I had trouble believing they'd do something so preposterously stupid.

I was wrong.

In a dramatic U-turn, Pakistan government has "apologised" for claiming that former premier Benazir Bhutto died of a skull fracture after hitting the sunroof of her car during a suicide attack.

Caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan has asked the media and people to "forgive and ignore" comments made by his ministry's spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema which were slammed by her Pakistan People's Party as "lies" and led to an uproar at home and abroad.

The Interior Minister made the apology during a briefing for Pakistani newspaper editors on Monday. Punjab province on Tuesday issued a front-page advertisement in newspapers that offered a reward of Rs 1 crore for information about a gunman and a suspected suicide bomber seen in the photos and video footage of the assassination.

The government's apparent damage control exercise on Cheema's comments made at a news conference a day after Bhutto was assassinated at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on December 27, came after TV channels aired privately shot photos and video footage which showed a gunman shooting at Bhutto.

The Pakistan People's Party leader is seen in the footage falling through the sun-roof before the suicide bomber detonated his explosives. The briefing by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro was also attended by the foreign, interior and information ministers and senior officials.

Part of the reason I disbelieved they'd lie is because I saw no benefit from the lie -- if the idea is damage control, mitigating the government's failure to protect Bhutto, how does it possibly aid the government to say "No, she didn't die from an assassin's bullet, she died dodging an assassin's bullet"? Anyone see any meaningful difference here in terms of the government's failure to stop the death?

Apparently the saw a difference in Pakistan, and thought it might help their cause to claim Bhutto hadn't been killed by an assassin, but by her own clumsiness.

Posted by: Ace at 01:41 PM | Comments (32)
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Or should I say "Did you make any resolutions you want to share with the rest of us?"

I made a couple. I'm too lazy to make ten of them, so you're all saved from a "Top Ten" list here.

1. I resolve to stop shaking my head and ignoring people who start talking about "911 Truth" conspiracies. Next time I hear someone spouting off about how "WTC Building 7" couldn't have been felled without a planned demolition, I swear to God I'm going to go after them like Rosie O'Donnell going after a chocolate-covered honey-roast ham. If we start treating these retards like people who discuss their favorite kiddie porn website in public, maybe they'll realize that a big ol' glass of "Shut The Fuck Up" isn't just for breakfast anymore.

2. I resolve to spend quality time with my son/daughter (we've told the doctors we don't want to know the sex ahead of time) after their arrival in April. Baby from Winterset is going to get a steady diet of reading and other educational activities - you know, like reading him/her "Winning Pocket Billiards" by Willie Mosconi, "The Conscience of a Conservative" by Barry Goldwater, and letting him/her watch good educational TV shows......like the second season of "Barney Miller" or "The Night Stalker" (the original with Darren McGavin, not that abortion of a remake the SciFi channel tried to put out a couple of years ago). And you can be damn sure that Baby from Winterset will grow up on a steady diet of classic cartoons, Looney Tunes and "Rocky & Bullwinkle" for example. None of that crappy anime stuff for my kid (I've always thought that anime cartoons are Japan's response to Hiroshima & Nagasaki), and I want my kid to look up at me after watching an episode of SpongeBob and say "Eh, it was pretty good, but it could have used more anvils and TNT."

3. I resolve that when I stand up to speak to the Madison County Republicans about Fred Thompson this coming Thursday night, I shall find a way to use the phrase "He's the only important man on that stage" in my speech. I'm not creative enough to work in a "Where's Joe?" or "Put me some Effing Knowledge Here!", and I doubt that Iowa Republicans know enough to be threatened by me bringing up the spectre of Vinnie Falcone.

4. I resolve to watch more hockey in 2008. It's a great sport, and I've got a college club team (Iowa State Cyclones), a Junior A team (Des Moines Buccaneers), and an AHL team (Iowa Stars) within an hour's driving time from my front door.

5. I resolve to tell Ace how appreciative I am for the opportunity to share my thoughts here. Buddy, that big package the UPS driver is going to drop off on your porch this next week? Free Range Hobo. I punched a couple of airholes in the box, but I'm afraid that he might not be in very good shape after shipping. They wanted to charge me an extra $50 for shipping him in the heated portion of the plane, and, well, let's face it.......I'm not THAT appreciative.

The rest of you? Share your resolutions, serious and otherwise.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 01:16 PM | Comments (34)
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Cratering all over. Mark Steyn:

The striking feature of the recent polls is, regardless of which state is hot for Huck or Mitt or McCain, for Rudy they're all trending the same way. As electoral markets mature - ie, as primary day looms - informed voters grow more antipathetic to the Mayor. That's to say, his numbers are worst in Iowa, marginally less catastrophic in New Hampshire, out of contention in Michigan and South Carolina - but they've slid dramatically everywhere roughly in proportion to the imminence of the big vote. It requires a lot of blind faith to believe that Florida and beyond will be immune to this trend after a month in which the early winners and runners-up are getting all the media and Giuliani isn't even part of the narrative.

