Top Headline Comments 2-5-11 [Andy]
— Open Blogger

Happy 100th birthday weekend, President Reagan. As Margaret Thatcher wrote on the occasion of his funeral: "Well done, Thou good and faithful servant."

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:10 AM | Comments (265)
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Overnight Open Thread
— rdbrewer

StartingPage performs Google web searches with privacy. Long live StartingPage.

Every time you use a regular search engine, your search data is recorded. Major search engines capture your IP address and use tracking cookies to make a record of your search terms, the time of your visit, and the links you choose - then they store that information in a giant database.

Those searches reveal a shocking amount of personal information about you, such as your interests, family circumstances, political leanings, medical conditions, and more. This information is modern-day gold for marketers, government officials, hackers and criminals - all of whom would love to get their hands on your private search data.

I wonder how they can do that. I can't imagine Google is cool with it. Here is the StartingPage search page.

Five scientific reasons the Dark Side will always win. Number five: "The color black is scientifically proven to intimidate people."

A different kind of war porn. I've linked this before, but it's cool enough to mention again. It's a promotional video for MineWolf demining systems. Pretty exciting for a promotional video.

I tried to think of a theme for tonight's ONT, but notice was short. But then it hit me like Anderson Cooper: Dogs. Dogs and video games. You know, since they're thematically related. more...

Posted by: rdbrewer at 06:00 PM | Comments (889)
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The Three Little Bops.....Plus One
— Russ from Winterset

rdbrewer linked the YouTube clip of the original Looney Tunes classic in the sidebar a few days ago, and when I went to it and looked around a little I found this little gem. Seems that back in '93, a blues band at an Australian Music Festival played the whole soundtrack for this cartoon....and kept the timing tight enough that it almost seems like it could be an alternative soundtrack straight from the studio. That's pretty freakin' good. The only quibble I have is their slight deviation from the script at the end, but it's forgivable in context.

This is definitely one of my favorite cartoons from childhood, and I love that it's available on YouTube now. (My other favorite? That one with the two squirrels who lose their tree to the loggers, try to get it back from the lumbermill, and wind up horking a big pile of furniture from the delivery truck to replace the tree.) I'm putting it below the fold to keep the front page running silky smooth. more...

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 02:37 PM | Comments (73)
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What? WikiLeaks: Obama Sold Out UK, Giving Details Of Their Deterrent To Russia, In Order To Induce It To Sign Meaningless START Treaty
— Ace

Oh. My. God.

For a piece of paper?

Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week.

Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining BritainÂ’s policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal.

The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called “special relationship”, which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications obtained by the WikiLeaks website.

One can imagine why the Russians wanted the information -- "look, we need to know what missiles your British buddies have too, because you are joined at the hip on foreign policy" -- but what on earth is the US doing selling out the Brits? Why not just tell them, "No, you'll have to get that from them?"

Again -- for what? For a meaningless piece of paper. Which has, at best, some trivial good-feeling advantage vis a vis Russia.

What of the former era of good feeling that existed between America and the UK?

But WikiLeaks Is Often Hype... One thing: WikiLeaks doesn't have all the diplomatic cables. It might be the case (in fact, I'd bet hope it is the case) that the US and UK had a side-deal where the UK blessed this exchange.

So, actually, give this one 24 hours.

But Then... Allies paper things over publicly even in the case of a major breach. Publicly, they say "everything's cool.'

So to find out the real story, we'll also have to wait for anonymous quotes from the British government. We can also look to the enthusiasm they show or lack when making their "everything's cool" statement.

Posted by: Ace at 02:02 PM | Comments (433)
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Obama Botches Bible Quote; Media Matters Botches Defense
— Ace

I don't really care a lot that Obama missed a clause in a Bible verse. (He missed the part about "renews their strength" and went right into "soar on wings like eagles.")

But what is Media Matters being paid for? In spinning for the Divine One who can Maketh No Error, they claim, gee whiz, these winguts apparently don't know there is more than one version of the Bible, and Obama was quoting accurately from the New International Version.

Media Matters opines:

This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

And to prove Obama accurately quoted the New International Version they link the passage in question, which confirms the "renews their strength" part is absent in that translation which also contains the "renews their strength" part, proving that Obama did indeed botch this version of the quotation as well.

They are linking that to prove he accurately quoted from it, apparently not bothering to click on the link themselves and discover, nope, he was wrong according to that version, too.

