AP: Hillary Is The Man!
— DrewM.

In a report that would make even Keith Olberman blush in embarrassment for its over the top praise of Hillary, the AP letÂ’s us know that yesterday was a defining moment for Ms. Inevitability.

At least they had the decency to label it ‘analysis’ (though "love note" might have been more accurate) and not just pawn it off as news as they usually do.

When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for—namely, that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner.

"I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well," she declared as she stood alone at the microphone.

Little more than three hours later, just in time for the 11 p.m. local news, Clinton reaffirmed that perspective. In New Hampshire, she embraced her staffers and their families, and lauded the law enforcement officials who brought a siege at her local campaign headquarters to a peaceful conclusion.

It was a vintage example of a candidate taking a negative and turning it into a positive. And coming just six weeks before the presidential voting begins, the timing could hardly have been more beneficial to someone hoping to stave off a loss in the Iowa caucuses and secure a win in the New Hampshire primary.

Did writer Glen Johnson ask Hillary what flavor jelly she liked before tossing her salad?

In fairness, I think Clinton did exactly what she needed to do, get out of the way, stay in touch with authorities and provide whatever the police or affected families needed. So does she deserve praise for that? Um okay, I guess. It is not however a Profiles in Courage moment by any stretch.

Obama and Edwards must really hate this. The only way they could attack her on this is if she started claiming credit thus making it an issue. But she hasnÂ’t done anything here. She didnÂ’t have to, the AP did it for her.

The Deciders!

Posted by: DrewM. at 10:37 AM | Comments (34)
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Bill Richardson: WWII/Korean wars never ended
— Purple Avenger

Richardson stated:

Richardson, trying hard to join the front-runners in the polls, chastised the field for not talking more about jobs and voiced implicit criticism of Obama, Edwards and Clinton for suggesting that some troops may have to stay in Iraq for some time.

"This is the hard reality — you can't say you'll end the war in Iraq if you're leaving thousands of troops behind, or if you won't even commit to removing them by 2013," he said.

Since US troops have been in Germany, Japan, and Korea for well over 50 years now, applying Richardsonsonian logic yields the inescapable conclusion that WWII and the Korean wars never ended. Might even be able to make the case that the Spanish/American war isn't over yet either.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 10:22 AM | Comments (16)
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Utah Tasing Trooper Acted Reasonably According to State Officials
— Dave In Texas

He remains on leave, due to threats against him, according to UHP Superintendent Lance Davenport.

Officials said Gardner could have issued the ticket without Massey's signature. The investigation found use of the Taser was justified because Massey had turned his back and put a hand near his pocket, Davenport said.

Jared Massey, the driver who was tasered, filed a public records request for the video and posted it on YouTube. According to YouTube it's been viewed over one million times. Five times by me, although YouTube officials did not confirm this.

Interview with Massey and CNN's Kiran Chetry, then Sgt. Jeff Nigbur of the UHP below the fold.

A point: Massey says he thought the officer pulled out a gun, and he was afraid, that he thought the officer was going to "shoot to harm me", and he "had no idea it was a taser".

So you turn your back and walk away? Really?

Second point: Sgt. Nigbur mentions "a little bit of ego, on both sides".

more...

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 09:56 AM | Comments (61)
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The Man, The Legend
— Dave In Texas

Evel Knievel, dead at 69.

Bryan has a nice write up and pulled some videos together at Hot Air. They do that video thing all day long over there.

OOPS. Sorry DrewM.

I'll just go make some more coffee now.

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 08:20 AM | Comments (36)
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