"Hello," he condescended.

During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that "some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion."

It's kind of amazing that every single criticism of, or lack of proper enthusiasm for, Barack Obama is rooted in some sort of bitter, clingy ignorance and malice. Apparently not a single critique of him is well-founded, or founded upon anything at all, really, except hatred and mental retardation.

Via Jay Cost.

Posted by: Ace at 01:16 PM | Comments (574)
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A federal district court judge in Boston just released decisions in two cases: Gill v. OPM and Massachusetts v. Department of Health and Human Services.

DOMA section 3 sets the federal definition for marriage as only between a man and a woman. It similarly defines for federal purposes the meaning of the word "spouse." DOMA section 2, which was not at issue in these lawsuits and remains undisturbed, provides that states need not recognize gay marriages from other states.

In Gill the judge held that DOMA section 3 violates equal protection principles entrenched in the Fifth Amendment right to due process.

In the other case, the judge held that DOMA section 3 violates the Tenth Amendment:

This court has determined that it is clearly within the authority of the Commonwealth to recognize same-sex marriages among its residents, and to afford those individuals in same-sex marriages any benefits, rights, and privileges to which they are entitled by virtue of their marital status. The federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches upon the firmly entrenched province of the state, and, in doing so, offends the Tenth Amendment. For that reason, the statute is invalid.

They haven't posted the decisions yet. Links and more analysis when I get them. For the Gill case, the thing to look for is whether the judge decided DOMA section 3 was discrimination on account of sex or discrimination on account of sexual orientation, as the two have distinct judicial pedigrees.

Also, if the Obama Administration decides to appeal, expect EPIC DRAMA from the Gay Mafia.

More: While we're waiting for the PDFs to post, consider the federalism issues in the second decision (quoted above). Does DOMA section 3 violate powers reserved to the states by the Tenth Amendment? Is the ability to define the marital status of residents a core area of state sovereignty?

Update: Here's the Gill decision (PDF).The Massachusetts case may take more time to get hold of. States are slower than advocacy groups.

Last Update: Here's the Massachusetts v. DHHS decision (PDF), which has much more on the federalism issue.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 01:07 PM | Comments (155)
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KKK RIP; replacement TBD.

West Virginia's attorney general says Gov. Joe Manchin can put the late Robert C. Byrd's Senate seat on the ballot this November.

Manchin requested a legal opinion from Attorney General Darrell McGraw, who issued it Thursday.

...

Manchin may now call a special legislative session to settle details such as candidate filing and party nomination deadlines.

Posted by: Ace at 12:37 PM | Comments (72)
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And they're looking for civilians to adopt them.

Thanks to StarChamberMaid.

More: Well That's Adorable.

Posted by: Ace at 11:18 AM | Comments (88)
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If bankruptcy is your goal, I guess.

“But what is absolutely clear is that we are headed in the right direction — and that the surest way out of these storms we’ve been in is to keep moving forward, not back,” the president said in prepared remarks set for delivery at Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City, Mo.

...

Obama made the trip to Kansas City as part of his “recovery summer” tour, promoting efforts by his administration to quell concerns that the United States has not added as many jobs as promised and could be slipping into a second recession. While the unemployment rate fell in June, the government estimated that a net 125,000 jobs were lost that month.

“All of our efforts, taken together, are making a difference. A year and a half ago, our economy was shrinking rapidly; now it’s growing,” Obama said. “The economy was bleeding jobs; it’s now adding private-sector jobs, and has been for six straight months.”

Meanwhile, Obama posts the third-biggest single-day debt increase in American history.

The champion debt increase title is also held by Obama, as is the runner-up.

The nation's debt leapt $166 billion in a single day last week, the third-largest increase in U.S. history, and it comes at a time when Congress is balking over higher spending and debt has become a key policy battleground.

The one-day increase for June 30 totaled $165,931,038,264.30 - bigger than the entire annual deficit for fiscal year 2007...

Daily debt calculations jump and fall, and big shifts are common. But all three of the biggest one-day debt increases have occurred under the tenure of President Obama...

On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office said the government has recorded a $1 trillion deficit for the first nine months of fiscal 2010, which began Oct. 1. That's slightly down from 2009's record $1.1 trillion deficit at this point.

Posted by: Ace at 11:14 AM | Comments (102)
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I think you're going to find almost total unanimity around the Mil-blogosphere celebrating this appointment.

Why are so many so high on Mattis? He's pretty much the embodiment of the warrior-monk ethos this kind of fight requires.

Mattis is known for his ferocity and his risk-taking—which included regularly riding out into combat with his jump platoon, despite his high rank. (That's something he'll probably have to give up now.) He is also known for his intellect. He is well-read in history and military strategy but has also studied innovation and adaptation techniques.