As Media Matters says:

This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

I heareth thee, brother. I feeleth thee.

Question: Media Matters is so stupid and makes so many grotesque errors like this -- do you think it's possible they're smart enough to plan these errors just to drive traffic to their site?

Gotta be some reason for the stupidity.

Ahem: "pastordan" at "Religious Dispatches," which seems to be one of those left-wing fake evangelical organizations that's so hot for Obama, makes the same error, following Media Matters.

But like this is supposedly a religious website, right? Unlike Media Matters, they pretend to have a familiarity with the text, right?

So how come they don't bother to check the quote either?

They also get quite huffy that these wingnuts don't understand their Bibles the way the leftwingnuts do.

Posted by: Ace at 01:50 PM | Comments (134)
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OK, that's pretty bad [Fritzworth]
— Open Blogger

Followed a Drudge link to an article about what a wretched ambassador one large Obama donor has turned out to be and loved this passage:

Things got so bad, the report says, that staffers asked for transfers to Afghanistan and Iraq due in part to "a climate of acute stress" at the embassy.

Which embassy, you ask? Why, Luxembourg. Yep, as cushy and civilized a posting as a dedicated Foreign Service employee could ask for, and they're begging to transfer to Iraq and Afghanistan to get away from this woman. As Glenn would say, Heh. ..fritz..

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:46 PM | Comments (176)
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James Pethokoukis: Hey, Maybe Corker's CAP Is Useful
— Ace

Did Congress routinely evade Gramm-Rudman debt limits? Sure.

But much fiscal good was done. Before the recession hit in 1990-91, the deficit had fallen to 2.8 percent of GDP from 5.1 percent, while the rate of annual discretionary spending (excluding social insurance programs) also had declined substantially.

Yes, that's true: Congress cheated its ass off but with Gramm-Rudman in place they were still limited and couldn't spend as much as they would have without it. (Though Pethokoukis ignores the fact that Gramm-Rudman forced Bush the Elder to raise taxes, and raising taxes, not just limiting spending, forced the deficit down -- a scenario Democrats always have in mind which we obviously don't prefer.)

Some other good things:

Based on Congressional Budget Office baseline forecasts, hitting the proposed Corker-McCaskill target would create a small projected surplus.

I'm inclined to ask In what year? 2063? but actually any plan that restores fiscal balance even that far out is preferable to the current plan of not having a plan and just going bankrupt. In fact, I think Ryan's own plan balances the budget... but not until 2063.

But even that reassurance of a year in the future when budgets will be balanced will have a positive impact on business and the economy.

Of course, this is all a big if, as Congress can vote to violate the law, even while claiming to be in compliance with it, whenever they like. As they did with Gramm-Rudman.

One more possible bonus: Because the law includes, for once, entitlements as budgetary areas that are subject to automatic cuts -- instead of how they are always treated, as "off-budget" and always immune to cuts -- this new law could force some sanguinary changes:

Some argue the cap is far too low given an aging U.S. population, rising healthcare costs and higher debt interest payments. Indeed, it would require a hefty 20 percent Medicare cut by 2025. But such reductions arenÂ’t unreasonable, says the CBO, if Medicare was to be turned into a subsidized voucher program for seniors, as some Republicans propose.

... which is a key part of the Ryan Roadmap.

Instapundit wrote to Corker yesterday and Corker defended his plan. About his 20.6% of GDP spending cap:

In addition, he notes that this is a lower number than either the Deficit Commission, or the Ryan roadmap (which he calls “great”) will achieve by 2022. The President’s commission would cut about $4 Trillion from the baseline budget; this would cut $7.8 Trillion. The difference, he says, compounds over time. “If we can do more, I’ll be the first to vote for it.”

It's probably better than I at first thought. I thought it might be useful but, as I said, only in conjunction with other spending cuts to happen now, and not as a replacement for such cuts. Maybe I can upgrade it to more useful than I thought but still we're going to need present action.

Congress has a very bad habit of expecting future Congresses to become all grown-up and serious-minded and courageous and do all the things the present Congress is too compromised and cowardly to do -- but future Congresses are just as compromised and cowardly. Time has proven it -- in fact, Congresses have become less responsible every generation.

