Retards. You were looking for Fred Thompson. Giuliani in second.

I suppose, though, that this is an effort to choose Fred Thompson despite PJM's stubborn refusal to list him as a candidate. They list Gingrich, too, and he's unnanounced. Certainly Fred Thompson has been making more noise lately about entering the race than Gingrinch has.

So, please PJM: Offer Fred Thompson as a choice, so my site isn't completely humiliated as being super big on Tommy Thompson.

Giuliani took the top slot among all participating blogs, who had a decent lead on neck-and-neck second and third place finishers Gingrich and Romney.

McCain barely even shows up on the list.

Tommy Thompson also does suprising well in the overall poll, but then, 266 of his 343 total votes came from you goofballs.

Posted by: Ace at 12:04 PM | Comments (21)
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PJM's Mohammad Fadhil thinks so. Or at least sees encouraging signals that that's the case.

Iran’s “project” in Iraq has recently been facing one setback after another. There are an increasing number of signs that the “project’s” prospects for success, for realizing Iran’s ambitions in Iraq, do no point upward anymore. It simply isn’t having much success lately in undermining Iraq’s emerging democracy through politics and force....

That, at least, was the plan. But a number of interesting developments in Iraq in the last few weeks may mark the beginning of failure for IranÂ’s plan. The developments listed here were collected from both large and small stories in local Iraq newspapers. Perhaps none of them are significant alone, but putting the pieces together allows one to sense that a sea change is underway in this country and the tide is moving against Iran.

At last Friday’s ceremony in a major Shia mosque by a senior Shia cleric — in Najaf no less — Tehran’s interference in Iraq was roundly criticized, calling it an interference that “is not in Iraq’s interest.”

Another story notes the withdrawal of the Fadheela Party from the Shia bloc (the UIA). The Fadheela leaders said the reason for breaking away from the UIA was because the UIA didnÂ’t act as a patriotic movement. This step stands as a challenge by the Arabic hierarchy of Yaqoubi (the Ayatollah behind Fadheela) to the Iranian-born Sistani and his hierarchy, combined with a call for nonsectarian political process.

There’s also the month-old and continuing Baghdad security operation, and the apparent determination of PM Maliki to confront and disarm all outlaws — especially those with connections with neighboring countries. In addition, the flight of Sadr and many others from Iraq has also dealt a blow to Iran’s influence in Iraq.

Encouraging, though Sadr City's mayor has just been shot, apparently due to his willingness to work with the Coalition.

Posted by: Ace at 11:57 AM | Comments (2)
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...for videoblogging, awarded by the Institute for Policy, Democracy, and the Internet.

Her latest entry here.

Posted by: Ace at 11:48 AM | Comments (11)
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Betsy's Page asks, rhetorically, if Prof. Julio Pino would be kept on Kent State's payroll were he exhorting the murder of blacks.

Actually, he is exhorting jihadists to murder blacks, as well as any other Americans.

Hate speech? Nah. Just protected Freedom of Expression a university isn't permitted to "discriminate" against.

It ain't hate if it comes from the left.

Posted by: Ace at 11:39 AM | Comments (27)
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Not yet a public appeal.

The appeal -- not yet made public -- by General David Petraeus for a combat aviation unit would involve between 2,500 and 3,000 more soldiers and dozens of transport helicopters and powerful gunships, said the Pentagon sources. That would bring the planned expansion of US forces to close to 30,000 troops.

News of the additional deployment comes about a week after President Bush announced that about 4,700 support troops will join the initial 21,500 he ordered in January. They are in addition to the estimated 130,000 troops already in Iraq.

"This is the next shoe to drop," said one senior Pentagon official closely involved in the war planning, who requested anonymity because of prohibitions against publicly discussing internal deliberations. "But you cannot put five combat brigades in there and not have more aviation guys, military police, and intelligence units."

How can Bush deny him? He seems to be having a fair amount of success, and Bush has furthermore made it his mantra that he gives generals the exact troop levels they request. Can he reverse that position now that a general is requesting more troops?

Posted by: Ace at 10:54 AM | Comments (24)
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The second dancer, who's been willing to pour cold water on the accuser's story, isn't talking either.

he woman who accused three members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team of sexual assault is not being forthcoming with special prosecutors, law enforcement sources close to the case tell ABC News.

The accuser has met at least twice with prosecutors from the North Carolina attorney general's office, which took over the case from Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong in January.

In those interviews, she gave incomplete answers when asked about the alleged assault and the events surrounding it, according to sources.

The same sources added that Kim Roberts, the second dancer who attended the March 2006 party, had also refused to speak with investigators and had said she would do so only if subpoenaed. Roberts has spoken to the media about the case, including doing an interview with ABC News' "Good Morning America."

Although neither woman has been forthcoming up to this point, the sources stressed that this could change and that the accuser might still fully participate with investigators.

In the coming weeks prosecutors will conduct further interviews with those involved in the case, leaving open the possibility that the accuser might say more about what she remembers from that night.

