No alcohol in the house and I haven't done this sort of thing in a while.

So, you know. I'll be more awful than usual.

I think I might fake a pulled hamstring.

Permanent Link: Here.

Posted by: Ace at 06:24 AM | Comments (20)
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If you're going to gay-bait, can't you do a better job of it than this?

I mean, if you're going down that road, is calling a gay writer "Twinkletoes" and wondering if he towel-dries his boss' balls the best you can do? Why not actually make it funny?

Thanks to Mary Katharine Ham.

Posted by: Ace at 06:20 AM | Comments (5)
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Gaargghhh....

Nnnnyyahhhgahhh...

Urrhggh... urrgh! Uhhhnnn! NYYYAAahhhhH! AHHHHHH!

Uhhh...

Uh.

Oh.

Uhhnn to Ahhhnnyyah.

Whew.

I need a cigarette.

Posted by: Ace at 06:12 AM | Comments (25)
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With Sistani explicitly giving Maliki the Shia cover he needs to execute militarily against the Madhi army, Sadr City is squarely in the sights of an army hungry to earn the trust of its citizens, and the respect of the American forces who trained them.

And somehow, the NYT online has seen fit to publish an Iraq article that doesn't bash the US military, Bush, or Maliki.

I'm thinking Michael Gordon's career will be a short-lived one with the Times, since he obviously is a retard incapable of making the connection between battlefield pigeon-killing and the inevitable PTSD rampages by war-weary vets suffering from the atrocities they visited upon little brown people and the birds they love. Enjoy his article while it's up.

The struggle for control of Sadr City is more than a test of wills with renegade Shiite militias. It has also become a testing ground for the Iraqi military, which has been thrust into the lead...

Iraqi politics has played a role in shaping the military strategy. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has decreed that American ground forces should not push into the heart of Sadr City, according to a senior American officer. American commanders also want to limit the United StatesÂ’ profile in an area that has long been a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric.

While the I.A. is still full of green soldiers, and defections do occur from time to time, there are heroes in the making:

As the Iraqi and American officers huddled, the Iraqi lieutenant said some of his soldiers had been receiving threatening calls on their cellphones from members of the Madhi Army warning them to leave...

As the discussions continued, one stocky Iraqi soldier stepped forward and announced that he was not afraid of the fighters from Jaysh al-Madhi —or JAM as it is called by American military — regardless of the threats.

“In case I see a bad guy I will not arrest him,” the Iraqi soldier said through an American military interpreter. “I will kill him immediately to get revenge for my guys who were lost.”

All I have to say to that is: Iraq - Fuck yeah!

Posted by: Open Blog at 10:55 PM | Comments (24)
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I for one, am not the least surprised at this turn of events from John McCain (r - McCainland)

Last week, JMac offered up base populism but he still managed to recommend restraint from the government:

In a speech March 25, he said: "It is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers." He also said that any assistance shouldn't "reward people who were irresponsible at the expense of those who weren't."[emphasis mine]

In following interviews he had more to say:

[H]e said he supported a more limited bill with widespread support in the Senate offering new tax breaks for home builders, financial counseling for home owners and money for local communities to buy up foreclosed properties.

Earlier, on Fox News Sunday, Sen. McCain said: "I understand the challenges and I'm prepared to meet them. And that is limited government intervention."[emphasis mine]

This week, the wheel turns inevitably to the Left:

John McCain called for an aggressive federal government role aimed at stabilizing the housing market, rejecting a largely hands-off approach he outlined two weeks ago...

Sen. McCain's speech also was notable for negative comments about Senate legislation he had spoken favorably about last weekend.

This really steams me (and yes, Bush's response steams me as well). About 3 years ago I bought my first house, and instead of getting an ARM and enjoying 500/month, I did the responsible thing, got a fixed 30 year at 6.2% and am paying just north of 900 a month.

So now I figure, might as well refinance and enjoy the latest rate cuts. Anyone been checking out the interest rates lately looking for a refi? You'd think with the Fed cutting rates, maybe mortgage rates would drop too. You'd think wrong, bub. The banks and the Fed are depending on the responsible people to bail out the banking industry's mistakes.

So, anyone care to make any predictions on which way he'll lean in the next 2 weeks?

Thursday's speech was intended to outline the Arizona lawmaker's ideas for short-term economic fixes. Next week, he plans a broader address detailing his long-term economic vision, including energy independence, job creation and growth.

Warning: Bloviating after the break.

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 09:36 PM | Comments (96)
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Here is a sampling of a few musical prodigies found on the net. Amazing talent for kids so young but remember this caveat: this is how Rick Astley started....
(note: 2nd video starts playing automatically)

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:26 PM | Comments (16)
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Wow.

Posted by: Ace at 06:18 PM | Comments (24)
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Sheesh.

As told by Amanda Ripley, Moron.

It's a pap piece, and by pap I mean you'll be gagging shortly.

Today Obama is partly a product of what his mother was not. Whereas she swept her children off to unfamiliar lands and even lived apart from her son when he was a teenager, Obama has tried to ground his children in the Midwest. "We've created stability for our kids in a way that my mom didn't do for us," he says. "My choosing to put down roots in Chicago and marry a woman who is very rooted in one place probably indicates a desire for stability that maybe I was missing."

There's a card in play, again. I can't quite make it out.

I didn't flip it. But apparently we do have to deal with it.

Sheesh. And by sheesh I mean "fuck this shit".

Lower That Bar! [ace] Am I to understand that Barack Obama is to be praised and elected President of the United States on the strength of the credential that he is not a footloose transient and/or shiftless drifter?

Mind you, I'd prefer my president not be a footloose transient and/or shiftless drifter. However, I think that's more a necessary but not sufficient type thing.

Barack Obama For President!

At last, a candidate with what America has been craving: a semi-permanent place of residence and a landline phone.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:46 PM | Comments (50)
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Hmm... Re-enter the Jokeman?

Sounds like he resigned out of anger at Stern, embarrassment at his own actions, and maybe a desire not to hurt the show. Hurt it? Ratings bonanza.

I imagine he'll un-resign in a couple of days.

Still, would be good to get Jackie Martling back on there. Not because he himself was so funny, but because Stern and especially Fred were hilarious when busting his chops.

Thanks to dri.

Posted by: Ace at 04:26 PM | Comments (32)
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Judgment.

While Mr. Khalidi is respected among his fellow Middle East scholars, many of whom share his hostility toward Israel, he has also come under attack from other Middle East experts who say he is soft on militant Islam and excuses terrorism.

Thanks to Dean.

Oh, And: Obama's "open, candid" discussion on race apparently began some time ago. Here's him reading his audiobook, busting on white people, mostly.

I don't really mind this all that much but can we please dispense with the notion that he's a race-healer or somehow has something interesting to say about race? This stuff -- white people are bad and "cruel" -- may or may not be true but it's not exactly breaking new ground, now is it?

Posted by: Ace at 04:02 PM | Comments (11)
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