Mattis is also known for his mouth. He is a jokester in person and also blunt. In the spring of 2003, in the first of his meetings with recently defeated Iraqi military leaders he famously said: "I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all." In a speech in 2005, when describing the atrocities committed by some members of the Taliban, he said, "It was fun to shoot some people."

You might think elevating this kind of general a risk for the president. After all, didn't McChrystal's mouth get him fired? But these quotes are of a different order than the ones from McChrystal in Rolling Stone, and among the troops, the Mattis quotes they repeat emphasize more than just force. "No better friend, no worse enemy," he wrote his troops before they embarked on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. When he returned to Al-Anbar, he added to that set of instructions, "First do no harm."

He was also instrumental in updating Marine Corps training for the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. You know how everyone says "Petraeus literally wrote the modern book on COIN"? Well he also literally had a co-author...James Mattis. In addition to his other impressive traits, this maybe one of the most important. Technically, Petraeus will be working for Mattis but given how things have shaken out, clearly Petraeus is the man, no matter what the org chart says. Having a former collaborator and sympathetic mind as Petraeus' nominal boss makes the best out of what could be an awkward situation.

Take a few minutes to read this longer profile and you'll see how great this guy is. If you're looking for a guy who says, 'carpet bomb the place', Mattis isn't for you but he knows that when it's time to kill, then you better kill and win.

Al-Anbar turned out to be a bad laboratory for Mattis' experiment. In March of 2004, not long after Mattis took control, four military contractors from Blackwater were killed in Fallujah and their burned bodies were hung from a bridge. In response to the attack, the Marines were ordered to wipe out the insurgents with a heavy show of force. Mattis told his superiors they were insane to call for such a massive response. The Blackwater killers could be found and killed precisely and in keeping with his strategy. But he followed orders and led the attack (which was then cut short when political leaders lost their nerve).

Still, even at the end of the heaviest fighting, Mattis met with sheiks to continue the effort to win over the locals. He left Iraq in August of 2004, but the Marines continued to repeat his mantra: "First, do no harm." Two years later, after the province almost slipped out of control completely, the "Anbar Awakening" reduced violence in the province, damaged al-Qaida in Iraq, and turned the war.

...

The second fundamental necessity for counterinsurgency is ferocity. It is a paradox: To be restrained, you must be willing to be ferocious. Ferocity gives soldiers and Marines the confidence to accept more risk. If soldiers are certain they can be ferocious when the time comes, it will make them less jumpy when they are accepting the increased personal risks of leaving a protected base to engage with the locals or dropping body armor while they walk through town. Ferocity makes a unit feel more comfortable knowing they can fight their way out of a situation if necessary.

"We have an overweening sensitivity to the slaughtering of our enemies," says Mattis. "I've put medals on Marines who have killed guys at 700 yards. And I've come right out and said it: 'That was a beautiful shot.' You must reward the kind of behavior that you want." This sentiment got Mattis into trouble in 2005 when he said, in some cases it was "fun to shoot some people." He has also been battered by public sensitivity over his handling of the 2005 killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha. Liberals think he was too soft on the Marines involved. Conservatives think he bowed to political pressure and was too harsh on them.

As for the diplomatic side of his job, he's served as head of NATO's Allied Command Transformation, so he knows the players in Europe and worked with them all. His success while commanding in Anbar Province also gives him extensive experience in Arab culture which will be important in dealing with many of the leaders in the Mideast.

In short, this is a great selection.

If Afghanistan can be turned into some kind of victory (and I've been pretty skeptical about that for awhile), Petraeus and Mattis are the team to do it. I have had my issues with Gates and I think my disgust with Obama is pretty well known but they both deserve credit for giving us the best shot at a good outcome with these picks.

About two weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Gates passed Mattis over for the Marine Commandant job. Now he's head of CentCom. Funny how life works sometimes.

Posted by: DrewM at 11:00 AM | Comments (47)
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Sarah Palin suspected of providing aid and comfort.

Posted by: Ace at 09:36 AM | Comments (112)
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No, seriously. She filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the recording industry defending Luther "Luke Skyyywalker" Campbell in his obscenity case over Me So Horny, claiming, straight-facedly, the song did not do (excite prurient interest) precisely what it was clearly intended to do.

In other words, she is a shameless liar, and noted jurist Luther Campbell finds that worthy of his respect.

In praising her, Campbell fails to realize that if Kagan's claim is actually true, then his song is, in fact, an utter failure. Same as if it were a true a pornographer's work failed to elicit a sexual response -- failing in your primary intent means you're incompetent, no?

Linking the Content Warning for Sexual Lyrics and Big Thong Butts video below, because while it is plainly prurient, it is still, even at this late date, awesome. more...

Posted by: Ace at 09:13 AM | Comments (52)
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Sam Besserman is a liberal teacher's worst nightmare: an eleven year old with a conservative agenda and an appreciation for free speech rights.