Huck's fading too, and if Mitt is anywhere close to him in Iowa, poll-wise, his superior organization will probably eke him out a victory.

Fred, meanwhile, just might get that third-place Iowa finish which can be spun, fairly plausibly, as a victory of sorts. At least it would confirm Fred's basic viability, something that many are doubting at the moment.

And how is Huckabee's I-won't-run-negative-ads-but-let-me-show-them-so-you-will-run-them-for-free gambit working? This NYT article has short video of the key moment, where the jaded pointy-heads of the press corps have a good chuckle at the Huckster's shameless, insulting hypocrisy.

But reporters aren't Iowan caucusers -- and guess what? It seems that in Iowa this stunt is actually playing well. "Thank you for your positive ads," one old lady says to Huckabee.

I don't like putting down an entire state, but Iowa seems... what's the word? Stupid. Or, if not quite stupid, so hopelessly naive and gullible as to be taken in by hypocritical ploys that your average 10-year-old would see through... assuming he hadn't grown up in Iowa, but rather some more cynical, cosmopolitan place, like Butte, Montana.

A new NBC poll shows McCain now leading Romney in New Hampshire 31-25.

And here's something. The Republican who asked Fred Thompson about his desire to be president -- eliciting the Dowdified quote about Thompson supposedly admitting he lacks "fire in the belly" -- was apparently well satisfied by his answer. He asked the question because, like many, he had initially been hopeful about a Thompson campaign but his interest had waned after the long wait for him to declare and then his decidedly uninspiring early appearances. So he asked the question to satisfy himself that the candidate he wanted to support really wanted the job at all.

The answer was exactly what I hope it would. It was a great answer. At points during the answer I was ashamed I had asked the question. I knew the answer. Do I really want to support a candidate who lives to be President? Is that type of candidate really interested in serving the nation or serving his own self-interest? Sen. Thompson positioned himself as willing to serve, not for an enlarged ego, but out of a deep desire to serve his nation. He has desire to make our nation better for his children and grandchildren. Far from a slick Branson like presentation, he presented himself as a dedicated patriot willing to serve if we, the American people, were willing to have him do so. He refuses to be a President under false pretenses. He is not leading us into a shotgun relationship. He understands that under the founderÂ’s concept of the social contract, both parties must be fully aware of the terms of the contract when entering into the agreement. If the American people do not want him to be President, he is not going to trick us into agreeing to him. As I said, the answer was refreshing. It was a great answer.

I went and saw Gov. Romney that night. Do not misunderstand me; if Gov. Romney is the Republican nominee for President, I will support him. His presentation was an event. His hair and teeth were perfect. He smiled. He pressed the flesh. His wife glowed as she stood next to him. Make no mistake; Gov. Romney wants to be President of the United States. Maybe that is why I do not trust him. In the end, Sen. Thompson was right, the next President should be someone who wants to serve the nation, not someone who wants to be President. Far from the press coverage that stated Sen. Thompson does not have the desire to be President, his desire is to serve the American people. He believes the best way to do that is to be President. If he is not elected President, he will not be disappointed. He will find some other way to serve the American people, just like he has throughout his career. After listening to Sen. Thompson and thinking about what he said, I can only conclude he is the best candidate for the job.

It was in fact a pretty good answer, spinning a frequent knock on him into an actual reason to vote for him. Annoying, then, for the media -- including many Republican-leaning members of the pundit class -- to have spun a good answer as somehow being a catastrophic admission of a fatal flaw.

Objectively, no serious analyst or commentator can say Fred's answer was anything short of brilliant. In fact, it was perhaps the greatest watershed political statement since the Magna Carta.

Well, that's just silly. But anyone spinning this answer as an admission that Thompson lacks "fire in the belly" obviously didn't read the three or four paragraphs of the answer.

I can see why they didn't bother, though. After all, it's not like their jobs include reading three paragraphs before making sharp judgments about those paragraphs. They're professional writers and commentators, not professional readers, after all.

Posted by: Ace at 01:11 PM | Comments (27)
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I'm just rooting for spirited contests with gallant sportsmanship. That's the way I roll.

Posted by: Ace at 11:34 AM | Comments (28)
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Despite some on again, off again uncertainty over the last few days, Fox News Channel has confirmed that they will not be inviting Ron Paul to take part in their New Hampshire Debate on Sunday.

