLOWUP, illustrated.

UPDATE: Clinton to Richardson: Obama Can't Win. But can Hillary?

KARL ROVE IN . . . . GQ?

To be with Rove is to listen to a man who is utterly articulate and insightful and at the same time utterly…what's the word? Plain? Normal? Caucasian? . . . The nondescript gray suit and overcoat, the geeky glasses and bald-on-the-top-with-peach-fuzz do, the briefcase (in middle school, he was the only kid with a briefcase, which pretty much sums it up). In what ways is he cool? We can't help but ask. "None," he says. "I am the antithesis of cool."

And he seems okay with that.

HOW GAYS FIGHT TERROR IN IRAQ.

MORE ON THE AMAZON/PRINT-ON-DEMAND KERFUFFLE, from Sgt. Mom.