My name is Sam Besserman, I'm eleven years old, I live in Beverly Hills, California, and ever since I can remember I have been subjected to political bias in school. The first time I noticed the bias was actually in preschool, where the teacher was reading a book about the importance of mothers and the inferiority of fathers. I tried to tell the teacher that dads might be just as important. The teacher responded in a sing-song, "No, listen to me, I'm the teacher." Of course, the girls loved the book and most of the boys hated it, except for a few who liked it and also wanted to become mothers some day. I was three years old and royally pissed off.

I had to listen to such feminist ideas every day, and at times, I actually bought into them. Months later, I still didn't know whether mothers were really more important than fathers. Once I even felt like going into the bathroom and trying to pull off my penis. It wasn't that I wanted to be a woman -- I had just lost my enthusiasm for my embattled gender.

The only male teacher I had might as well have been castrated. His voice was soft, his gestures were feminine, he didn't know how to run a class, and he had to rely on female assistant teachers to control the children. And, of course, the female teachers treated the girls ten times better than the boys and constantly reminded us of our alleged inferiority....

When I switched schools in 2nd grade, I suddenly found myself surrounded by bleeding-heart liberals. We were taught that minorities were victims and therefore good, and members of the majority were, by inference, bad. Similarly, we learned that America was the big, bad exploiter, and the countries my parents grew up believing were evil were not so bad after all. I asked my father about these issues practically every night, and he taught me the meaning of moral relativism. I thought he was being too kind, and I characterized it, instead, as moral inversion.

Moral inversion? This is not your typical 11 year old.

...

Once, when I was reading to avoid listening to a yet another guest lecture about man-made global warming -- in which the lecturer told us we should all reduce our consumption of meat to one meal a week -- the teacher took away my book and said, "Listen, she's smart." But according to what we now know about the hockey stick graph, she wasn't that smart after all. My English teacher was no better. She made it completely obvious that she thought those who didn't like Barack Obama needed to see a doctor. She never had anything good to say about America and always exaggerated Native American achievements over those of European colonists. When I tried to express my conservative views, she would say that we didn't have time for that and we should move on. One day she gave us a lecture on stereotyping. I raised my hand and gave an example of a comedian I heard who stereotyped Texans, and she said, "Oh, well, Texas!" as if to make an exception. The principal, who happened to be in the room at the time, quickly told her, "Shhhh!"

...

After all these years, you'd think I'd have given up. My country is undermining itself in its schools. It's teaching boys that they can't even compete with girls. It's teaching those of us who have pride in our country that it is misplaced. It's teaching nonsense and claiming that it's science. But possibly, even more usefully, I think I have struck comedy gold.

When I read about this on Hot Air, didn't get the part about "comedy gold," because his recitation of the facts seemed matter-of-fact and serious.

But now he's giving us a bit of that comedy gold, as he impersonates and mocks his commie-symp teacher.

The great thing about this is that the teacher gets a lot of payback here and there's not a thing, I think, she can do about it.
more...

Posted by: Ace at 08:54 AM | Comments (159)
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Current tally: 45 likely GOP seats, 49 likely Dem seats, six toss-ups.

From a few day's back, Charlie Cook's warning to Democrats that they face a Cat 3 or 4 hurricane.

The numbers were from the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted June 17-21 among 1,000 adults by pollsters Peter Hart (a Democrat) and Bill McInturff (a Republican). Among the registered voters in the survey, Republicans led by 2 points on the generic congressional ballot test, 45 percent to 43 percent. This may not sound like a lot, given that Democrats now hold 59 percent of House seats. When this same poll was taken in June 2008, however, Democrats led by 19 points, 52 percent to 33 percent.

That drop-off should be enough to sober Democrats up, but the next set of data was even more chilling....

Although 2010 is a "down-shifting" election, from a high-turnout presidential year to a lower-turnout midterm year, one group was more interested in November than it was in 2008: those who had voted for Republican John McCain for president. And the groups that showed the largest decline in interest? Those who voted for Barack Obama -- liberals, African-Americans, self-described Democrats, moderates, those living in either the Northeast or West, and younger voters 18 to 34 years of age. These are the "Holy Mackerel" numbers.

Among all voters, there has been a significant swing since 2008 when Democrats took their new majority won in 2006 to an even higher level. But when you home in on those people in this survey who are most likely to vote, the numbers are devastating. The NBC/WSJ survey, when combined with a previously released NPR study of likely voters in 70 competitive House districts by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg and Republican Glen Bolger, point to an outcome for Democrats that is as serious as a heart attack. Make no mistake about it: There is a wave out there, and for Democrats, the House is, at best, teetering on the edge.

But he notes that the GOP couldn't get its people out in PA 12, thus losing a seat we could have won. As Coulter said, we should probably schedule our victory parties for after the actual victories.

Posted by: Ace at 08:07 AM | Comments (64)
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