171 Congressmen voted against it.

Rep. Jim Shadegg wonders why:

No one can defend opposing this reform. The only possible explanation for voting against this rule change is that a member of Congress wants to be able to secretly spend the taxpayers' money on personal pork projects without being accountable.

Yup. "Democracy." Citizens' votes are supposed to be secret, not the votes of their elected representatives', for the love of everything holy.

Instapundit has a link to see how each Congressman voted.

Posted by: Ace at 10:14 AM | Comments (13)
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Congrats to A. Weasel and Mob for splitting the coveted first-place position in the pool. AnalogKid was edged out to make a strong third place showing.

Might want to think about your picks for the upcoming weekend. I think they're due Sunday before first kickoff.

Meanwhile, in the Blogger Bowl (which has about eight people in it, alas), Michael won.

Posted by: Ace at 09:43 AM | Comments (9)
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President Bush had a news conference this morning on proposed legislation for terror tribunals.

Last time he gave a major speech, a lot of people here speculated that he was effectively leveraging Democratic duplicity against them, because they would have to choose between either a) voting against the legislation, and looking like cowards (which they are), or b) voting for it, and alienating the insane left base (which they would). Of course, that whole theory crumbles to the ground when Senate Republicans torpedo the whole thing.

Posted by: Ace at 08:39 AM | Comments (65)
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According to the most recent FoxNews/Opinion Dynamics poll.

By a 41 percent to 38 percent margin, likely voters say if the election were held today, they would choose the Democratic candidate in their district. In late August, Democrats had a 16-point lead in the generic Congressional vote among registered voters and an 18-point edge a month ago.

The polls was taken Sept. 12-13, so there is a Sept. 11th effect baked in the cake.

And this poll could be an outlier. The Real Clear Politics average puts the Dems' lead at 9.5, and most polls show an 8-12 point deficit for the GOP.

On the other hand, the other polls are of either adults or registered voters. The FoxNews poll is the first (I think) to start polling likely voters only.

Meanwhile... Rumors swirl that the regularly-scheduled New Jersey Senate Candidate Switcheroo is proceeding according to plan.

If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say, Say It About Nancy Pelosi: Mary Katherine Ham gins up the Fear 'n Smear campaign against the Democrats, and damnit, it's about time.

Want to prevent Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House and John Conyers making his first move as Judiciary Committee Chairman the introduction of articles of impeachment against a president in a time of war?

When it comes to some of these races, particularly Michigan [Mike Brouchard] and New Jersey [Tom Kean Jr.], Townhall readers have the unique chance to turn these important Senate seats from blue to red with just a couple bucks. Can you feel it? You know you want to jump in, get that good olÂ’ Daschle-toppling feeling of days gone by.

I feel it, Mary Katherine. I really feel it!

Donate to the Rightroots candidates you like the most. Or all of them. The dextrosphere has been laggard in getting directly involved in electioneering, but now they're taking a page from Kos and soliciting support for Republicans in some of the most competitive, and vital, races.

Hopefully we'll do better than 0-16 (with one more defeat coming) Kos.

Flashback: Look, let's just win this sonofabitch for the gloating.

How I miss the gloating.

Posted by: Ace at 07:21 AM | Comments (37)
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You'll never guess who.

I have to say, gun to my head and forced to choose, I preferred the old KKK.

Posted by: Ace at 07:06 AM | Comments (4)
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Or so their masters believe. The looks on their faces seems to indicate otherwise.

More after the jump. more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:58 AM | Comments (27)
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Stop the ACLU has links.

Posted by: Ace at 06:18 AM | Comments (10)
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The ultimate tribute to a dead man:

A WIFE aged 65 chopped off her dead husband’s willy in hospital — so she could keep it in a pickling jar as a souvenir.

Uta Schneider used a butcher’s knife to hack off the “treasured” manhood. She wrapped it in foil and put it in a lunchbox — next to gherkins.

...

She told police: “It was his best asset and gave me so much pleasure.

“I wanted to pickle it for eternity — he would have wanted it. We called it his joystick. I wanted it to remember him by.”

She was arrested for mutilation of a corpse, but honestly, she was married to the guy for 35 years. She owned it as much as he did. And it's not like he needed it anymore.

He didn't die in jihad, after all.

(Note it's The Sun, so this is, you know, dubious.)

Thanks to PetiteDov, who recounts her 9/11 conversion.

Posted by: Ace at 06:07 AM | Comments (12)
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Via FoxNews.

After the Pope's comments on the violence inherent in the current understanding of Islam, Allah dryly noted:

Nothing brings out the killer in jihadis like accusing them of being killers.

Not exactly the most daring prediction ever made, but still.

It didn't take long.

On Friday, Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, said Benedict's remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance" about Islam and its prophet, or worse, a deliberate distortion of the truths.

"He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz blurted out in comments made to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades."

...

Pakistan's parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry also called the pope's remarks "regrettable."

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

Encourages violence? What does that mean, precisely? You mean he's encouraging Christians to attack Muslims?

Of course not. He means any "derogatory" statement suggesting Islam is violent encourages Islamic violence.

All the world is a post office, and Islam is that one weird dude you know is going to kill everyone someday so everyone tiptoes around him on eggshells. We're getting a little tired of it. But even security is afraid to say anything because they fear the dude will come visit them at their homes and kill their pets.

Allah has more good stuff.

Thanks to Andy the Squirrel.

Posted by: Ace at 05:58 AM | Comments (67)
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And I, for one, appreciate the opportunity.

I found this article on the Human Events website today. It was written by Houston Attorney, and former Supreme Court clerk, John O'Neill in response to comments Senator Ketchup has made recently.

This is what the once and future loser from Massachusetts said:

"Asked if he dreads the prospect of being “Swift-Boated” all over again, Kerry counters that he would relish such a fight.

“I’m prepared to kick their ass from one end of America to the other,” he declares. “I am so confident of my abilities to address that and to demolish it and to even turn it into a positive.”

No word on whether he threatened to kick their asses like a modern day incarnation of "Jenjhis Caan". That's probably implied.

And I wonder if this unilateral use of force has passed the "global test" of which Mr. Kerry is so fond? I kinda doubt it. But maybe that's just my own laughter at the thought of this man:

kicking anybody's ass that makes it hard for me to hear Mr. Kerry's answer.

In any event, Mr. O'Neill fired back today with a reply that is brilliant. Here is Mr. O'Neill:

"Kerry and his friends certainly seem to show much greater anger and hatred toward us than toward the murderous al Qaeda terrorists. This is actually a positive thing. Based on his record of switching to adopt the North Vietnamese position in 1971 and (after voting to send our kids to Iraq) proposing to cut and run in Iraq, it is likely that Kerry will be endorsing our positions by 2008 and (in his words) “Swift Boating” himself. If not, it is OK. After living for 34 years with his claim that our comrades, living and dead, were like the army of Genghis Khan, we will always remember and be grateful for the support of the American people in 2004. Nothing he will ever say can demolish that or will speak nearly so loudly."

I have to believe that's gonna leave a mark, in part because the truth hurts.

Luckily, though, America was spared the indignity of a John F. Kerry Presidency. And, I'm certain, that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth deserve a lot credit for their efforts in ensuring this man's defeat.

Some people get turned into internet verbs. Some people get turned into political verbs. And that essentially sums up their legacy.

Mr. Kerry, you "swift-boated" yourself. That's what you will always be remembered for, and no Magic Hat is ever going to save you from this fate.

It might come in handy, though, when you are campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire. After all, when no one shows up to vote for you in the 2008 primaries, those campaign offices can get pretty cold.

Posted by: Ace at 07:25 PM | Comments (78)
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