Bonus: He surrendered because he was afraid of being killed by British Special Forces.

Special Extra Bonus: British forces actually did kill another senior Taliban just after this guy surrendered.

Triple Play Bonus Bonus Bonus: The British troops seized his spats as contraband, which they then presented as a gift to Sir Elton John.

Correction: I erroneously wrote he'd surrendered to the British. He hasn't. He surrendered to Pakistan and, as a commenter points out, a terrorist surrendering to Pakistan isn't exactly the equivalent of the death penalty.

Still, it's a win. He heard the footsteps, and went running back to mama.

Posted by: Ace at 08:31 AM | Comments (15)
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Incompetent at their mission, that is. Not at being bullies.

The companies eased their assaults when they concluded we weren't about to stop, and in any case they soon had bigger problems. Freddie's accounting fiasco became public in 2003, while Fannie's accounting blew up in 2004. Mr. Raines was forced to resign, and a report by regulator James Lockhart discovered that Fannie had rigged its earnings in a way that allowed it to pay huge bonuses to Mr. Raines and other executives.

Such a debacle after so much denial would have sunk any normal financial company, but once again Fan and Fred could fall back on their political protection. In the wake of Freddie's implosion, Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida held one hearing on its accounting practices and scheduled more in early 2004.

He was soon told that not only could he hold no more hearings, but House Speaker Dennis Hastert was stripping his subcommittee of jurisdiction over Fan and Fred's accounting and giving it to Mike Oxley's Financial Services Committee. "It was because of all their lobbying work," explains Mr. Stearns today, in epic understatement. Mr. Oxley proceeded to let Barney Frank (D., Mass.), then in the minority, roll all over him and protect the companies from stronger regulatory oversight. Mr. Oxley, who has since retired, was the featured guest at no fewer than 19 Fannie-sponsored fund-raisers.

Update - And here's another example. You just bought Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. four Sony Bravia 46-inch, high-definition LCD TVs for his two Chicago-area offices. And that's just the tip of the congressional spending iceberg.

I'm sure your generosity is appreciated.

Posted by: Slublog at 08:31 AM | Comments (6)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 08:18 AM | Comments (19)
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Women, minorities hardest hit.

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Times Co. says its second-quarter earnings fell 82 percent from the year-ago quarter boosted by a one-time gain. Meanwhile, print advertising revenue continued to shrink.

The New York-based newspaper publisher says its quarterly net income dropped to $21.1 million, or 15 cents per share, which included 11 cents per share in buyout costs.

...

Chief Executive Janet Robinson says business was hurt by the "U.S. economic slowdown and secular forces playing out across the media industry."

I wonder what else could be causing this steep decline in revenue and circulation? It's a mystery. Fell free to share your theories and celebratory comments below.

Posted by: Slublog at 06:35 AM | Comments (93)
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Brought to you by none other than Baghdad Jim McDermott (D-WTF?). I mustÂ’ve done something truly horrible in a former lifetime to be sentenced to live in this guyÂ’s district. The proposed legislation is to create a new program along the lines of the federal food stamp program. The press release and proposed bill are here.

Some highlights:

“Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, introduced legislation today to provide financial assistance to vulnerable Americans struggling to survive under crushing gasoline prices.”

“The Emergency Gasoline Assistance Act (H.R. 6561) would create a program to provide $5 billion to states as a one-time grant with the money designated to provide assistance to families of modest means to purchase gasoline. This program could provide every family that is currently living below the federal poverty threshold with $500 in assistance. State governors would have the flexibility to use the money to create programs that target the specific needs of their communities.”

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:43 PM | Comments (62)
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Arms, Oil and Gas Agreements, and the Strategic Food Shield™.

Interfax quoted an "informed military expert" as saying Venezuela planned to purchase up to 10 air defense systems, three diesel electric submarines, six more non-nuclear powered submarines and several surface vessels.

Venezuela also planned to discuss the possibility of buying certain aircraft, including combat helicopters, the expert said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Chavez plans to go to southern Russia (near Chechnya) to "study its experience in solving humanitarian problems", but that's just showbiz. Hugo already knows enough about that.

They want to set up a Russian-Venezuelan bank, and join forces to tackle the food crisis, although they avoided specific details.

"We must create a food shield. While some are creating a missile shield, we want to create a hunger shield," the Venezuelan president said.

To quote Major T.J. "King" Kong, an acknowledged expert in Roosskie military affairs, "I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones."

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 07:20 PM | Comments (31)
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Here.

My son informs me he's skeptical. Meh. I'm still mad at them for delaying the last episodes of BSG until we're well into McCain's first term.

Posted by: Open Blog at 06:21 PM | Comments (19)
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Whew!

Whoops: I shouldn't have said Obama said it was his call for political reconciliation that reduced violence. He actually said that the "political dynamic" coincidentally changed at about the same time. Democrats have previously attempted to claim it was their "pressuring" of the Iraqi government, by threatening to cut funds and impose timetables, which occasioned this happy (?) accident.

So Obama didn't really say that... but, you know, that's the sort of claim Democrats have made before.

...

I used to think he was Captain Bullshit.

Now I think he is so dangerously narcissistic his ego just warps the world around him, like gravity, so that everything really does wind up revolving around him.

Thanks to CJ.

UPDATE [Dave in Texas]: former Marine Steve Schippert at Threatswatch.org points out the Anbar Awakening started with one sheik and seventy other men, simply fighting Al-Qaeda for survival and to protect their families. They didn't have a political bone to pick with anybody. It's laughable to claim political pressure, from either Democrats or the Iraqi government had any influence on the Anbar Salvation Council whatsoever. Of course, it does make Obama's claim that he couldn't have anticipated it more believable; he didn't even know what the hell it was.

via Andrew McCarthy at The Corner

Posted by: Ace at 02:22 PM | Comments (113)
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Gas taxes are for the little people not Democratic party dignitaries.

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today.

"There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said.

...Faatz asked if it was customary to have "fleets for dignitaries" not pay for highway taxes if they're using government fuel facilities.

(Mayor John) Hickenlooper said it was.

"I believe this is only for elected officials, government dignitaries," Hickenlooper told Faatz.

"... I do know for a fact that they're doing the same exact thing in Minneapolis," which is hosting the Republican National Convention, the mayor said.

...Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee, said they're getting their gas at the pump.

"We're not getting a tax break on fuel," she said. "That's not the set-up at this end."

Anyone else see a McCain ad in the works..."Senator Obama opposed giving ordinary working Americans a holiday from gas tax this summer. Meanwhile the group organizing his convention? They got a sweetheart deal...."

h/t The Weekly Standard Blog

Posted by: DrewM at 02:01 PM | Comments (26)
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Caught spending the night with his (allegedly alleged) mistress and (allegedly alleged) love-child by her.

Left to Right: John Edwards in a suit; John Kerry in drag...
He does have a type, doesn't he?

You know -- the MSM had this story months and months ago. Rielle Hunter's girlfriend spilled -- which is a pretty good source. Sure, she could be lying, but certainly she's in a position to know.

Very suspicious stuff then ensued, like Rielle Hunter moving in with one of Edwards senior campaign people for the pregnancy. Wink, wink.

And yet no one bothered digging or reporting, leaving it to the National Enquirer to report actual news.

On the other hand, John McCain once used the world "finger" in mixed company and the New York Times breathlessly reported on the "affair."

AP: EDWARDS, NUNN ON OBAMA's VEEP LIST: More of that judgment we've heard so much about.

Posted by: Ace at 01:13 PM | Comments (238)
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