The article, by the way, is pretty comical in attempting to spin for the accuser. Lawyers are quoted up and down suggesting she just feels "abused" by the system, that she hasn't gotten to know the prosecutors yet (do accusers usually need to form friendships with prosecutors in order to state their allegations?), etc. No one is quoted suggesting she's giving incomplete answers just because she's lying.

Or that perhaps her former "investigators" were much more, err, helpful in suggesting ways to make a somewhat-coherent story out of her dog's breakfast of contradictory claims, and the current investigators are just asking her the questions and making her do her own story-telling.

Of course this is the easiest escape-hatch for the new prosecutors -- just to claim she's not cooperative and therefore the charges must be dropped. Easy, but it doesn't get to the truth.

I suppose that will have to wait until the civil suit.

KC Johnson... thinks the willingness of Roy Cooper to be visibly associated with the case may -- may -- indicate the state has decided on a clear-cut resolution to the case,

Yesterday, Attorney Roy Cooper assumed a visible presence in the investigation, but in dealing not with these matters but a public tour of 610 N. Buchanan.

Two possible explanations:
(1) This was a photo-op, designed to create the impression of a hands-on AG;
(2) The investigation has confirmed that it all was a hoax, and having reached a clear-cut, rather than murky, verdict, the AG now feels willing to be associated with it publicly.

Let's hope (2) is the explanation. In not-for-attribution comments to the H-S, defense attorneys stated that they were impressed with the quality of the AG inquiry to date.

Given the alternate explanations the ABC reporter offers up, it seems (2) isn't terribly likely.

Hot Air: has quoted some of the nonsense claims about her needing to "warm up" to the prosecutors. I just didn't feel like quoting such absurdities.

Still, it seems likely that that's the crap the prosecutors were feeding the ABC reporter. (But, that crap being not-for-attribution, she had to find some other lawyer to say the same thing.)

So it seems the prosecutors are taking the easy way out. They'll just drop the charges citing the accuser's unwillingness to go forward (she feels so "abused"!), and avoid actually doing their jobs and getting to the actual truth.

Posted by: Ace at 10:11 AM | Comments (22)
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Heh:

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez “does like this country” and is “passionate,” “dignified,” “intelligent” and loves coffee.

ThatÂ’s the conclusion of an ABC exclusive interview with a man who has threatened to shut off oil to the United States and who even human rights groups criticize for his abuse of power.

The interview, previewed on the March 16 “Good Morning America,” was billed as one that “pulled no punches” by anchor Robin Roberts.

Given that, I don't expect Barbra to inquire very much about View co-host Rosie's long-suspected but only recently admitted membership in the 9/11 "Truth" movement.

Thanks to Scott.

Posted by: Ace at 10:01 AM | Comments (20)
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That really seems to be what she's claiming.

More: The WaPo Claims She's Been "Silent" For Four Years: Oh really?

Unanswered question in all of this: What, precisely, prevents this not-covert agent, working for years right out of Langley (driving there every day), from continuing her scary-important but non-convert analysis and training work today, apart from the fact she just wants to make more money in glam Hollywood?

Posted by: Ace at 09:32 AM | Comments (99)
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Another morontip.
You people are deeply disturbed, and this is why I love you.

March 15, 2007 — - In 2003, a large suitcase containing the remains of 26 butchered monkeys was confiscated at Logan Airport in Boston on its way from Ghana.

The 300 pounds of raw meat, destined to be served as the main course at a wedding in New Hampshire, was "oozing out of its container," said Tom Healy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bride must have been in tears. You simply cannot have a proper wedding anymore without 300 lbs. of dripping monkey-meat.

Cane rat, monkey and bat are the bushmeats most often found being smuggled into the United States, and according to Jennifer McQuiston, a veterinarian at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, each is known to carry diseases that can be deadly to humans.

"Rodents from Africa carry viruses like monkeypox, and nonhuman primates can carry Ebola and tuberculosis," she said.

'Monkeypox' sounds like a board game.

"Monkeypox! I win!"

Aaaanyway. Thanks to Cuffy Meigs.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:54 AM | Comments (61)
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GAH.

WAYNESVILLE — The six men castrated in a sadomasochistic dungeon fashioned from an enclosed carport all told prosecutors they saw no need for criminal charges.

See if I ever ask you morons for a story tip again. I never learn anything good on the internet.

In his defense, Anthony Sciara said his brother performed the surgeries only to help others.

“His concept of himself is he is a helpful person,” Anthony Sciara said.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Moore said Sciara and his assistants performed the operations in the nude, and on one occasion, Sciara was drinking a beer and smoking while castrating a man.

Some of the men had fake testicles called “nuteciles” implanted, and one had his penis removed entirely. Another man had the head of his penis cut off.

“(Sciara) felt like the medical system was not addressing the needs of this not-small group who had these needs, whether they were imagined or just emotional,” Patton said, likening the operations to abortions and breast enhancements.

Everybody can thank Drew for today's first post.
Thanks a lot, Drew.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:08 AM | Comments (52)
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