Whoooaaah. This guy (or gal; not sure) -- a card carrying Clinton Democrat -- is asking if "we" (by which he means liberalish people) have been "drinking the Kool-Aid for forty years." And then begins saying all sorts of nice things about Republicans.

And then starts talking about political realignment.

What's interesting -- and new -- is that this guy isn't just looking at this from a personality perspective -- that is, support of Hillary, distaste for Obama. That sort of thing is nice and might even swing an election but has no actual long-term impact.

He's actually re-examining his entire devotion to the liberal (or non-liberal, really) project.

Think for a minute about all our nominees and the nominees weÂ’ll be tearing apart next week. Tweety, Markos, Dowd, Cafferty, Jeralyn, Sally Quinn, Andrew Sullivan, Campbell Brown. A few others were suggested but the point is. Find me a winger in the list. Find me a Fox news commentator. Find an OÂ’Reilly, Gibson, Novak, Kristol or Will.

Sexism, Misogyny, whatever you call it seems to be coming from the left not the right.

I had the thought that maybe theyÂ’ve been preparing to do battle with Hillary for the last few years and intentionally dropped sexism from their commentary. But I donÂ’t really think so.

What I saw Wednesday night was a Republican party that does what successful republican business people do. They may fight change but know when to quit, accept change, embrace it then move on. Highly successful businesses, when they see game changing technology coming, buy it and embrace it while their competition gets rolled over. The Boston Globe, purchased by the NY Times, was an early big investor in the Web because they follow the theory that itÂ’s better to be the one putting your old ways out of business than to let other people do it to you.

Etc.

I don't know how big this PUMA thing is. I always assumed it was small and temporary. I still figure it's small, but maybe not so temporary.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 12:00 AM | Comments (65)
Post contains 1559 words, total size 10 kb.

One of Hot Air's earlier posts I just got to.

Worth a listen. Even if you're not inclined to give Mike Gravel much respect (I'm not, but then, as an Alaskan, he is more familiar with Palin than most), it's worth it just hear the lefty interviewers become ever more desperate to get him to say anything bad about her.

Does he? You'll have to listen.

Answer in case you don't want to listen: No, except for minor stuff like "I don't agree with her on a lot of things." He even defenders her down the line on Troopergate, where even I think she'll be faulted for something.i more...

Posted by: Ace at 10:02 PM | Comments (28)
Post contains 158 words, total size 1 kb.

Spaketh Obama Christ, in the year of our Lord AB 47, complaining that the Mount was a bit too rocky, and the loaves of bread they had brought to him were decidedly subpar.

“I hope you guys are up for a fight. I hope you guys are game because I haven’t been putting up with 19 months of airplanes and hotel food and missing my babies and my wife – I didn’t put up for that stuff just to come in second,” he said. “I don’t believe in coming in second. The American people can’t afford for us to come in second.”

I am so inspired.

More praising of Our Lord, Who Art in Freefall, Shallow be His Refrain, at the link from Beldar, Dr. Sanity, and Hemingway.

Picture lifted from the NY Post's Lipstick on a Pig coverage.

More Importantly... In the year of our Lord AB 47, Our Savior, the One Who Complains An Awful Lot, openeth his soft lips to whine some more, and he spake unto us the Parable of the Prodigal Terrorist:

On Monday in Michigan, Obama became exercised when talking about the need to give even suspected terrorists legal rights.

“We may think this is Mohammed the terrorist,’’ he said at a campaign rally, but “it might be Mohammed the cab driver. You might think it’s Barack the bomb thrower. But it might be Barack the guy running for president.’’

Continuing, he got more heated, his voice booming. Referring to the Constitution, he said: “Don’t mock the Constitution! Don’t make fun of it! Don’t suggest that it’s un-American to abide by what the founding fathers set up! It’s worked pretty well for 200 years!!’’

He finished with a sigh: “These people."

And the multitudes repeated, "These people," for they knew wherefrom He was coming.

Posted by: Ace at 09:29 PM | Comments (68)
Post contains 315 words, total size 3 kb.

With all the recent buzz about the LHC and its awsomeness and/or ability to destroy the galaxy, or at least put a stop to the damn replicators, what is one of the things that might come out of it?