Fox, meanwhile, has invited five GOP candidates to a forum with Chris Wallace scheduled for its mobile studio in New Hampshire on Sunday. Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson received invites, leaving Paul and Duncan Hunter on the sidelines.

The network said it had limited space in its studio — a souped-up bus — and that it invited candidates who had received double-digit support in recent polls.

However, Paul is invited to the network's South Carolina debate on January 10th.

I think Paul should have been booted months ago but doing it now, for one debate, seems odd. Is FNC really putting their desire to use a 'souped-up' bus above including candidates? Letting production values trump an airing of ‘ideas’ seems to play into the worst stereotypes of TV news.

Meanwhile, Paul has shown some support in NH (more than Fred anyway) and the event is co-sponsored by the state GOP, which wants him there. Fox should either include him in both or boot him entirely.

Posted by: DrewM. at 10:57 AM | Comments (63)
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This first clip from Man Stroke Woman reminded me that Ace has a cold, poor little bunny:

Second clip is a screamer. Below the jump. more...

Posted by: LauraW. at 09:56 AM | Comments (12)
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Two days until the Iowa Caucus and the latest poll shows Huck holding on to his lead 32%-26%. That is pretty much where they were in the paperÂ’s last poll in November. Coming in third at 13% is The Maverick while Fred is tied with Ron Paul! at 9%.

The poll was conducted between last Thursday and Sunday (27th-30th), so it encompasses the early part FredÂ’s bus tour.

I think the biggest surprise is that McCainÂ’s NH and national revival is being reflected in Iowa. I donÂ’t think heÂ’s campaigned there as much as others and when he does he gleefully points out heÂ’s against Ethanol subsidies (thatÂ’s the good Maverick).

On the Democratic side, Obama is up to 32% support to HillaryÂ’s 25% and SilkyÂ’s 24%. That means Obama has gained 4% from the last poll with the others have remained at the same levels.

BTW- If you are interested in the mechanics of a caucus, check out the Register's primer.

UPDATE: The Worldwidestandard.com says the DMR poll is something of an outlier but was the most accurate poll in 04.

A new CNN poll shows Romney in front of Huck and Fred ahead of Maverick.

Romney leads Huckabee 32%- 29%, with Thompson leading the second division with a distant 13%. On the Democratic side, it's Clinton 33%, Obama 31% and the angry populist at 22%.

Posted by: DrewM. at 08:44 AM | Comments (14)
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Lake Superior State U's annual list of words that have been so overused and abused they are officially banned for a period of one year.

I can't find any fault with their recommendations.

PERFECT STORM – "Overused by the pundits on evening TV shows to mean just about any coincidence." – Lynn Allen, Warren, Michigan.

"I read that 'Ontario is a perfect storm,' in reference to a report on pollution levels in the Great Lakes. Ontario is the name of one of the lakes and a Canadian province. This guy would have me believe it's a hurricane. It's time for 'perfect storm' to get rained out." – Bob Smith, DeWitt, Michigan.

Abolutely right. Overused, tiresome expression that so distorts the original intent, which was an unusual set of circumstances that created disaster, unlike the odd but nonetheless completely concidence of Pixy's email stalling and New Comment Thingy going tango uniform at the same time. The phrase means nothing now.

I'm sick of this one too.

IT IS WHAT IT IS – "This pointless phrase, uttered initially by athletes on the losing side of a contest, is making its way into general use. It accomplishes the dual feat of adding nothing to the conversation while also being phonetically and thematically redundant." – Jeffrey Skrenes, St. Paul, Minnesota.

And this one, while not necessarily inaccurate, has been used about eleventy-billion times in 07 alone.

WATERBOARDING – "Let's banish 'waterboarding' to the beach, where it belongs with boogie boards and surfboards." – Patrick K. Egan, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Banish it.

The list is compiled from suggestions submitted by anyone who cares to offer one up. Officially the List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness, it's been published each year since New Year's Day 1976. Past recommendations include "you know", "user friendly" and "have a nice day".

If I had remembered, I would have added a couple that are so overused in my world I see them in memos and status reports. Banish "brainstorming" and "out of the box", we'll be just fine if we never hear that crap again.

What about you morons? Got some word or expressions you could live without? Tell us what they are and why!

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 07:00 AM | Comments (172)
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New Comments Thingy is back on line, and with any luck, will stay that way. I'm still not sure why it freezes, so I've written a little script that comes along every so often and jams a paperclip in its effective.

Unfortunately, email also decided to take a New Year Nap, so I didn't receive Dave in Texas's note until about 18 hours later.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 01:56 AM | Comments (11)
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