Posted by: Ace at 10:55 AM | Comments (107)
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Gov. Chris Christie Vetoes Planned Parenthood Funding After Release of ACORN-Style Hidden-Camera Exposes
— Ace

About those videos, first of all. In a sting similar to the ACORN sting, a "pimp" breezes into Planned Parenthood offices seeking abortions for his 13 and 14 year old child-sex-slaves and is given advice about how to avoid all the hassle and red-tape of reporting rape and child prostitution.

(Notice: The left is all in favor of getting rid of jobs-killing regulation and red tape in the appropriate sanctioned industries.)

"Deceptively edited" is the claim as was the last time, of course, because they've got nothing else besides the You Gonna Believe Me Or Your Own Lying Eyes? gambit.

Enter the Big Man from New Jersey, like an Italian Clarence Clemmons.

Following the release of a video that has received nationwide attention showing Planned Parenthood staff at a New Jersey abortion center helping alleged sexual traffickers cover up their crimes with abortions and STD testing, Governor Chris Christie has vetoed a bill funding Planned Parenthood.

One thing: While BigGovernment says this occurred after those videos, and that is true, chronologically, the implication is that the videos caused the veto on funding.

In fact, that's not established -- maybe, maybe not. Christie already vetoed the funding for Planned Parenthood a while back; he re-vetoed it, as the legislature just sent him a bill restoring the funding.

The videos might have played a role or they might not have. Certainly they couldn't have helped Planned Parenthood's cause.

Thanks to Dagny.

Posted by: Ace at 10:13 AM | Comments (176)
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Obama: I'll Let the GOP Talk About Austerity While I Talk About Jobs and Freebies
— Ace

A cowardly tactic but an effective one.

The president has decided that he'll let Republicans be the dour ones. A credible deficit-reduction plan is no longer a precondition for weeks of talk about plans for government investment. Let Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, do all that gloomy talking about the grim fiscal picture. As one GOP aide put it after the president's State of the Union speech and Ryan's official response: "He's the optimistic one, and we're the ones that want to lock up your children."

The two parties are making opposite bets about what the public really thinks about the deficit. The president is betting that people don't see an iron connection between reducing the deficit and increasing the number of jobs. When they judge who is doing more for them—the GOP or the president—they will pick the person optimistic about the future, not the guys preaching pain.

Republicans get this, so they're working hard to reiterate that their deficit agenda is a jobs agenda: Jobs will be lost if the deficit isn't reduced drastically.

What's the right counter-tactic? Well, the Republicans are doing it, but need to do more of it: They must always connect "jobs" to "deficit," hopefully always in the same sentence, so that the media cannot omit the word "jobs" when editing a soundbite. The author (at Slate) discusses this and what the Republicans have to do: Basically, just be much better about always connecting the two issues up, directly and with urgency (i.e., this isn't coming down the road in the vague future but like two months from now), and never fail to call Obama's spending destructive.

Actually a pretty astute column for Slate.

Actually... This gets back to my idea of always bringing up Clinton's budget as the standard to shoot for. It is no coincidence in most people's minds that when the budget became balanced (and even before then, when it was on the pathway to being balanced), the economy exploded. Business was reassured that the country was being decently run and hiring picked up until the unemployment rate dropped to a historic low of 3.8% or so.

People will remember that. Clinton is pretty much the only Democrat people think well of, in policy terms. The Democrats have been making their rent by bringing up Clinton's economy in every election.

Okay. Let's do what Clinton did. Let's balance the budget.

Posted by: Ace at 09:32 AM | Comments (128)
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9.0%? A Number Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing
— Geoff

As mentioned below, the BLS released its unemployment report for January this morning. As you can see from The Chart, unemployment made another 0.4-point drop, falling from 9.4% to 9%. Unfortunately, that number, like The Chart itself, has become irrelevant to understanding the unemployment situation.

Yes, The Chart, which brought me fame, fortune, and black helicopters buzzing lazily overhead, has become as pointless as the U-3 numbers it plots. It's partly because the number of people who have dropped out of the labor force has gotten so large. For example, the Household Survey says that 622K people dropped out of unemployment. Of these, 100K found jobs, 200K are "marginally attached" (i.e., they'll show up in the U-4, U-5, and U-6 unemployment rates), and 300K have dropped out of the work force entirely (they won't show up in any of the unemployment calculations). When 5/6 of your "improvement" is actually bad news, it's obvious that the U-3, and even the U-6 unemployment rates are not very useful (except in harassing the administration, of course).

To see how bad it really is, check this out: more...

Posted by: Geoff at 08:35 AM | Comments (121)
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