In a nutshell, Aristotle's notion about "ether" posited that there existed this "stuff" that permeated everywhere and everything. IOW, empty space really wasn't empty. It was full of stuff we couldn't see or detect cuz we were too stupid at the time to see or detect it. more...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 09:18 PM | Comments (28)
Post contains 356 words, total size 2 kb.

Figuring out how to convince people that it's getting warmer, even though, like, it isn't 'n shit.

Armed with new research into what makes some people environmentally conscious and others less so, the 148,000-member American Psychological Association is stepping up efforts to foster a broader sense of eco-sensitivity that the group believes will translate into more public action to protect the planet.

“We know how to change behavior and attitudes. That is what we do,” says Yale University psychologist Alan Kazdin, association president. “We know what messages will work and what will not.”

Well! Now that you've cured schizophrenia and all, I guess your schedules are really opening up wide. Congrats on the free time -- you've earned it. Huzzah!

At Dr. Helen, a psychiatrist writes about his decision to resign from the APA.

Posted by: Ace at 08:45 PM | Comments (49)
Post contains 165 words, total size 1 kb.

But, but -- for every terrorist you kill you create two more!!!

Not so much, not so much.

This is an Op-Ed by a writer that doesn't necessarily represent the NYT's position, I should say. In fact, I'd cross out the word "necessarily" above entirely.

Still, it's good to see some sense in the NYT.

“AMONG all the bombs, explosives and guns, the number of martyred dead is rising. Though this is the will of Allah, it is nevertheless possible to cause the enemy greater damage without exposing the Muslims to danger. How is it to be done?”

This question, which appeared as a post in May on the Web site Al7orya, one of the most important of Al QaedaÂ’s closed Internet forums, is only one example of the evidence that has been accumulated by American and Israeli intelligence in recent months of a significant ideological change under way within Osama bin LadenÂ’s organization. Seven years after 9/11, it may well be that we are witnessing the beginning of the end of suicide terrorism and a shift toward advanced technologies that will enable jihadist bombers to carry out attacks and live to fight another day.

...

Despite countless attempts by Western intelligence agencies, and the many projects by psychologists trying to draw the profile of the average suicide terrorist, we have failed miserably in finding a solution to the “poor man’s smart bomb.” Now, however, attrition may achieve what the experts have not: after years of battle in two main arenas — Iraq and Afghanistan — Al Qaeda’s suicide-recruitment mechanisms are beginning to wear out.

While the terrorist group has been careful not to mention it in its official statements, it is no longer uncommon to find jihadists in their chat rooms and, according to Western intelligence sources, in interrogations, stating that young men are reluctant or simply too scared to take part in suicide attacks. At the same time, military blows against Al QaedaÂ’s training structure since 2001 have meant that the number of extremists with combat experience is decreasing, and that new recruits are harder to train.

That said, the article is speaking only of suicide bombers in particular, and warns that these fraidy-cat Brave Islamic Warriors are now turning to, oh, let's say, less martyriffic means of killing large number of people at once, such as remote detonators (what an innovation) and even strapping bombs to dogs.

Thanks to Rob.

Posted by: Ace at 08:34 PM | Comments (13)
Post contains 427 words, total size 3 kb.

This is disrespectful, I know. Why am I posting it? Because it's funny, it's a strange intersection of frequent AoS topics, it's true and it's an exclusive.
'
This doll? Sold as a "Sarah Palin Action Figure"?

...is the same doll, same model, by the same company, with only its head swapped out, as seen in this clip of Grandma's Boy. Confirmed the actor/writer/producer in the scene (Allen Covert, who reports (really, he says this) that seeing that doll's body again gives him a "thrill up the leg") and by the prop-man on the picture, who confirms this is the same company he got the doll from.

Here is the clip. I have to tell you, I have to slap on the Highest Possible Content Warning on this. But it is hilarious.

If you don't want to watch, I'll just give you the story: A clip I've run on the site before about a guy living the Ace of Spades Lifestyle finds himself, um, very attracted to the doll. That's all you have to know. more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:21 PM | Comments (53)
Post contains 396 words, total size 3 kb.

Well, I'll say one thing.

If she doesn't win the vice presidency, she's going to have the most kick-ass talk show and/or family-oriented sitcom eveh.

Thanks to Daniel.

Was that dismissive? I didn't intend it to be. Obviously I know she's going to be in politics for a while.

I guess my point is that this is a phenomenon unseen since... well, Barack Obama, really. I'm not used to the public actually liking politicians this much. George W. Bush was liked an awful lot by conservatives, but Sarah Palin is inspiring intense affection.

In Hollywood they call it the Q-Rating, the measure of how much he public actually likes you as a person. Obama's Q Rating was (at least for partisans) off the charts. That's what scared me so much about him. I definitely wasn't scared of his keen mind or well-considered policy positions.

But Sarah Palin's Q-rating is not only higher, but it's broader, too.

Obama was beloved by half of he Democratic Party. Palin is beloved by 95% of Republicans, 50% of non-Republican women, and 50% of independent men.

Posted by: Ace at 03:48 PM | Comments (41)
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

Sweetie, why don't you make me a sammich?

His follow-up line seems kinda deliberate too:

"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."

Ed Morrissey noted Obama and his surrogates had called Palin by every classic anti-woman putdown in the book: Whore, bitch, unfit mother, lightweight fluffyhead, etc. Were they any such put-downs left, he wondered.

Answer: Indeed there were!

Of course... Obama claims he didn't mean that about Palin.

Obama senior adviser Robert Gibbs insists the senator was not referring to Palin. "That's an old expression," Gibbs says.

AlsoTapper reported a Union dude was giving a enthusiastic introduction of Obama at the same event in Lebanon, Virginia and said:

"Jesus was a community organizer," Roberts said."

Thanks to TopSecretK9.

Clever! In referencing Hillary on the trail, Obama coyly flipped her the middle finger in a way that I'm 100% sure was deliberate but was so casually done he couldn't really get socked with it.

Why did he do it? Perhaps to provoke an overheated response from Hillary (which he didn't get-- but it was still clever to try).

Is that what Obama's thinking here? Get McCain and Palin to overreact and make everyone think she's just a silly girl who gets upset by stray references to pigs?

I don't know. If that's his aim, it is clever.

Palin Reaction?

Gov. Palin tomorrow:

(Steps up to the microphone.)

(Starts to speak, then stops and reaches down and picks up something small.)

(She is now applying lipstick in front of this huge crowd that is laughing and cheering.)

(After a few minutes, the cheering dies down and she begins to speak.)

"Oink."

(The crowd roars anew...)

That's from MamaAJ.

As funny as that is, I still think the best course is to ignore it. Either Obama didn't mean this at all in which case it's silly to respond, or Obama did mean it, but meant to provoke a reaction he thinks will expose Palin as an excitable girl, in which case it's also silly to respond.

But it's funny, so I thought I'd highlight it.

Send Lipstick to Obama? That's this guy's suggestion.

I don't think this will have either legs or impact, and I don't think it merits a response, but I seem to be in the minority, so what do I know.

Posted by: Ace at 04:00 PM | Comments (448)
Post contains 440 words, total size 3 kb.

Wow! A one point lead!

This truly has "changed the way [I] look at the world!"

First Look: Registered voters, not likely. 860 of them. The Gallup poll polled 1022 adults, 959 of whom were registered voters, and then further narrowed that field into a smaller number of "likely voters."

The poll reinforces other polls' findings -- that McCain/Palin have substantially eaten into Obama's lead among women. Here, they find a 14 point lead has been chopped to 4 points.

And yet Obama remains ahead? That would mean McCain leads men by only 6 2 or 3 points. Possible, I guess, but seems unlikely. Update: My pollster says a lead of up to 10% (or that range) among men is far more likely, making me wonder how the hell McCain managed to do so well with women -- a tiny 4% gap -- while simultaneously losing almost all of the Republicans' historic lead with mem.

My Pollster Source: Is reading this now. So far--

McCain's impressions are good, really good
Palin's are smokin'

Here's the PDF with more detailed results.

No mention of the methodology of the poll-- what was weighted on.

Yeah...: Someone writes:

Note that this is the EXACT SAME RESULT as yesterday's ABC/WaPo poll (47-46 Obama lead among registered voters), but the Dems weren't so eager to push that one in the media.

Why? Because the ABC/WaPo one also had a likely voters breakdown: 49-47, a 2 point McCain lead. Whoops!

Hasn't your world been rocked? Heh.

Posted by: Ace at 02:55 PM | Comments (57)
Post contains 304 words, total size 2 kb.